by Subhash K. Jha
The long wait to see one of our popular musicians go west finally seems to be on the verge of ending. A. R. Rehman who scored big points for his Bollywood explosion in Andrew Lloyd Webber's staged musical Bombay Dreams is all set to make his full-fledged musical in Toronto.

Rahman excitedly revealed that Time magazine has selected his score in Roja among the ten best of all times. "You never know what the world has in store for you. Suddenly you find Roja being selected as one of ten best soundtrack in the world by Time magazine.

He stops to think. " I like it when what I do here is recognized abroad. The musical stage version of Lord Of The Rings happened in Toronto. I scored music for specific characters in the play. ."

Why such a delayed international impact? "Actually Shekhar Kapur got me a couple of Hollywood films 3-4 years ago. But I wasn't ready then. Now with the Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams behind me I'm more confident. It's the first time that a musician from the Orient is being called to score in the West regardless of colour and creed. It's not about whether you're an Indian or a foreigner. I was apprehensive whether I could swing it. But it has gone well."

Rahman sees Lord Of The Rings as his natural progression into the West. "Bombay Dreams did flash A.R Rahman's name. But it was seen as Indian music. And I'm proud of that. But Lord Of The Rings is a very exciting because it's got nothing to do with my being Indian. . Composing for a stage play requires ten time more energy than a film score."