India, Oct. 26 -- Many felt it was a match made in heaven when AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer were brought on board as the composers for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. The first piece of music, revealed in the title announcement, was praised. The songs have evoked mixed reactions, with many first criticising and then praising them. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Rahman opens up on composing the music for Rahman, why he broke his 'no collab' rule for Hans Zimmer, and his reaction to the public reactions.

Ramayana came to Rahman three decades into his career, and the composer knew he had to do something different for a story of this epic proportions. He explains, "After the first 10 years, people said, 'Oh, you should do what you did in ...