Even though fellow-nominee Bruce Springsteen puts up tough competition, the scales tip heavily in A R Rahman's favour at the Grammys because Slumdog is still the hot new flavour of the West

Bruce Springsteen, who has won 19 Grammys till date, maybe America's biggest working class hero but AR Rahman and Slumdog Millionaire represent a global phenomenon right now, say Indian film and music stars. Springsteen's title track for The Wrestler and Rahman's Jai Ho have been nominated for the Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media at the upcoming Grammys next month.



"America is currently riding the Asian wave," says singer Kailash Kher, who has been working with Rahman since 2004, adding, "Springsteen could be America's sweetheart but Rahman represents the world right now. When we (Kher's band Kailasa) toured America, we noticed that the people are really curious about Asian sounds and music. The atmosphere is set for Rahman to win not just one, but God willing, both the Grammys."

Will Oscar snub get Springsteen Grammy points?

This year, Springsteen was snubbed by the Academy Awards, setting off an outrage of sorts amongst world music media. The Spin magazine described Springsteen's title track for The Wrestler as "intensely affecting emotional specificity", found lacking in the other Oscar nominees, and the writer of the piece took a dig at the track's absence in the Academy shortlist for Best Original Song: "it's as if the nods are decided by throwing darts at a board labeled 'next best things'." Said Rolling Stone magazine: "In shocking news,

Bruce Springsteen's The Wrestler didn't even get a nod despite winning the Golden Globe..."

The fact that Rahman won all the major awards including the Golden Globe and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for the Best Music Score for Slumdog should reflect on the Grammys as well, feels Sanjeev Thomas, lead guitarist and founder of Chennai-based band Rainbow Bridge. "All the other experts have recognised him and it would look weird if the Grammy jury didn't give him the award," says Thomas, who has also worked with Rahman on film scores such as Delhi 6 and has been a part of the composer's Jai Ho tour this year.