Slumdog Millionaire is sucking awards like anything along with it’s A.R. Rahman’s soundtrack, one of India’s best known composers.
The film’s score snagged Critic’s Choice Awards last week and a Golden Globe on Sunday, a clear front runner for an Oscar.
A.R. Rahman and team wins 4 Golden Globe Award for Slumdog Millionaire
A.R. Rahman path to Hollywood
- Rahman Born January 6, 1966 to R. K. Shekhar, a composer, arranger and conductor for Malayalam-language films started to learn the piano at the age of 4.
- His father died when Rahman was 9 years old, he was forced to start work as a keyboard player to support his family at just 11 years old.
- Dropped out of high school to pursue his music career.
- He converted to Islam from Hinduism in 1989 along with his family.
- At the age of 11, he joined, as a keyboardist, the troupe of Tamil Composer Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
- His first debut film Soundtrack Director Maniratnam “Roja” in 1992 turned out to be the world’s 10th best soundtrack ever, as rated by Time Magazine.
- The debut “Roja” 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.
His soundtracks gained him recognition in the Tamil Nadu film industry and across the world for his stylistic versatility in his pieces including in Western classical, Carnatic, Traditional/folk, jazz, reggae and rock music.
- His acclaimed music compositions have led TIME Magazine to declare him the “Mozart of Madras“.
- Rahman has sold over 200 million albums worldwide: more than Madonna and Britney Spears combined.
A.R.Rahman with wife Saira Bano
From his humble beginnings, Rahman swiftly became one of Bollywood’s biggest from Tamil Nadu, and now to Hollywood with Slumdog Millionaire.
A.R.Rahman is married to Saira Bano. The couple have three children, Khatija, Rahim, and Aman.