An interview with AR Rehman is full of surprises, quite like the man himself. As we are on the way to his hotel room he spots a piano in the lobby and can't help stopping by. As he strums up a familiar tune from his film, Bombay, within seconds a small crowd gathers to listen to him. There certainly is some magic in his tunes. As people start coming up to him he makes his way out, quietly accepting compliments in all humility.

We begin with quizzing him about a musician's creativity in Bollywood. Does he feel hampered, as some suggest there is lesser room for creativity, the music being guided by the director's requirements? "So what's wrong with that?" he asks. "Directors have a pulse of what viewers want. Which is why film music is so popular. Musicians should work in tandem with the directors," he avers.

How does he select films? "Instinct," is his instant reply. "I should also be comfortable working with the director," he adds. We ask him about some of his interesting films lined up for release. "The Rising is coming. Then there is Deepa Mehta's next film in which I have experimented a lot," Rehman tells us.

The musician takes a trip down the memory lanes and talks about the difficulties he faced. "I am from the South and suddenly I was forced into a genre in which I had no experience. I was lucky to have hits like Roja and Bombay. I studied the work of other musicians in the North and customised my work accordingly," Rehman tells us.

Recently he discovered the work of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. "It is an old radio recording which I am constantly hearing. I even have it on my mobile!" says he.

While on mobiles, we quiz him on the ad jingle he composed for a leading tele-communication company, which turned out to be a huge hit. "I had been abroad for a long time then, and had come back to India absolutely like a hippie. That tune was composed to strike a cord with our music again," says he.

Ask him about his hobbies and he says, "I love to shoot clips on my video camera. But unfortunately I do not get much time." What is his opinion about the remixed music? Are we losing touch with originality? "It's not that. Remixes are a way of giving back classical songs to the younger generation. But an overdose is irritating," he says.

What is his message for budding musicians? "Even I am a budding musician. I am learning everyday," he smiles and adds, "But for success, you have to give hundred per cent. With 90 per cent, you won't be successful."