India’s top music composer, A.R. Rahman finally hit the Golden Globe award for his original score “Jai Ho!” in Slumdog Millionaire after rolling out hundreds of hit songs for the Indian cinema. Directed by British Director Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire, grabbed four Golden Globe awards for best film, best director, best screenplay and best original score.
Slumdog Millionaire is based on Vikas Swarup’s debutant novel “Q and A” which brings back memories of Charles Dickens’ classics. It is a rags-to-riches story of boy in juhu slums in Mumbai who becomes a millionaire by winning the top prize in a reality show. The movie is a runaway hit showing to packed houses in the Unites States of America since its release in November 2008. It is due for release in India this February.
Described as “Mozart of Madras” by TIME magazine and “Isai Puyal” (Musical Storm) by Tamil commentators, Allah Rakkha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai on January 6, 1966. He converted to Islam from Hinduism in 1989 along with his family.
A man of many parts, A.R. Rahman is a composer, record producer, music director, singer, instrumentalist, arranger and programmer—all rolled into one!
With sales figures touching 100 million records and 200 million cassettes, Rahman finds himself in the company of the world’s top 10 all-time top selling recording artist and enjoys a fan base that sans the seven continents.
A fluent player of the keyboard, piano, synthesizer, harmonium and guitar, A.R. Rahman is increasingly using the synthesizer as he calls it the “ideal combination of music and technology.” He is a versatile musician with mastery in western classical, carnatic, traditional/folk, jazz, reggae and rock music. What more can one ask for?
The first major break for Rahman came from film director Mani Ratnam in the form of the Tamil film “Roja” in 1992 which was an instant hit. “Roja” fetched him the Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the National Film Awards. That was the first time the award went to a debutant. He went on to bag the award thrice after that for Minsaara Kanavu (Tamil) in 1997, Lagaan (Hindi) in 2002 and Kannathil Muthamittal (Tamil) in 2003. With that he became the Music Director to bag the most ever National Film Awards for Music direction.
Some prominent musical hits of Rahman from Tamil and Hindi movies are Bombay, Fire, Rangeela, Dil Se, Sangamam, Iruvar, Thiruda Thiruda, Kandukodain Kandukondain, Swades, Rang de Basanti, Water, Gentleman, Jeans and Sivaji among others. His latest scores include Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Yuvraaj, Sakkarakatti, Ghanini and Slumdog Millionaire.
Before Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman tested the international with Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Mandarin) which required research on Chinese and Japanese classical music in 2003. He also co-scored for Elizabeth:The Golden Age in 2007.
Asked whether his next stop would be the Oscars, A.R. Rahman sheepishly declined to answer the question but went on to win over a billion hearts when he dedicated his Golden Globe award to the Indian people.
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