Shot at the crack of dawn, AR Rahman’s music medley was created with the intent to reiterate and celebrate the power of hope in these uncertain times. AR Rahman, who made his debut as a producer and co-writer with the multilingual film 99 Songs, brought together the musical cast of the film for performing a rooftop concert and released the video on Wednesday.
The YouTube description of the video reads, “As the sun rises in Chennai, A.R. Rahman signals a new dawn with the musical cast of 99 Songs.” AR Rahman, who shared the video on Facebook, also sent out an optimistic message to fans. “Hope. All of us have come together to lighten your mood. So don’t lose hope, there is still beauty in this world. Enjoy this.”
Rahman’s Chennai Rooftop Jam, which is also becoming popular in social media as the ‘hope song’, weaves together some of the best tracks from the award-winning musician’s career in a beautiful medley. The rooftop jam starts with the energetic Punjabi hip-hop track Veere Kadh de, followed by the festive and celebratory Rang De Basanti. The transition from Rang De Basanti to the folk song Balleilakka is seamless. The artists end the jam with the romantic ballad O Aashiqa.
The medley is sung by Benny Dayal, Shashwat Singh, Shashaa Tirupati, Rakshita Suresh and Swagat Rathod, along with AR Rahman.
Watch the video of Chennai Rooftop Jam here:
99 Songs is directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy and stars actors Ehan Bhatt and Edilsy Vargas in the lead roles. 99 Songs was released in theatres on April 16 this year. Hailing music as the antidote to the setbacks of the modern world, the movie lauds the healing power of music.
Earlier this month, AR Rahman released the teaser of his upcoming track Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye which is also based on hope and optimism. Released on Maaja, the award-winning musician’s independent music collective, Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye is likely to be an ode to the history and glory of the Tamil language.