The Great A.R.Rehman

Allah Rakha Rahman born on January 6, 1966 as A. S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, is a Composer, and Record Producer and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian film composers ever, and his career is considered a turning point in the history of Indian film music. Many credit him with having single-handedly revolutionized the standards of film music composition in India. He is also credited with re-energizing the popularity of Indian film music the world over.

In a career spanning over a decade, Rahman, by 2003, had sold more than one hundred million records of his film scores and soundtracks world-wide, and sold over 200 million cassettes making him one of the world's top 25 all-time top selling recording artists; he is one of the only Asians on the list alongside Freddie Mercury. His debut Soundtrack, "Roja" turned out to be the world's 10th best soundtrack ever, as rated by Time Magazine, USA. He will compose two Mongolian songs one Japanese song for his upcoming Malayalam/Japanese Multi-Lingual movie Nairsan starring Jackie Chan & Mohanlal & also traditional songs.

Biography

Early life and influences

A. R. Rahman was born to R. K. Shekhar, a composer, arranger and conductor for Malayalam-language films. His father died when Rahman was nine years old, and his family rented out musical equipment as a source of income. Rahman is an adherent of Sufism. He converted to Islam from Hinduism.

During these early years, Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots" and "Nemesis Avenue" with friends including Sivamani, embracing numerous music genres. He played the keyboard and piano, in addition to, among others, 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, as a keyboardist, the troupe of Ilaiyaraaja, one of many composers to whom musical instruments belonging to Rahman's father were rented to. Rahman later played in the orchestra of M. S. Viswanathan and Ramesh Naidu, accompanied Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship to Trinity College of Music in London, where he graduated with a degree in Western classical music.

Summary of career

Film scoring and soundtracks

In 1991, Rahman began his own music recording and mixing studio, attached to backyard of his house, called the Panchathan Record Inn. He initially composed music jingles for advertisements, Indian Television channels and music scores in documentaries, among other projects. In 1992, he was approached by film director Mani Ratnam to compose the score and soundtrack for Ratnam's Tamil film Roja. The debut led Rahman to receive the Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the National Film Awards, the first time ever by a first-time film composer. Rahman has since then gone on to win the award three more times (for his scores for Minsaara Kanavu (Electric Dreams, Tamil) in 1997, Lagaan (Tax, Hindi) in 2002, Kannathil Muthamittal (If Kissed on the Cheek, Tamil) in 2003), the most ever by any composer.

Roja's score met with high sales and acclaim, in its original and dubbed versions, bringing about an effective transformation in film music at the time, and Rahman followed this with scores for films including, among others, Bombay, Kadhalan, Indira, Minsaara Kanavu, Muthu and Love Birds, which gained him notice. His soundtracks gained him recognition in the Tamil film industry and across the country for his versatality in classical, folk, jazz, reggae, soft rock and other styles in his pieces. Rangeela, directed by Ram Gopal Varma, marked Rahman's debut in Hindi films. Many popular and superhit scores for films including Dil Se and Taal followed. The sales of these albums prompted several film producers to take film music more seriously.

Rahman's work is also unique in the fact that his collaborations with some film directors have always resulted in successful soundtracks. In particular, he has worked with Mani Ratnam on ten films until 2006, all of which have been musical hits. Also notable is his collaboration with the director S. Shankar in the films Gentleman, Kadhalan, Indian, Jeans, Mudhalvan, Nayak, Boys and Sivaji.

His first movie album Roja was listed in TIME's "Top 10 Movie Soundtracks of All Time" in 2005. Rahman continued to record frequently in his studio, the Panchathan Record Inn. In 2005, a newly developed recording studio, attached to the Inn called A.M. Studios was opened. It is considered to be the most developed, equipped and high tech studio of Asia. In 2006, Rahman launched his own music label, KM Musiq. It's first release was his soundtrack to the film Sillunu Oru Kaadhal which it released worldwide, in August 2006. His latest work includes Rang De Basanti, Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, Guru, Varalaru - The History of the Godfather, Sivaji: The Boss, Azhagiya Tamil Magan,Jodhaa Akbar,Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and ADA: A Way of Life . Rahman has scored the movie Provoked, co-scored Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and is working on Chamki Chameli to be released in 2008 and Hindi version of Tamil blockbuster Ghajini. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri.

Other works

Rahman has been involved in several projects aside from film. He made an album Vande Mataram (1997) on India's 50th anniversary of independence to immense success. He followed it up with an album called Jana gana mana, a conglomeration of performances by many leading exponents/artists of Indian classical music. In addition to writing jingles for ads, he has composed several orchestrations for athletic events and T.V. and internet media publications, documentaries and short films.

In 1999, Rahman, along with choreographers Shobhana and Prabhu Deva Sundaram and a dancing troupe from the Tamil film industry performed with Michael Jackson in Munich, Germany, for his "Michael Jackson and Friends Concert." In 2002, he composed his maiden stage production Bombay Dreams (2002) following a commission from famous musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Furthermore, Rahman, along with the Finnish folk music band Värttinä, composed the music for The Lord of the Rings theatre production. He composed the piece "Raga's Dance" for Vanessa-Mae's album Choreography (2004).

In the last six years, he has performed in three successful world tours of his concerts to audiences in Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, UK, Canada, the US (Hollywood Bowl and 3d tour) and India. A two-disc soundtrack, Introducing A. R. Rahman, (2006) featuring 25 pieces he composed from his Tamil film scores was released in May 2006.

Music style

Rahman's interest in the works of Classical and Romantic period composers, Carnatic composers, early film composers and predecessors K. V. Mahadevan and Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy of the film industry of Tamil Nadu and others continued through his late teens. He further explored and trained in Carnatic music, Western classical, Hindustani music and the Qawwali style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in addition to numerous other styles. His interest and outlook in music is said to stem from his love of experimentation. As a result, his scores have alternated from songs and themes composed covering a variety of genres, with unconventionally-grouped instruments, and different vocal styles being used and combined together in some of his film soundtracks, to more traditional orchestral themes with leitmotif techniques composed in others. Rahman's works often feature a mix of minimalist songs and evocative, thematic pieces, building on his differing chord progressions and rhythms. He has written scores and songs with new and varied melodic and percussive sounds from instruments of different music systems.

List of A. R. Rahman awards

* 2000 - Padma Shri (India)

* National Film Awards (India)
o 1993 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Roja
o 1997 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Minsaara Kanavu
o 2002 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Lagaan
o 2003 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Kannathil Muthamittal

* Filmfare Awards South (India)
o 1993 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Roja
o 1994 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Gentleman
o 1995 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Kadhalan
o 1996 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Bombay
o 1997 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Kadhal Desam
o 1998 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Minsaara Kanavu
o 1999 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Jeans
o 2000 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Mudhalvan
o 2001 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Alaipayuthey
o 2006 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Sillunu Oru Kadhal

* Filmfare Awards (India)
o 1995 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rangeela
o 1998 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Dil Se
o 1999 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Taal
o 2001 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Lagaan
o 2002 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Saathiya
o 2002 - Filmfare Best Background Score - The Legend of Bhagat Singh
o 2004 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Swades
o 2006 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rang de Basanti
o He also won a "Filmfare R D Burman Music Debutant Award" for Roja's dubbed Hindi version.
o 2007 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Guru
o 2007 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Guru

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* Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
o 1993 - Best Music - Roja
o 1994 - Best Music - Gentleman
o 1995 - Best Music - Kadhalan
o 1996 - Best Music - Bombay
o 1997 - Best Music - Minsaara Kanavu
o 2000 - Best Music - Sangamam

* Zee Cine Awards (India)
o 2000 - ** 2002 - Zee Cine Award Best Music Director - Lagaan
o 2007 - Zee Cine Award Best Music Director - Rang De Basanti
o 2008 - Zee Cine Award Best Music Director - Guru
o 2008 - Zee Cine Award Best Background Music - Guru
* GIFA Awards (Malaysia)
o 2006 - GIFA Award for Best Music - Rang De Basanti
o 2006 - GIFA Award for Best Background Music - Rang De Basanti

* IIFA Awards (India)
o 2008 - Outstanding contribution by an Indian in International Cinema
o 2008 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Guru
o 2008 - IIFA Best Background Music - Guru
o 2007 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Rang De Basanti
o 2002 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Lagaan
o 2003 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Saathiya
o 2000 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Taal

* Star Screen Awards
o 2002 - Best Background Music
o 2007 - Best Background Music- Rang De Basanti
o 2007 - Best Music - Rang De Basanti
o 2008 - Best Music - Guru

* Vijay TV Awards
o 2006 - Best Music- Sillunu Oru Kaadhal , Varalaru - The History of the Godfather
o 2007 - Best Music- Sivaji

* Swaralaya Yesudas Award (India)
o 2006 - Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music field