Was It Just A Fantasy?

Around 1997

Coliseum Theatre, Kuala Lumpur

In the 1990s, I loved to go to Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur to buy A.R. Rahman CDs especially from Haniffa Textiles. 

I remember going to the Coliseum Theatre in Kuala Lumpur to watch a movie (sadly I don’t remember what movie it was). Within the Coliseum Theatre, there was a small booth selling audio cassettes, and CDs. I was waiting for the movie to be opened with other moviegoers. I was casually browsing through the selection of titles that the audio booth had displayed, and to my surprise I saw the "Fantasy" Pyramid CD on display. I instantly recognized the same front sleeve that was used on the "Fantasy" Mani Osai cassette.

Of course, during those days, I could not afford to buy CDs, and since I already had the "Fantasy" cassette, I did not have an urge to buy the CD but it was surprising to see the CD being displayed along with other titles.

I overhead 2 young Indian boys talking about A.R. Rahman after they themselves saw the "Fantasy" CD front sleeve which had A.R. Rahman posing with his keyboard. The Indian boys said that A.R. Rahman was a keyboard wizard after witnessing him live in concert in Malaysia in 1996.

The "Fantasy" Pyramid CD now is extremely rare to be found even as a second hand copy – what a missed opportunity.