The nameA.R. Rahmanis synonymous with music in India. As a musician and composer, Rahman has been celebrated and widely acknowledged as a genius and a once-in-a-generation artist. He is very much an outlier when it comes to music in India and a composer who has pushed boundaries and broken barriers.
Nicknamed “The Mozart Of Madras,” Rahman has gone on to establish himself as one of the great Indian composers and musicians, and he has also put India into global reckoning after his exemplary and riveting scores for Hollywood films.
Until A.R. Rahman, no Indian composer was ever approached or appointed to score a Hollywood film. But that changed as soon as the world got to hear his musical capabilities and prowess in Hollywood films that he ended up writing the original scores for.
In fact, BBC’s Classical Music magazine recently listed Rahman sixth in the list ofthe top 10 greatest composers of all time.
It’s safe to say that Rahman has put India and Indian composers on the global map with his efforts in Hollywood. However, he has not only inspired budding Hollywood collaborators from India but also every aspiring overseas Hollywood collaborator striding national and cultural divides.
Rahman’s Early Beginnings
A.R. (Allah Rakha) Rahman was born on August 25, 2025, in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. He began learning piano at the age of four, encouraged by his father who was a composer and conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films at the time. His extraordinary ability was clearly evident as a child; however, his father died when Rahman was nine. After his father’s death, Rahman and his mother rented out his father’s equipment to provide sustenance for themselves and Rahman had to also work to support his family in his youth which led to him missing school regularly.
After a discussion with his mother, Rahman then eventually quit school to pursue a career as a full-time musician. However, his musical experience and abilities led him to receive a scholarship to the Trinity College Of Music in Madras, where he graduated with a diploma in Western classical music.
Rahman would then go on to write the scores and songs for a diverse range of Indian films through the 90s and 2000s, making him a household name and icon in India, winning a host of national film awards. It was clear, as time passed, that Rahman was a gifted and revolutionary musician and composer and inevitably Hollywood would come calling soon.
Rahman’s Hollywood Break
Rahman’s big break in Hollywood came in the form of two films:Couples RetreatandSlumdog Millionaire,for which he wrote the original scores.Slumdog Millionaire,which was directed by Danny Boyle, gave the world a proverbial underdog story and a first-hand account of the underbelly and poorer and marginalized sections of society in India in a slightly divisive yet vivid and essential exploration of Indian culture.
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Slumdog Millionairedepicts the journey of ayoung boy named Jamal (Dev Patel)from the slums of Mumbai who ends up as a contestant on the Indian version of the game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” where he’s able to answer every question correctly. After being suspected of cheating, Jamal then recounts his entire life story to the police, depicted in flashbacks in the film, before he wins the contest.
The film was a worldwide hit and went on to win eight of the ten Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director; rather fittingly, Rahman took home the Oscars for Best Original Score & Best Original Song for the eclectic music he made for the film.
The songs “Jai Ho” and “O… Saya” became worldwide chart-topping songs that announced Rahman’s arrival on the global stage. He also won a BAFTA and Golden Globe forSlumdog Millionaire, stamping his mark and firmly establishing himself as one of the great composers of modern cinema despite it being one of his first forays into composing for a Hollywood production. Couple’s Retreat also saw Rahman win a BMI London Award for Best Score, making him well-known in the UK as well.
127 Hours And Onward
Perhaps Rahman’s greatest musical effort in terms of innovation & sound was his score for the film127 Hours,again directed by Danny Boyleand starring James Franco. The film tells the story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who embarks on a hike on a mountain in Utah but gets stuck in a ravine and has to cut off part of his arm before being rescued and surviving after 127 grueling hours.
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Rahman used interesting percussion and a mishmash of several innovative elements and unique instrumentation in his score which made the entire watching experience surreal for viewers. Rahman was duly nominated for two Academy Awards again for his score to127 Hours, andalthough he didn’t win an Oscar for the film, it was arguably one of his greatest scores to date.
Rahman has since gone on to provide the original score to several films and overseas productions likePeople Like Us, Million Dollar Arm, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Pele: Birth Of A Legend, Viceroy’s House, and Blinded By The Light.
How Rahman Put India On The Global Map
Coming from India, Rahman has put stereotypes and uninformed notions about the Indian film industry and Indian artists to rest and has succeeded in becoming a global figure and worldwide name despite being from a country where films are made starkly different from the way films are made in Hollywood.
While the Indian film industry is now slowly changing, growing, and breaking out of its earlier shell, Rahman is the first and most decorated figure from the Indian subcontinent who has paved the way for composers, filmmakers and creatives from India & all over the world to be considered as collaborators to filmmakers and productions from not only Hollywood but also theentire global cinema industryand landscape.
For his exploits and success over his longstanding career, Rahman was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, which is one of the highest civilian distinctions in India in recognition of his outstanding work as a composer and musician.
For the coming generations of Indian composers, filmmakers, and all artists and creatives from India, AR Rahman has opened the doors of possibilities and has shown by example, that Indian artists can also contribute significantly to films and productions from outside the country.
As the world moves towards more globalization and collaborations by people from intersecting cultures spanning the vast global landscape, A.R. Rahman’s success has shown that people from different countries and backgrounds can also contribute appreciably and significantly to film, art, creative endeavors, and other industries as well, despite the cultural divides.
Although he came from humble beginnings, Rahman has firmly established a lasting legacy and a blueprint for the next generation of youth to follow, irrespective of their background, where they’re from in the world, and which industry they’re in, which in itself, is a truly inspiring story.
