Rahman's Biography

A R Rahman

BIOGRAPHY

PROFILE

Name: Allah Rakha Rahman

Date of birth:  6 January 1966

Place of birth: Chennai, India

Birth name: A.S. Dileep Kumar

          

Allah Rakha Rahman was born as A.S.Dileep Kumar on 6th January 1966 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was born into a Christian family that converted to Islam. Music was a big part of growing up as Rahman struck the keys of a piano when he was as young as four. His father R.K. Shekhar was a music composer and a conductor for Malayalam movies. His father passed away when he was just nine and Rahman took to earning a living through music when he was eleven as a keyboard player in Ilaiyaraaja’s troupe.His wife Saira Bano and he have three children Khatija, Rahim and Aman.

          He plays the guitar, synthesizer, keyboard, piano and harmonium. He trained under Master Dhanraj; founded the rock group Nemesis Avenue; was part of the orchestras of Ramesh Naidu, M.S.Viswanathan; went on world tours with Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L.Shankar. He studied Western Classical Music at the Trinity College of Music, London after winning a scholarship.

   

           He accompanied the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on a few world tours and also won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University, where he studied Western classical music and obtained a degree in music. Due to some personal crisis, Dileep Kumar embraced Islam and came to be known as A.R. Rahman. In 1987, he moved to advertising, where he composed more than 300 jingles over 5 years. In 1989, he started a small studio called Panchathan Record Inn, which later developed into one of the most well-equipped and advanced sound recording studios in India.

          At an advertising awards function, Rahman met one of India's most famous directors, Mani Ratnam. Rahman played him a few of his music samples. Mani loved them so much that he asked Rahman to compose the music for his next film, Roja (1992). The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to compose several great hits for Tamil-language films before composing the score and songs for his first Hindi-language film, Rangeela (1995). The enormous success of his first Hindi venture was followed by the chart-topping soundtrack albums of films such as Bumbai (1995) , Dil Se.. (1998), Taal (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), which was nominated for best foreign-language film at the 2002 Academy Awards.

          More recently, he worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998)) on a musical called "Bombay Dreams." At 36 years old, A.R. Rahman has revolutionized Indian film music and one can only expect this musical genius to reach greater heights.

          A R Rahman’s tryst with music began almost since infancy. His debut with Roja left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he could work magic with music.

SOCIETAL LIFE

          He was the Global Ambassador of Stop TB in association with WHO in 2004. He used music to reach out when he joined hands with Cat Stevens and Yusuf Islam for “Indian Ocean” following the 2006 Tsunami; with Don Asian and Mukhtar Sahota for “We Can Make It Better”. He also works with Save the Children, a charity.

MILESTONES OF HIS CAREER

1987 He entered the world of advertising, penning jingles.

1989 Panchathan Recording Inn, the start of Rahman’s music recording and mixing studio.

1992 He got his big break to make music for movies with Mani Rathnam’s Roja (1992). Picking from the lot that followed: Thiruda Thiruda (1993), Kadhalan (1994), Bombay (1995), Rangeela (1995), Fire (1996), earth (1998) , Water (2005), Minsaara Kanavu (1997), Dil Se (1998), Taal (1999), Alaipayuthey (2000), Lagaan (2001), Saathiya (2002), Boys (2003), Rang De Basanti (2006), Elizabeth – The Golden Age (2007), Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Ghajini (2008) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

1997 He released his album Vande Mataram, celebrating India’s 50th year of independence. He also collaborated with music maestros to bring together Jana Gana Mana.

1999 He was part of Michael Jackson & Friends Concert in Munich, Germany.

2002 His first stage production Bombay Dreams, a commission from the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had the world crooning Shaka Laka Baby.

2004 Composed music for the theater version of Lord of the Rings alongside Christopher Nightingale and Varttina, a Finnish group.

2006 KM Music, his music label, saw light. And the release of his album Introducing A.R.Rahman that was a compilation of his Tamil movie numbers.

OTHER WORKS

           Rahman has been involved in several projects aside from film. He made an album Vande Mataram (1997) on India's 50th anniversary of independence to immense success. He followed it up with an album called Jana gana mana, a conglomeration of performances by many leading exponents/artists of Indian classical music. In addition to writing jingles for ads, he has composed several orchestra

AWARDS

Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars)

A R Rahman with his Academy Awards

Best Achievement in Original Score for a Motion Picture – Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

Best Achievement in Original Song for a Motion Picture – Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

2 GRAMMY AWARDS

Best Compilation Soundtrack- Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

Best Song-Jai ho-Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

BAFTA

Best Music(Slumdog Millionaire)

Golden globe awards

Best Composer (Slumdog Millionaire)

Civilian Awards

Padmashree (Jan 2000) Title awarded by the Government of India

Awadh Sammaan (May 2001) awarded by Uttar Pradesh government

Al-Ameen Education Society Community Award (2001)

Amir Khusro Sangeet Nawaz Award (2002)

Lata Mangeshkar Samman, awarded by Madhya Pradesh Government 2005

Mahavir Mahatma Award Awarded by the Oneness Foundation, April 2005

Stanford University Award for Contribution to Global Music Jan 2006

National Awards

Roja (1992)

Minsara Kanavu (1997)

Lagaan (2001)

Kannathil Muthamittaal (2002)

FILMFARE Awards

Best Music Roja (Tamil, 1993)

Best Music Gentleman (Tamil, 1994)

R D Burman Award for Best new musical talent (for Roja, Hindi; 1995)

Best Music Kadhalan (Tamil, 1995)

Best Music Rangeela (Hindi; 1996)

Best Music Bombay (Tamil, 1996)

Best Music Kadhal Desam (Tamil, 1997)

Best Music Minsara Kanavu (Tamil, 1998 )

Best Music Dil Se.. (Hindi; 1999)

Best Music Jeans (Tamil, 1999)

Best Music Taal (Hindi; 2000)

Best Music Mudhalvan (Tamil, 2000)

Best Music Alai Payuthey (Tamil, 2001)

Best Music Lagaan (Hindi; 2002)

Best Background Score Technical Award The Legend of Bhagat Singh (Hindi; 2003)

Best Music Saathiya (Hindi; 2003)

Best Background Music Swades (Hindi, 2005)

Best Music Rang De Basanti (Hindi; 2007)

Best Music Sillunu Oru Kadhal (Tamil; 2007)

Best Music – Guru (Hindi, 2008 )

Best Background Score – Guru (Hindi, 2008 )

Screen Awards

Kadhal Desam (South – Tamil; 1997)

Minsara Kanavu (South – Tamil; 1998 )

Vande Mataram (Non-film; 1998 )

Taal (Hindi; 2000)

Best Background Score Rang De Basanti (Hindi, 2007)

Best Composer Guru (Hindi; 2008 )

Best Background Score Guru (Hindi; 2008 )

Best Music – Guru (Hindi, 2008 )

Best Background Score – Jodhaa Akbar(Hindi, 2009)

Best Music category – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na(Hindi, 2009)

Dinakaran Cine Awards

Minsara Kanavu (1998 )

Jeans (1999)

Mudalvan, Kadhalar Dhinam (2000)

Tamil Nadu State Award

Roja (1993)

Gentleman (1994)

Kadhalan (1995)

Bombay (1996)

Minsara Kanavu (1998 )

Sangamam (2000)

Cinema Express Award

Roja (1993)

Gentleman (1994)

Kadhalan (1995)

Kadhal Desam (1997)

Jeans (1999)

Kalasaagar Award

Roja (1993)

Gentleman (1994)

Kadhalan (1995)

Bombay (1996)

FilmFans’ Award

Roja (1993)

Gentleman (1994)

Kadhalan (1995)

Bombay (1996)

CineGoers’ Award 

Roja (1993)

Gentleman (1994)

Kadhalan (1995)

Bombay (1996)

Zee Awards

Zee Cine Awards (2008 ) Best Composer and Best Background Score Guru

Zee Sangeet Awards (1999) Dil Se.. Zee Cine Awards (2000) Taal

Zee Gold Bollywood International Awards (2000) Taal

Zee Fairglow Awards (2002) Best Music Lagaan

Zee Gold Bollywood Awards (2002) Lagaan

Zee Cine Awards (2003) Best Music Saathiya

Zee Gold Bollywood Awards (2003) Best Music Saathiya

Zee Cine Awards 2003 Best Background Music The Legend of Bhagat Singh

Zee Cine Awards 2007 Best Composer Rang De Basanti

International Indian Film Awards (IIFA)

Best Music Taal (2000) Best Music Lagaan (2002)

Best Music Saathiya (2003)

Best Background Score Saathiya (2003)

Best Background Score Rang De Basanti (2007)

Best Son
g Recording Rang De Basanti (2007)

Best Composer Rang De Basanti (2007)

Best Music – Guru (Hindi, 2007)

Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA)

Best Background Music Rang De Basanti, 2007

Best Music Rang De Basanti, 2007

Satellite Awards

Best Original Score(Slumdog;2008)

Silver Lotus Awards

Best Music Director(Kannathil Muthamittal;2003)

Best Music Director(Lagaan;2002)

Best Music Director(Minsara Karavu;1997)

Best Music Director(Roja;1993)

Popular Awards

Best Music Director(Saathiya;2003)

Best Music Director(Lagaan;2002)

Best Music Director(Fiza;2001)-nominated

Award for Technical Excellence

Best Background Score(Saathiya;2003)

Award for Artistic Excellence

Best Music Direction(Taal;2000)