AR Rahman turns 54: A look at the veteran composer's international discography

The son of a band composer for Tamil and Malayalam films, world-famous music composer AR Rahman celebrates his birthday on 6 January. The musician, who turns 54 this year, dropped out of school due to the untimely death of his father, and entered the world of music. Named Dilip Kumar at birth, he later changed it to Rahman after converting to Islam. The ace composer made his debut in films by composing for Mani Ratnam’s Roja in 1992, bagging several awards in the process. The winner of an Oscar, as well as Grammy among other international accolades, the works of Rahman, has transcended geographic boundaries, becoming popular all across the world. The soundtrack of Bombay, created by Rahman, not only was used by Deepa Mehta in Fire, but also featured in the 2005 Nicolas Cage film Lord of War. Rahman made his Bollywood debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s Rangeela. Southern superstar Mahesh Babu wished the legend on his birthday, tweeting, “Happy birthday @arrahman… Wishing you the best of health and happiness always!”

Happy birthday @arrahman... Wishing you the best of health and happiness always! 😊

— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) January 6, 2021

Singer Harshdeep Kaur shared a short musical clip on the occasion of the composer’s special day as well.

Happy Birthday @arrahman Sir 🙏🏼
God bless you with good health and happiness!

Dedicating “Mannchandre” - a masterpiece composed by the legend himself.
Honestly..life would have been like an empty canvas without his music 🙏🏼#ARRahman#HappyBirthdayARRahman @ARRahmanFC24x7 pic.twitter.com/YyU5SUAEHU

— Harshdeep Kaur (@HarshdeepKaur) January 6, 2021

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On the occasion of his birthday, here’s looking at his international discography Slumdog Millionaire

While not his first international work, Slumdog Millionaire earned Rahman two Academy Awards, one for Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song. The music for the film also won him a Golden Globe. Rahman had got three nominations for the film, with the third being for the song O Saya. 127 Hours

Rahman was once again nominated for an Academy Award when he composed the music for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. The ace composer got nominated for Best Score and Best Song, the latter, a collaboration with British singer Dido. The film tells the story of Aron Ralston, a US mountaineer who was forced to cut off his own arm after being trapped under a boulder in a canyon for multiple days. Couple’s Retreat

The Peter Billingsley directorial starring Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman had an original score and songs composed and produced by AR Rahman. One of the songs composed by Rahman ‘NaNa’ even made it to the 2010 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song category. Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The biopic with Cate Blanchett in the lead had Rahman composed the music for the film. The film was a follow-up to the director’s 1998 “Elizabeth”, which brought global acclaim to Blanchett and himself. People Like Us

The Dreamworld Pictures movie which was Alex Krutzman’s debut directorial venture had Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pine in lead roles. The music for the film as well as the soundtracks were produced by Rahman. He even composed Airport Adventures and Dotted Line (with Liz Phair) for the film. The composer has also created music for the 2014 film Million Dollar Arm, as well as The Hundred-Foot Journey, Muhammad: The Messenger of God, Pele: Birth of a Legend and the Gurinder Chadha-directorial Viceroy’s House.