A.R. Rahman’s iconic Kodambakkam bungalow is well-known and it’s the mecca of music with musicians, fans and well-wishers flocking the home when ARR is in town. But of late his studio which he has managed to keep away from the prying media is what the city is abuzz about.
Whilst Harris Jayraj’s state-of-the-art studio replete with even Ferrari themed speakers is still making news, ARR has managed to keep his film shooting studio under wraps up until now.
Speaking of the extensive project, architect Harish who has done celebrity projects like those of Suhasini Maniratnam and A.R. Rahman, says, “Many of the world’s biggest shooting studios like Universal Studios or Andhra’s Annapurna Studios have been the go-to places for film crews. A.R. Rahman’s studio however will appeal to the exclusive who want nothing but high quality.” says Harish, who was quite frankly “alarmed" at the tech-forwardness of ARR.
Working with unique materials, Harish says, “ARR gave us a brief to use eco-friendly materials as much as possible. Energy efficient design he said is the future and he wanted it to also have a slick look. Concrete is something most people prefer but ARR told us to experiment with containers and other material.” He also told his architect team to make use of Wind and Solar energy.
On many of the meetings, ARR would smile through the meetings and at the end have a solid idea that would stump the design team. It was ARR who suggested the usage of decommissioned containers, it seems.
Harish, says. “Rahman is a family man and is very consultative with his family. He believes in the principles of energy and air flow. Colours too he believes are therapeutic and had a say in the color philosophy.”
Rahman, according to friends close to his wife, say that he loves entertaining small groups of people at home over home-cooked food. Harish, says, “We were invited over to Rahman’s home and over that meal we had finalised all design aspects. In between all this he kept slipping into a recording at the home studio and also planning his international tour,” reveals the architect.
Staying true to his roots, Rahman had roped in ace lyricist Madhan Karky to come up with Tamil verses, names and phrases that could be used to name the different blocks and rooms at the state-of-the-art studio.
