A.R. Rahman

Rahman (born A.S. Dileep Kumar), a highly celebrated Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, and musician. Furthermore, he is a deeply dedicated philanthropist. His brilliant works are widely noted for beautifully integrating Eastern classical music with modern electronic music, diverse world music, and traditional orchestral arrangements.

A Record-Breaking Award Winner

Because of his incredible musical genius, Rahman has won a staggering number of prestigious awards throughout his career. Specifically, his impressive accolades include two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe. Additionally, he has proudly earned four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards, and thirteen Filmfare Awards South!

To further honor his immense cultural contributions, the Government of India proudly awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 2010, which stands as the country’s third-highest civilian award.

Early Career and Global Recognition

Working creatively out of his own in-house studio, the Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai, his legendary film-scoring career officially began in the early 1990s with the acclaimed Tamil film Roja. Since then, he has consistently created magic across India’s film industries, international cinema, and theatre. Consequently, he firmly stands as one of the world’s all-time best-selling recording artists.

Over a deeply notable two-decade career, critics and fans have highly acclaimed him for completely redefining contemporary Indian film music. Recognizing his massive global impact, Time magazine proudly included him on its prestigious list of the world’s most influential people in 2009. Shortly after, the UK-based world-music magazine Songlines officially named him one of “Tomorrow’s World Music Icons” in August 2011.

The Mozart of Madras and Humanitarian Work

Today, Rahman’s phenomenal body of work for both film and stage has affectionately earned him the famous nickname “the Mozart of Madras.” Similarly, dedicated Tamil commentators and fans passionately call him Isai Puyal, which wonderfully translates to “the Musical Storm.”

Beyond his legendary music, Rahman has also become a deeply notable humanitarian. Using his global platform, he actively donates and successfully raises money for a wide number of important causes and charities around the world.