AR Rahman Biography: Birth, Age, Real Name, Family, Education, Career, Religion, Net Worth, Awards, and More

AR Rahman is an Indian multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, songwriter, music producer, and philanthropist. We examine the life of the Mozart of Madras, who turned 55 today.

AR Rahman Biography Details

AR Rahman Biography: Birth, Age, Real Name, Family, and Education

• On January 6, 1967, in Madras, Tamil Nadu, musician RK Shekhar and Kareema Begum (born Kashturi) welcomed AR Rahman into the world as AS Dileep Kumar. When Rahman was four years old, he started taking piano lessons and helped his father at the studio.
• Rahman’s father died while he was nine years old. Rahman began working to provide for his family when he was a student at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. In addition, the family made money by renting out his father’s musical equipment.
• Rahman failed the tests because he was working hard to make ends meet. The school’s then-principal, Mrs. YGP, called his mother and instructed her to take him to Kodambakkam’s streets to beg and to stop sending him there.
• Rahman spent a year at MCN after this occurrence, and then he went to Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. But with his mother’s approval, Rahman left school to focus on his musical career.
• He eventually graduated with a diploma in Western classical music from the Madras music school after receiving a scholarship from Trinity College London to the Trinity College of Music.
• Rahman, a devout Muslim, changed his name from AS Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman (A.R. Rahman) in his twenties after converting from Hinduism alongside his family.

AR Rahman’s Education

AR Rahman’s Family Background

Three children were born to AR Rahman and Saira Banu in 1995: a girl named Khateeja Rahman, a daughter named Rahima Rahman, and a son named A.R. Ameen.

Religion of AR Rahman

The family experienced hardship following the premature death of his father. In his twenties, AR Rahman, a devout Hindu, and his family converted to Islam.
The family was drawn to Sufism and converted to Islam prior to the publication of Rahman’s first significant work, Roja. Rahman’s mother, Kareema Begum, was so picky that she even insisted on altering his name in the movie’s credits at the last minute. Instead of seeing his new name in the credits, she would have preferred that his name not be mentioned at all.
AR Rahman is frequently asked if switching to Islam may lead to success, but he would rather remain silent. He famously remarked, “Finding the location and determining whether it triggers anything inside of you is more important than converting to Islam. My mother and I learned things from the spiritual instructors, the Sufi gurus, that are very, really unique. Every religion has unique aspects, and this is the one we choose. We also stand behind it.

AR Rahman’s Career Milestones in Music

• When AR Rahman was nine years old and working with his father in the studio, he unintentionally played a melody on the piano. R.K. Shekhar then turned the tune into a full-length song.
• Rahman had his first instruction from Master Dhanraj. When he was eleven years old, he began playing in the orchestra of M.K. Arjunan, a Malayalam composer and close friend of his father. He soon started collaborating with a number of composers, such as Raj–Koti, Ramesh Naidu, Vijaya Bhaskar, Ilaiyaraaja, M. S. Viswanathan, and Vijay Anand.
• AR Rahman first wrote music for documentaries and TV commercial jingles before receiving his long-awaited break in 1992 when he was asked to provide the music and score for the Tamil movie Roja by director Mani Ratnam. Later, cinematographer Santosh Sivan signed him for the Malayalam movie Yoddha.
• AR Rahman’s first National Award for outstanding music director went to Roja the following year. He went on to write popular songs and music for Tamil films. Rahman later recorded music for Tamil rural folk-inspired films while working with filmmaker Bharathiraaja.
• He used the Tamil film Muthu to draw in Japanese viewers. His soundtracks, which combined Western classical music with jazz, reggae, rock, and traditional and folk music from Tamil and Carnatic cultures, began to garner international fame as well.
• In 1997, he received a South Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction in a Tamil film and his second National Film Award for Best Music Direction for his soundtrack record for the Chennai production Minsaara Kanavu. Six South Filmfare Awards for Best Music Direction have gone to him.
• Along with producing commercially successful soundtracks with filmmakers Mani Ratnam and S. Shankar, he continued to collaborate with Indian poets and lyricists like Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Vairamuthu, and Vaali.
• AR Rahman began recording and mixing in his garden in 1992 and developed his Panchathan Record Inn studio in 2005. He started his own record label, KM Music, in 2006.
• He co-scored the British film Elizabeth: The Golden Age with Shekhar Kapur in 2007 and composed the music for the Mandarin-language movie Warriors of Heaven and Earth in 2003.
• Couples Retreat, a comedy released in 2009, was his debut Hollywood picture score. The BMI London Award for Best Score went to him. His two Oscar-winning compositions for the 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire marked a sea change in his life. The soundtrack’s “Jai Ho” and “O… Saya” became hits all over the world.
• Rahman’s compositions for Mani Ratnam’s Kadal reached the top of the December iTunes India chart before the end of 2012.
• Ambient sounds and delicate orchestration combine to create his background soundtracks. Roja, Bombay, Iruvar, Minsara Kanavu, Dil Se.., Taal, Lagaan, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Swades, Rang De Basanti, Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar, Raavanan, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, Rockstar, Enthiran, Kadal, Kochadaiiyaan, and I are a few of the movies for which he received praise for his background work. Additionally, Rahman was nominated for two Academy Awards for 127 Hours and two Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman won his third National Award in 2018 for Mom’s background score.

Non-Film Projects of AR Rahman

• Rahman has worked on non-film projects in addition to writing music and soundtracks for movies and documentaries in several languages.
• In 1997, Rahman’s album Vande Mataram was published in honor of India’s 50th Independence Day. To date, it is the best-selling non-movie album from Sony Music India.
• AR Rahman performed with Michael Jackson at his Michael Jackson and Friends performance in Munich, Germany, in 1999, collaborating with choreographers Shobana and Prabhu Deva and a Tamil film-dancing group.
• He wrote the soundtrack for Bombay Dreams, his debut stage play, in 2002. Andrew Lloyd Webber commissioned the music.
• Rahman also worked on the Lord of the Rings production in Toronto with the Finnish folk music group Värttinä.
• Rahman has been entertaining crowds throughout Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, the UK, Canada, the US, and India since 2004.
• When then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid an official visit to the White House on November 24, 2009, AR Rahman played at a state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama.
• He wrote “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” in 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gujarat State’s creation. “Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam” was another piece he wrote for the 2010 World Classical Tamil Conference.
• He even wrote Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto, the 2010 Commonwealth Games theme song.
• Rahman wrote a Punjabi song in 2012 for Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for the London Olympics. The song was used in a medley that demonstrated Indian influence on the United Kingdom.
• In the same year, he and Shekhar Kapoor founded Qyuki, a social media website that allows story authors to share their ideas.
• He published The Flying Lotus, a 19-minute orchestral piece, in 2017. Narendra Modi’s speech is included, along with demonetization.
• The next year, he hosted the five-episode “Harmony” series on Amazon Prime Video. He debuted ARRived, India’s first YouTube Original, in the same year. The thirteen-episode series sought to identify the nation’s top vocalists. Shaan, Clinton Cerejo, and Vidya Vox accompany Rahman as judges.
• Maruti Suzuki India Limited introduced NEXA Music on January 16, 2019. Rahman and Clinton Cerejo selected and trained 24 musicians to produce foreign music in India.
• In December 2019, he and the Irish rock group released their track, “Ahimsa.” The purpose of the song was to honor India’s ethnic and spiritual diversity.

Key Awards and Achievements

Notable Projects

Philanthropic Work

Key Non-Film Projects

AR Rahman’s Charitable Activities

AR Rahman participates in several philanthropic endeavors. Below is a list of some of them:
He served as the WHO project’s worldwide ambassador for the Stop TB Partnership. To instruct aspiring artists in vocals, instruments, music technology, and sound design, he established the KM Music Conservatory in 2008, complete with an audio-media education center.
He established Sunshine Orchestra with the goal of launching the first symphony orchestra in India, where underprivileged kids could get free music instruction from the KM Music Conservatory.

Rahman gave a Sufi Benefit Concert at Pratham’s annual New York gala in 2019, which aims to provide high-quality education to impoverished children in India. In India, it is among the biggest non-governmental organizations.sador for India. From soulful melodies to pulsating beats, his music continues to inspire millions worldwide.

AR Rahman Awards

At both the national and international levels, AR Rahman has received several honors. Here are a few of them:

Awards by the Government of India

State Government Awards

Academy Awards or Oscars

BAFTA Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Grammy Awards

World Soundtrack Awards

National Film Awards

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

Filmfare Awards

Soundtrack

Background Score

Special Awards

Filmfare Awards South

Tamil

Telugu

IIFA Awards

Best Music Director

Best Background Score

Special Awards

Honorary Doctorate

A.R. Rahman Net Worth

A.R. Rahman, the renowned Indian singer, composer, songwriter, and producer, has amassed a substantial fortune of over ₹1,728 crore, making him India’s richest musician. His journey from humble beginnings, starting with a meager payment of ₹50 for playing a record player, to his current status as a global music icon is a testament to his talent and dedication. Rahman’s wealth is attributed to his successful music career, which includes composing for over 150 films and winning numerous prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards. He also owns multiple opulent residences in Chennai, Los Angeles, and Dubai, as well as a chain of thriving studios called KM Musiq Studios in Mumbai, London, and Los Angeles. Rahman’s earnings from charging ₹8-10 crore per song and ₹1-2 crore for live shows have significantly contributed to his wealth. Additionally, his brand endorsements and investments in various businesses have further increased his net worth.

Summary

A.R. Rahman, famously known as the “Mozart of Madras,” is a globally celebrated Indian composer, musician, and philanthropist. Born on January 6, 1967, as AS Dileep Kumar, Rahman’s musical journey began early, assisting his composer father, R.K. Shekhar. Following his father’s untimely death, Rahman faced significant hardships, which pushed him to pursue music to support his family. A turning point came with his composition for Roja in 1992, earning him national acclaim. Over the years, Rahman revolutionized the Indian music industry with his unique fusion of Indian classical, Western, and contemporary sounds. His accolades include two Oscars, two Grammys, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, primarily for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. Beyond cinema, Rahman’s contributions to global music, stage productions like Bombay Dreams, and non-film projects like Vande Mataram have cemented his legacy. A practicing Muslim, Rahman remains committed to philanthropy through initiatives like the KM Music Conservatory and Sunshine Orchestra, empowering underprivileged children with music education.

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