A R Rahman, Ananya Birla join hands to create song for Indian Olympic contingent
Music maestro A R Rahman and singer Ananya Birla have collaborated for "Hindustani Way", a brand-new track to cheer for the Indian contingent ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. While Birla has lent her voice to the song, Rahman serves as the composer and producer on the record. Billed as a soulful Hindi track peppered with English vocals, "Hindustani Way", which translates to 'The Indian Way', is about unity and optimism. Rahman said they hope to convey their support and best wishes to Team India through this song.
"All of us are really excited to have made this special song and hope our athletes can feel the entire nation rooting for them, the Hindustani way, when they hear it. It was a pleasure working with Ananya on this project..." the Oscar and Grammy winner said in a statement.
Birla, who has co-written the lyrics along with Nirmika Singh and Shishir Samant, said it is a "true honour" to pen and sing a song to cheer the Indian Olympic contingent.
"The grit and fortitude of the Indian Olympic team in the face of such a challenging year is inspiring. It was surreal to have had the opportunity to collaborate with my role model, AR sir on such a prestigious project, from whom I have learnt so much. We are here cheering, the Hindustani Way!" she added.
The music video of the song is directed by Danny Mamik and Sahaan Hattangadi, produced by Birla's banner Antimatter Media Pvt. Ltd. It features key Olympic archival footage from Atlanta (1996), Athens (2004), Beijing (2002, 2008), Rio (2016), London (2012) and exclusive training footage of this year's contingent, the press release said.
Over 100 athletes from India have qualified for the Olympics, which was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event gets underway on July 23 amid strict health safety protocols.
Hockey captain Manpreet Singh and London Olympics bronze-medallist boxer M C Mary Kom will be India's flag-bearers during the opening ceremony.
Top wrestler Bajrang Punia has been named the country's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony on August 8.
