, arguably one of Asia’s most sophisticated and high-tech studios Later by working in
.
In a career spanning two decades, Rahman has scored over 100 films worldwide garnering particular acclaim for redefining contemporary film music and contributing to the success of several films. Rahman is one of the highest paid composers of the motion picture industry. He has composed a variety of non-film music during his career.
Rahman has been described as India's most prominent and prolific film composer.
His works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres, new technology and traditional orchestral arrangements. His contributions to global music have garnered him numerous achievements, including fourteen
.
Time magazine has referred to him as the "Mozart of Madras" and several Tamil commentators have coined him the nickname
). In 2009,
.
Early life
A. R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India to a musically affluent
Mudaliar Tamil family. His father
R. K. Shekhar, was a Chennai based composer and conductor for
Malayalam films. Rahman lost his father at the age of 9 and his family rented out his father's musical equipment as a source of income. He was raised by his mother Kareema (born Kashturi). During these formative years, Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots", with childhood friend and percussionist
Sivamani, John Anthony,
Suresh Peters, JoJo and Raja.
Rahman is the founder of the Chennai-based rock group, "Nemesis Avenue".
He played the keyboard and
piano, the
synthesizer, the
harmonium and the
guitar. His curiosity in the synthesizer, in particular increased because, he says, it was the "ideal combination of music and technology".
He began early training in music under Master Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he joined and worked for almost a decade as a keyboardist in the troupe of the prolific and pioneering composer of the 80's
Ilaiyaraaja, one of many composers to whom musical instruments belonging to Rahman's father were rented. Rahman later played in the
orchestra of
M. S. Viswanathan,
Ramesh Naidu and
Raj-Koti, accompanied
Zakir Hussain,
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and
L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship to the
Trinity College of Music where he graduated with a degree in
Western classical music.
He was introduced to
Qadiri Islam when his father was dying and his younger sister fell severely sick. He describes the process as taking five years; he along with other members of his family converted in 1989 when he was 23 years old. He changed his name to Rahman.
Career
Though his film career started in 1992, Rahman at the age of nine, in 1975, had accidentally played a tune on piano during his father's recording for a film, which R. K.Shekhar later developed into a complete song, "Vellithen Kinnam Pol", for the Malayalam film Penpada. This track credited to his father, was sung by Jayachandran and penned by Bharanikkavu Sivakumar.
Film scoring and soundtracks
His notable film career began in 1992, when he began the
Panchathan Record Inn, a music recording and mixing studio attached to the backyard of his house. Over time it would become the most advanced recording studio in India.
[13] He initially composed scores for documentaries, jingles for advertisements and
Indian Television channels and other projects. In 1992, he was approached by film director
Mani Ratnam to compose the score and soundtrack for Ratnam's Tamil film
Roja.
[13][14] The debut led Rahman to receive the
Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the
National Film Awards, an unprecedented win for a first-time film composer. Rahman has since been awarded the Silver Lotus three more times for
Minsaara Kanavu (
Electric Dreams, Tamil) in 1997,
Lagaan (
Tax, Hindi) in 2002,
Kannathil Muthamittal (
A Peck on the Cheek, Tamil) in 2003, the most ever by any composer.
[15]
Roja's score met with high sales and acclaim in both its original and dubbed versions, bringing about a marked change in
film music at the time. Rahman followed this with successful scores for
Tamil–language films of the
Chennai film industry including Ratnam's politically charged
Bombay, the urbanite
Kadhalan,
Bharathiraaja's
Kizhakku Cheemayile,
Karuththamma, the saxophonic
Duet,
Indira, and the romantic comedies
Mr. Romeo and
Love Birds, which gained him considerable notice.
[16][17] His fanbase in Japan increased with
Muthu 's success there. His soundtracks gained him recognition in the Tamil Nadu film industry and around the world for his stylistic versatility incorporating
Western classical, Carnatic and Tamil traditional/folk music traditions,
jazz,
reggae and
rock music.
[19][20][21] The
soundtrack of
Bombay sold 12 million copies worldwide, becoming the highest selling Indian album of all time.
[22] The
Bombay Theme—from Ratnam's
Bombay—would later reappear in
Deepa Mehta's
Fire and various compilations and media.
Rangeela, directed by
Ram Gopal Varma, marked Rahman's debut for
Hindi-language films made in the
Mumbai film industry.
[23] Many successful scores for films including
Dil Se and the percussive
Taal followed.
[24][25] Sufi mysticism would inspire the track "
Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the former, as well as the composition "
Zikr" from his score for the film
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, for which he created large orchestral and choral arrangements.
[9] Musical cues in scores for
Sangamam and
Iruvar employed Carnatic vocals and instruments such as the veena with leads of rock guitar and jazz.
[26] In the 2000s Rahman created hit scores for
Rajiv Menon's
Kandukondain Kandukondain,
Alaipayuthey,
Ashutosh Gowariker's
Swades and
Rang De Basanti.
[27] He composed songs with Hindustani motifs for
Water (2005). By the end of 2003, Rahman had sold more than 150 million records of his
film scores and
soundtracks for over 50 film scores worldwide.
[4][22][28]
Rahman has worked with Indian poets and lyricists such as
Javed Akhtar,
Gulzar,
Vairamuthu and
Vaali. He has consistently produced commercially successful soundtracks when collaborating with particular film directors such as Mani Ratnam
who he has worked with since
Roja, and the director
S. Shankar in the films
Gentleman,
Kadhalan,
Indian,
Jeans,
Mudhalvan,
Nayak,
Boys,
Sivaji and
Enthiran.
[29]
In 2005, Rahman extended his Panchathan Record Inn studio by establishing
AM Studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai, thereby creating the most cutting-edge studio in Asia.
[30][31] In 2006, Rahman launched his own music label, KM Music.
[32] Its first release was his score to the film
Sillunu Oru Kaadhal.[33] Rahman scored the
Mandarin language picture
Warriors of Heaven and Earth in 2003 after researching and utilizing
Chinese and
Japanese classical music, and co-scored the
Shekhar Kapoor project
Elizabeth: The Golden Age in 2007. His compositions have been sampled for other scores within India,
[34] and appeared in such films as
Inside Man,
Lord of War,
Divine Intervention and
The Accidental Husband. In 2008, Rahman scored his first
Hollywood picture, the comedy
Couples Retreat released the next year. Rahman scored the film
Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, for which he won a Golden Globe and two Academy Awards, becoming the first Indian citizen to do so. In 2010, Rahman composed scores for the blockbuster
sci-fi romance film
Enthiran and
Danny Boyle's
127 Hours.
Awards
Social service
Rahman is involved in various charitable causes. In 2004, he was appointed as the Global Ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, a project by WHO.[15] He has shown support to charities including Save the Children, India, and worked with Yusuf Islam for his song Indian Ocean. The song featured a-haMagne Furuholmen and drummer Travis, Neil Primrose. The proceeds of the song went towards helping orphans in Banda Aceh, that was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. He produced the single We Can Make It BetterMukhtar Sahota.[58] In 2008, Rahman opened his KM Music Conservatory partnered with Audio Media Education facility to tutor and train aspiring musicians in vocals, instruments, music technology and sound design. The conservatory – with preeminent musicians on its panel and a newly founded symphony orchestra – is located near his studio in Kodambakkam, Chennai, offering courses at Beginners, Foundation and Diploma level. Violinist L. Subramaniam is on its board of advisors. Several of Rahman's proteges from the studio have gone onto score music for feature films.[60] Rahman composed the theme music for a short film for The Banyan in 2006, in aid of destitute women in Chennai. In 2008, Rahman with noted percussionist Sivamani created a song titled Jiya Se Jiya, inspired by the Free Hugs Campaign and promoted it through a video shot in various cities in India. keyboard player by Don Asian alongside