Happy Birthday AR Rahman! Interesting facts about the life of music maestro

Today, January 6, is the 58th birthday of Indian music composer AR Rahman. The "Mozart of Madras" is a master at composing timeless music transcends boundaries and language

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On January 6, music composer AR Rahman will celebrate his 58th birthday. Rahman’s musical genius transcends boundaries and language, as evidenced by the globally hit Slumdog Millionaire to the melodious songs of Roja. 

 

Also referred to as the "Mozart of Madras," he has incredibly influenced the world music industry by mixing contemporary sounds with Indian traditions. Rahman's journey is an example of passion, ingenuity, and tenacity, rising from his early beginnings in the Tamil film industry to his international recognition. So, let's take a look at a few interesting facts about the legendary musician.

AR Rahman turns 58: 10 interesting facts 

1) Previously known as Dileep Kumar, Rahman eventually converted to Sufi Islam after meeting Sufi mystic Qadri Saheb. In an interview, Rahman said that he had never liked his name, "Dileep Kumar." Surprisingly, Rehman's Muslim name came from a Hindu astrologer.

 

2) R. K. Shekhar, Rahman's father, composed and conducted music for Tamil and Malayalam films. According to Rahman, his father had a small photograph of Lata Mangeshkar on his wall, and he wrote music every day after looking at her.

 

3) Rahman was fascinated with technological devices and technology and aspired to become a computer engineer, but he quickly discovered that music was his real calling.

 

4) In 2005, AR Rahman's first song for Roja was included in TIME's list of the "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time. Rahman's Laagan soundtrack came in at number 45 on Amazon.com's list of "The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time" in 2009.

 

5) He was listed as one of the World's Most Influential People by Time magazine in 2009. With more than 150 million downloads, Rahman's signature tune for Airtel is the most downloaded mobile song globally.

 

6) Rahman's theme music for the film Bombay was featured in the 2000 French TV ad for Volvic, which starred Zinedine Zidane. Additionally, in November 2013, a street in Markham, Ontario, Canada, was named in his honor.

 

7) Rahman has composed excellent music for numerous Hollywood films, including Lord of War and 127 Hours, in addition to Slumdog Millionaire. Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington, featured Rehman's Chaiya Chaiya.

 

8) As of 2014, he has received 2 Academy honors, 2 Grammys, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, 4 national honors, 15 Filmfare awards, and 14 Filmfare awards South. He has won 117 awards out of a total of 138 nominations. In addition, he is the 1st Asian to win 2 Oscars in one year.

 

9) He gained popularity as the child who could play 4 keyboards simultaneously when he appeared in Doordarshan's Wonder Balloon. He later played in a band with his childhood friends named Raja, JoJo, Suresh Peters, John Anthony, and Sivamani. In Chennai, the group formed a rock band called Nemesis Avenue. As part of Superheavy, Rahman collaborated with artists like Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, and Joss Stone.

 

10) A R Rahman has composed the music for more than 100 Indian films and has sold more than 200 million records globally.