A. R. Rahman

A. R. Rahman, born A. S. Dileep Kumar in Madras, is a composer, record producer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He works mainly in Tamil and Hindi cinema, with some international films. His father, R. K. Shekhar, was a composer and conductor for Malayalam films. Rahman began piano at four and played keyboards in his father's studio. After his father died, when Rahman was nine, renting out the family's music equipment supported the household.

His film career began in the early 1990s with Mani Ratnam's Roja, recorded at his own studio, Panchathan Record Inn. Bombay, Kaadhalan, Thiruda Thiruda and S. Shankar's Gentleman followed. His music for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won the Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, for “Jai Ho”, at the 81st ceremony, and later two Grammy Awards. His first Hollywood score, Couples Retreat (2009), won a BMI Award.

His honours include seven National Film Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, fifteen Filmfare Awards and eighteen Filmfare Awards South. India awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 2010, and Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in 2009. He directed and wrote the film Le Musk (2017). On this guide his songs are part of Rang De Basanti and Rockstar.

His studies were hard because he had to work to support his family. He later left school to be a full-time musician, playing keyboards and arranging for bands including Roots, and he founded the Chennai rock group Nemesis Avenue. At 11 he joined the orchestra of the Malayalam composer M. K. Arjunan. He played for M. S. Viswanathan and Ilaiyaraaja, toured with Zakir Hussain and L. Shankar, and won a scholarship to Trinity College of Music in London.