Ananya Birla on teaming up with AR Rahman for Tokyo Olympics cheer song

As the 2021 Olympics starts in Japan on July 23, there comes a solid reason for some team sporting cheer amidst the gloom of the pandemic.

The Tokyo Olympics will see a 228-member strong contingent from India participate in 18 sporting events. Apart from a population of more than a billion rooting for their favourites, The Hindustani Way, a song from musical legend AR Rahman and singer-songwriter Ananya Birla, will set the tone for optimism and cheer.

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Launched by Anurag Thakur, Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, a week ago, India’s official cheer song for the Olympics has already garnered 10 million views on YouTube.

The song, running into 2 minutes 58 seconds, follows an India’s family’s passion for the Olympics every four years, interspersed with footage of Indian wins through the event.

Speaking to HerStory on the The Hindustani Way and her collaboration with AR Rahman, Ananya says,

“Most countries have a cheer song for the Olympics, and I was not aware that we had any for India so far. I thought of one and the first person who came to mind was AR sir.”

After getting the nod from AR Rahman and the Ministry of Sports, Ananya set about working on the video as well as the song concepts. The cheer song is important, she says, to send out a huge note of thanks to all the athletes who have trained so hard in spite of the pandemic.

Having worked with AR Rahman in Los Angeles one-and-a-half-years ago, Ananya knew the drill very well.

“He asked me to send around 15-20 concept notes and that really kicked it off. The Ministry sent us some footage and I wanted that to be to the hero. We had to brainstorm on what we could build a storyline around and that’s how we decided to showcase the journey of an Indian family every four years, cheering the athletes,” she says.

Most of the storyline was shot in Mumbai while Ananya teamed up to shoot her parts with AR Rahman in Dubai since he was in the city for another assignment. While the song took around four months to compose, the video happened quickly.

Working with AR Rahman

The lyrics was a collaboration between AR Rahman, Ananya, and many other talented artists.

Speaking of her experience of working with the musical genius, Ananya adds, “He’s amazing and like a mentor to me. He has been very gracious and humble to take all my inputs. I asked him so many questions and he didn’t allow me to be fearful and intimidated, and that really helped me express my creativity fully. He sent me a track that was six minutes long and we shortened it to 2 minutes 58 seconds.”

Ananya is overwhelmed by the kind of response the song has generated.

“I normally go into a release without any expectations. But this song has gone viral, and I feel honoured to be a part of it. The biggest compliment I have received so far is when someone said that India now has its own Waka Waka,” she says.

Ananya is rooting for all the Indian athletes at the games as she believes “the fact that our athletes have reached this stage is a big deal. It must have taken a lot of discipline, dedication, and passion to do this in the middle of a pandemic. That’s the biggest victory anyone would have asked for”.

As for her musical life, the singer says she has adapted to it "virtually".

“Expressing myself through music is a very cathartic process. The pandemic has brought out many emotions and experiences. We didn’t get a chance to feel before because there was so much going on. These will be expressed in the new songs that I will releasing at the end of the year.”

Ananya is also a strong advocate for mental health, having set up MPower along with her mother Neerja Birla.

“During the pandemic, we started a free helpline in three languages. We are also focused on normalising and destigmatising talking of mental health. We need to be there for each other, and spread love and kindness,” she says.