India, Oct. 27 -- A t a time when live performances are drawing packed crowds and intense scrutiny, AR Rahman has a surprising confession: There was a time when stepping on stage terrified him. The Oscar and Grammy-winning composer, whose music has defined generations of filmgoers, has come a long way since hisdebut with Roja (1992). With Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana among his upcoming projects and histour headed to Mumbai and Delhi, Rahman speaks to Hindustan Times about stage fright, his musical legacy and the songs that have stayed with audiences for decades. Excerpts: I think both. There was a time when I was on stage I felt like I was seeing death. I was so terrified! Now, it's been the 30 years from my first performance in '96 in Malaysia to what we're doing now in various things... one with the symphony orchestras in the US, and Wonderment, which is a big entertainment extravaganza. My music was so different and it was hard to interpret for musicians on stage. So it took a bit of time to take those liberties to live up everything, get the right kind of musicians who would addthings and not destroy whatwas created for months.And so now I'm morecomfortable. It is true! In my first movie, I felt like I had given everything I had evolved into. But film work is not a one-person thing. It's like chemistry... oxygen with hydrogen becomes water; with carbon it becomes carbon monoxide! With each team, a different angle of me comes out. Working with Subhash Ghai on Taal is different, working with Mani Ratnam on Roja or Bombay is different, with Imtiaz Ali on Rockstar is different, and Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire is different. You get inspired by the story, direction, and vision of a team. timeout...