Slumdog composer A.R. Rahman is a big deal Posted: January 12, 2009, 3:56 PM by Jon Sufrin Slumdog Millionaire<http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/tags/Slumdog+Millionaire/default.aspx>, Golden Globes<http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/tags/Golden+Globes/default.aspx>, Critic's Choice Awards<http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/tags/Critic_2700_s+Choice+Awards/default.aspx>, A.R. Rahman<http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/tags/A.R.+Rahman/default.aspx>
*Slumdog Millionaire* is sucking back the awards like nobody's business. So too is its soundtrack. The film's score snagged Critic's Choice Awards last week and a Golden Globe on Sunday, making it a clear frontrunner for an Oscar. But have you heard of this A.R. Rahman guy, who composed the widely lauded score? Me neither. And we're not the only ones. As of Monday, the HMV Superstore in Toronto had just 1 (one) album of Rahman's in stock – *Beyond Heaven and Earth *(2004), one of Rahman's orchestral works. Maybe it's because most of his best-known work lies in the realm of Bollywood. He is, after all, the first Indian composer to have won a Golden Globe, as Reuters reports<http://in.reuters.com/article/bollywoodNews/idINIndia-37395220090112> . His name may be unfamiliar to many of us, but Rahman is no composing newcomer. His discography is fairly lengthy, with 19 releases since 1995, most of them Bollywood soundtracks, according to allmusic.com<http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=A.R.%7CRAHMAN&sql=11:3bfixquhldae%7ET2>. In terms of sales, however, Rahman is not only giant. He is a titanic juggernaut. His music has sold over 200 million cassettes, which is more than Madonna and Brittney Spears combined, according to rediff.com<http://www.rediff.com/money/2002/sep/21bizsp.htm>. In sum, his sales place him amongst the top 25 highest selling music artists of all time, says Interscope Records<http://www.interscope.com/artist/news/default.aspx?nid=18342&aid=1119>. A list compiled by Wikipedia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists>places him even higher – amongst the top ten – right up there with AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, and higher than all-out legends like David Bowie or Frank Sinatra. So the Canadian Press may have been premature<http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ikt-401VZh3rv9FFAA7gZkEhn_xg>in calling *Slumdog Millionaire* an underdog. After all, we all know Danny Boyle from his work on *Trainspotting*. And now we all know A.R. Rahman – but we probably should have a long time ago. *[A.R. Rahman at the 2009 Critic's Choice Awards. REUTERS/Hector Mata]* http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/01/12/slumdog-composer-a-r-rahman-is-a-big-deal.aspx -- regards, Vithur
