January 6th turns out to be a special date as we celebrate the
47th birthday of the Indian music legend who has become a worldwide
legend,
A.R. Rahman. This multi-talented man can be called an Indian
composer, music

producer, singer, song writer, musician,
multi-instrumentalist and definitely even a philanthropist! Born as A.S.
Dileep Kumar to a Tamil Hindu musical family, he was the son of R.K.
Shekhan, a well-established music composer in Tamil and Malayalam films.
Later, he converted his religion to Islam and became known as
AllahRakka Rahman i.e.
A.R. Rahman.
Music was very
much in his genes, all that lacked was getting instruments for his
melodious tunes. And when the sheer talent and wonderful musical genes
combined, we got creations that altered the course of musical history.
It all began at the age of 9 when he playfully strummed a tune and his
father developed it into a complete song for a Malayalam film,
Penpada. In 1992, he started a music recording and mixing studio named
Panchathan Record Inn
in his backyard! However, with time, it developed into the most
advanced studio of India and perhaps one of Asia's most sophisticated
and high-tech studios. If you were an ardent viewer of advertisements
and Indian television during the '90s, then you were surely serenaded by
many of his compositions on their background scores.
In 1992, film director Mani Ratnam approached him for composing for his Tamil film
Roja,
which was was later released in Hindi as well. This would be known as
his official debut as a music director. His work was appreciated by
audiences and critics alike, and even led to him winning a national
award for his excellent compositions. Sir Rahman has now done numerous
projects in various languages, but he is best known for his albums in
Bollywood. His most celebrated and popular albums include
Lagaan,
Roja, Dil Se, Taal, Swades, Rang De Basanti, Water, Jodha Akbar, Jaane
Tu...Ya Jaane Na, Delhi-6, Slumdog Millionaire, Rockstar and the most recent blockbuster hit
Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
Apart from Bollywood music, his highest grossing single was the track
Vande Mataram,
composed in 1997 in the form of a token for India's 50th anniversary of
Independence. This fabled figure has managed to create an identity of
his own across the globe, which comes with an unimaginable amount of
appreciation, recognition and a never ending list of awards to his name.
One would usually remember a person for their music. But here, we
remember music when we hear his name! Sir Rahman is married to Saira
Banu and is blessed with 3 kids: Khatija, Rahima and Ameen.
BollyCurry wishes A.R. Rahman a happy birthday with good health, and an even more successful future.
Author: Siona M.
Editors: Khushi P. & Gunia M.
Graphics: Pooja A.
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