AR Rahman turns 58 today

AR Rahman (original name A.S. Dileep Kumar) is a music composer that does not need an introduction. The recipient of 2 Academy awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 1 BAFTA award, 6 national awards, 6 Tamil Nadu state awards, 15 Filmfare awards, 18 Filmfare Awards South as well as the Pama Bhushan from the government of India.

His father was an accomplished musician and this is what sowed an interest in music. His father passed away when Rahman was just 9 years old and, after numerous challenges, eventually began to study music formally. As an accomplished keyboard player, he worked with many musicians including Illaiyaraja.

His work on advertisement jingles led him to be signed up by Maniratnam to score the music for the 1992 film, Roja, which won him his first ational award for Best Music.

Rahman stunned the music world by the quality of recording that was unheard of in Indian music prior to his entry. Strongly influenced by the style and and rhythms of western music, he became a hit, particularly with the youth and, even today at the age of 58, remains an icon for the youth.

From his early days, Rahman has collaborated with a wide range of musicians and singers in and out of India and is still very much in demand by the top filmmakers in India.

Enjoy our YouTube special featuring some of his best-loved songs.

Click on the button that states “Click here” (below video) if the video playback is unavailable.