AR Rahman’s sister goes global

Go big or go home’ is a mentality that is often prevalent among certain Hollywood filmmakers. While the Mozart of Madras AR Rahman may not be a stranger to the big stage, his sister Isshrath Quadhre’s singing career has gone slightly below the radar. Well, all that is set to change with the recent signing of a big Hollywood flick Lake Of Fire, which also announces her debut as a composer in the major league.

“I never dreamt of composing for movies at all! All thanks to my anna, who has always motivated me to go beyond singing and try my hand at composing. Besides, two of my well-wishers also encouraged me to get into this,” a calm and composed Isshrath Quadhre starts her conversation with DC.

Hollywood filmmaker Raj Thiruselvan and producer Basia happened to watch Isshrath singing at the United Nations. This fetched her the alluring chance of debuting in the English film Lake of Fire, which is a romantic drama. “I was at the practice session for the song Ennile Maha Oliyo from our album Rasayana Rojakkal, which is on female empowerment. Both Raj Thiruselvan and Basia visited the place and were watching me from a distance. Later, they came to me and asked if I was AR Rahman’s sister and were enquiring about what I actually do. I told them I am a singer. They said that they were looking for a fresh talent for their film. They were impressed with my work, they wanted to bring me on board,” says Isshrath who had also composed a lullaby song in Aishwarya Dhanush’s Cinema Veeran.

Apparently, Raj Thiruselvan narrated the part of the script and the situation for the songs. “I suggested   a motivational number, composed the rough mix and gave it to them. They were thrilled and said it was the kind of sound they had expected,” she quips.

There’s a Tamil song and an English song in the movie. While the lyrics of the Tamil song Kanavugal Balithidum have been penned by Kutti Revathy and her, she has also written the English number Break the Sorrows with Aryan Shekar. Isshrath further adds — “I have also rendered the Tamil number and both have different tunes and arrangements.”

So what was her brother’s reaction? (Smiles) “He was very happy. After all, he is my role model and the biggest inspiration in my life. After hearing words of appreciation from the makers of Lake of Fire, my anna shared it with my mother. It was blissful”.

Isshrath signed off with a contented smile, saying, “If there’s an influence of his music in my compositions, I take it as a compliment. After all, I grew up listening to his music and being part of his endeavors most of the time.”