One of the greatest gifts of art is that through it, an artiste can live on beyond his lifetime. Metaphorically, and now it turns out, technologically as well. Earlier this year, AR Rahman used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recreate the voices of his two late collaborators, Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed, for the song, Thimiri yezhuda, in Rajinikanth-starrer Lal Salaam. Is it sheer joy to hear the voice of a singer you never thought you’d be able to again? Absolutely. But it also sparked many other emotions; while some listeners expressed disappointment that such a practice would limit opportunities for upcoming singers, others felt it was ethically wrong. 

Taking the right channel

For Bakya’s brother Praveen Raj, it sparked surprise. He remembers receiving a call from the ace composer’s daughter Khatija Rahman in January 2023, about creating the late singer’s voice using AI. Talking to mid-day from Chennai, he says, “There are so many singers keen to sing for Rahman sir. But he was interested in my brother’s voice.” Rahman’s affinity for Bakya’s voice is understandable. It was, after all, the musician who gave him the name, after asking him to sing like South African musician, Bamba. The playback singer made his film debut with Rahman’s composition, Kedakkari, from Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan (2010). Before his untimely demise in September 2022, he collaborated with the composer on Iravin Nizhal and Ponniyin Selvan I.