Just a Minute With: A. R. Rahman on "Slumdog Millionaire"

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A.R. Rahman, one of India's best known composers, has just won a Golden Globe nomination for his score in “Slumdog Millionaire” -- a first for Indian music.

In an interview to Reuters, the 42-year-old composer talks about what that nomination means to him and also reveals plans to work with Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.

Q: We've heard you are going to be working with Kylie Minogue?

A: “Yeah, for a film called “Blue”. They (the producers) wanted a celebrity. There were three or four choices, but we chose Kylie. There was Beyonce and a couple of other people, but we thought Kylie would be the correct choice.”

“Things should happen in the next couple of months hopefully. I don't know whether I will just be composing, or singing with her as well.”

Q: When you did the score for “Slumdog Millionaire,” did you expect the kind of accolades it’s getting right now?

A: “No, I never had that intention. I just did the score because I liked Danny Boyle and because it's (about) India, so I thought it would be good to be associated. Also, it was good to see that he knew my work and wanted that kind of flavour, so that was very important. He respected my work.”

Q: How did you come onboard for the project?