Biography for A.R. Rahman

Biography for A.R. Rahman


Biography for
A.R. Rahman More at IMDbPro »
advertisement
Date of Birth
6 January 1966, Madras (now Chennai), India

Birth Name
A.S. Dileep Kumar

Nickname
The Mozart of Madras
Isai Puyal

Mini Biography

Allah Rakha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6,
1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent
family. Dileep started learning the piano at the age of 4, and at the age
of 9, his father passed away. Since the pressure of supporting his
family fell on him, he joined Ilayaraja's troupe as a keyboard player
at the age of 11. He dropped out of school as a result of this and
traveled all around the world with various orchestras.

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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Subhash

Trade Mark

His music always has a Southern Indian influence.

Trivia

Studied Western classical music as a student at Oxford
University in the UK.

He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre
Award (The Hilton Award) for Best New Musical of 2002,
"Bombay Dreams," performed at the Apollo Theatre, West
End, London, and on Broadway in New York City.

On August 15, 1997, he released an album called
"Vande Mataram," on Columbia/SME Records, to
commemorate 50 years of Indian independence. A
tribute to the motherland, it featured songs for each
of the Indian flag colors. The album was released
simultaneously across the world in 28 countries, and Rahman
himself performed in New Delhi to a packed audience including
the honorable Indian Prime Minister. Over 1.2 million copies
were sold in India alone.

Also known as the John Williams of the Indian Film Industry.

Collaborated on The Lord of The Rings' Stage Musical original
score with Finnish folk music group Varttina and Christopher
Nightingale.

Personal Quotes

"I have rubbed many a producer the wrong way by disturbing
the schedule, but it has paid off."

"I wasn't too happy with the I-don't-want-to-listen-to-it attitude
of our youngsters towards film music. Why can't we get our
guys to listen to our own music rather than to Michael Jackson?
I didn't want us to lose the market to the West. The music had
to be cool and rooted, and yet had to branch out. It was like
the wild imagination of a child... but it worked... it did travel
beyond Madras and attract people."

About his belief in Sufism: "I'm a deeply spiritual person.
Sufism is about love - love for a fellow human, love for all
round humanity, and ultimately love for God. For me, it's
where music and religion meet - at dargahs, you will find
qawwalis. That's my inspiration."

About his song Vande Mataram: "It had to be unlike the one
played on the radio for years. I wanted a sound that would
connect me with people and capture a collective energy."

I hate the word [Bollywood]. I think it's derivative and it
doesn't represent the entire film community in India.
There's the eastern film industry, four industries in the
south - they all make extraordinary films. It's like saying
the whole of the West is Hollywood.

Where Are They Now

(March 2004) The Broadway debut of Bombay Dreams
will take place on March 28, 2004 at the Broadway
Theatre in New York City.

Sponsored Links (What's This?)
Sexiest Men of 2006
www.DivaVillage.com/SexiestMen * Find out more on
Leonardo Dicaprio And take a free celebrity quiz!
Slumdog Millionaire Film
DesiHits.com/SlumdogMillionaire * Get All Info That You
Can Think Of. Visit the Movie Page Online Now!
Bio-Technology and God
CosmicFingerprints.com * Systematic Proof God Exists And
a New Theory of Evolution