REVIEW

The movie is a documentary of AR Rahman’s The Intimate Concert Tour, in which his 10-member band performed in 14 cities across the US.

Well this is India’s first concert film, One Heart is all about the music and less about the musician, and thankfully so. A live concert comes with a hundred possibilities – things that one cannot imagine with the actual soundtrack that we listen to in our headphones – and One Heart captures all that.

“When I started out, I was terrified to go on stage... I was afraid the sound, which I worked on for months and months, would get messed up… I would have sleepless nights,” says AR Rahman at one point in One Heart, which captures his journey from being a once-shy musician, blushing at his first success to a consummate showman on stage.

In the film you get a close look at the live performance of these songs in the concerts which in itself are one of its kind experiences. You get to see Rahman's fingers playing various musical instruments withe ease and it is amazing to see him sing while playing the instruments. Also the close up shots for the guitarist (Keba Jeramaiah), bass guitarist (Mohini Dey), violinist (Ann Marie Calhoun), drummer (Ranjith Barot) and the singers (Hari Charan, Shiraz Uppal, Jonita Gandhi) from Rahman's ten member band gives an equally amazing experience. Most of the band members actually perform multiple tasks in the concert which shows them as a bunch of multi-talented artists and why this band is renowned worldwide.

And there are some lighter moments from offstage footage of concerts added to the film. Rahman visits to Nashville with his band members to enjoy some club music. While flying sky high on a hot-air balloon Rahman calls up his daughter and jokingly asks whether he can jump. There is a glimpse of Rahman and his wife Saira Banu doing funny things while posing for a photo shoot. These capture the playful guy within the genius,

In the film Rahman gives an introduction to Curie a new facility which helps the musicians perform on stage without the physical presence of instrument. It is interesting to see that but it would have been great if it had been given some more time to explain how it is done. However it is the inclusion of these little details that differentiate the film from a regular documentary apart from the experience given by its musical content.

There is also an eerily prescient moment when Rahman says, “Fame is a double edged sword… I know all the love could change if you don’t deliver.” It makes us think of his recent Wembley concert fiasco, where there were reportedly walkouts because he did not sing enough Hindi songs.

It is these moments, when Rahman isn’t on guard, that make One Heart interesting, though the film somewhat short-changes us in this regard.

PLUS

Throws light on band members

Music

Song List

MINUS

Nothing much

Verdict : For Music Lovers!

Stars : 2.5/5