Slumdog Millionaire [SOUNDTRACK]

A.R. Rahman

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 21, 2008)
• Original Release Date: December 21, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B001LX0JK6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #448 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Kurt Loder, MTV.COM

"The propulsive score, by Bollywood soundtrack auteur A. R. Rahman, is hip-hop fusion of a very up-to-date kind"

Product Description

In composing the music for acclaimed director Danny Boyle's intoxicating new film Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman has conjured the sound of a city, fusing the frenetic scramble of daily life in Mumbai, India into beautiful fugues that ride upon the dust clouds kicked up by its everyday people.

From the movie's first frames --- with children racing through alleyways, knocking over merchants and pottery, police kicking loose clay roof tiles, disrupted birds fluttering from gutters -- we hear the sound of their commotion made manifest in "O... Saya." It's a rumbling hybrid of Bollywood and hip-hop, a brand new collaboration between Rahman and M.I.A. It's the kind of cinematic moment where image and sound coexist. And that's only the first five minutes.

Filmed in the streets and slums of Mumbai, India, Boyle needed just the right music to compliment the film's cinema verité urban realism. He turned to internationally renowned composer A.R. Rahman (a huge star in South Asia--selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and 200 million cassettes--Rahman is one of the world's top 25 all-time top selling recording artists.) The film's score is central to the propulsive modern grit that pervades the story, but is also a nod to classic Bollywood productions where the music is front and center. And loud. Says Rahman, "We wanted it edgy, upfront. Danny wanted it loud."

M.I.A.'s appreciation for Bollywood music led her to record much of last year's Kala inside A.R. Rahman's studio in India, although the two had never worked together until now. Referring to him in URB magazine as "the Indian Timbaland," M.I.A. obviously jumped at the chance to work on "O... Saya" with the famed composer. Rahman says, "She's a real powerhouse. Somebody played me her CD and I thought, `Who is this girl? She came here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said, `Cut the crap, this "my idol" crap. You have to teach me.'"

M.I.A. crops up again, later in the film, with the remix of her worldwide hit "Paper Planes" seemingly made for Slumdog, as the lyrics pronounce, "Sometimes I feel like sitting on trains..." while a light blue locomotive chugs and hurls its way through India, young boys perched up top in the sepia sunlight scoping out for a scrap of food.

Other songs on the soundtrack include "Gangsta Blues," featuring hip-hop artist BlaaZe, which flutters with the rhythms of a film projector, capturing a bit of the madness of crowds as they disperse in a thousand directions to escape the claustrophobia of back alleys. And nothing quite prepares you for the triumphant climax, the overarching ode to joy that is "Jai Ho," closing out the film in a rousing sing-a-long that's had film audiences burst into spontaneous applause. As Rahman told Variety, "The energy of the film takes you through a roller coaster, and that's one of the main inspirations for the whole music."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arguably the best soundtrack of 2008, December 30, 2008

By	Traveler (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't normally review CDs because it's so rare for an entire album to be worth buying, especially a soundtrack. Far too often you get a CD with songs that weren't even in the movie while skipping some of the best songs that were actually used.

The "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, with its mix of mostly upbeat instrumentals and vocals, is that rare exception. If you don't want to move to this music then check your pulse.

"O...Saya" and "Jai Ho," the former shown at the beginning of the movie, the latter at the end while the credits ran along with the Bollywood homage, are perfect party songs you'll want to listen to again and again. The ominous sound of "Riots" will remind you of the murder of the brothers' mother. "Dreams on Fire" and "Latika's Theme" are both a little sad and romantic. "Millionaire" is just inspiring and will remind you of the movie's climax. And you get not just one, but two versions of "Paper Planes."

I didn't think this was possible, but the "Slumdog" soundtrack surpasses even "Bend It Like Beckham." If you liked that soundtrack, you definitely want to check this one out.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome soundtrack, December 15, 2008

By	Sid Ananthakrishnan (Mountain View, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Slumdog Millionaire - Music From The Motion Picture (MP3 Download)

If you saw the movie then you know how integral the soundtrack was to the movie. Needless to say the soundtrack is fantastic and just listening to the music will automatically have you relive the movie!

AR Rahman - the music composer is a genius and he's done a spectacular job as usual. A couple of tracks are from other sources - namely Papers Planes and Aaj ki Raat. The rest of the tracks are original productions for the movie.

49 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One in a Million ......, December 23, 2008

By	Anil Nair "muziqqer" (sfo, ca usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a big A R Rahman fan and typically lap up anything and everything composed by this man. So when I first heard about this movie (and the fact that 2 of my favorites Danny B and ARR - have collaborated on this one) - I was all but ears for this OST. Saw the promos and then the movie and then ever since its been a wait to get this album. So when it came out on ITunes a month back, I bought it in the first hour and now when it released on a CD, again, i bought it on the first day.

The whole world is raving about this album and so is it worth it ?

Oh Yes ..absolutely a big emphatic YES.

Get it for the thunderous O Saya or the Riots
or Get it for the Grammy Nominated Paper Planes by MIA
or Get it for mellifluous and soothing Latika's theme or the wonderfully penned Dreams on Fire
or Get it for Liquid Dance - a wonderful fusion of Indian classical and western rhythms
or Get it for Gangsta Blues or Millionaire
or Get it for the joy that is 'Jai Ho'
or get it because its a Golden Globe nominated score

or simply get it because you Love music ....
or just because the name of the composer ...is A R Rahman

Just go ..get it ..

-A