Not sure if this is posted earlier. Old article after the Golden globe win.
---------------------------------------------------From Rukmani to Jai ho
*Allah Rakha Rahman’s* journey is no less incredible than that of the
protagonist of Slumdog Millionaire. From a South Indian regional composer
with a National award for his debut film 16 years back, Rahman has now won
three nominations at the Oscars for his songs in a mainstream Hollywood film
*1966:* On January 6, A.S.Dileep Kumar is born to R.K.Shekhar,
composer-arranger in Malayalam films. His father passes away when Dileep is
just nine. The family subsists on hiring out musical equipment to leading
composers.
*1977:* Rahman joins Ilayaraja as keyboardist after training with Master
Dhanraj. He also plays for M. S. Viswanathan and Ramesh Naidu and with Zakir
Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and soon
obtains a scholarship from the Trinity College of Music in London, where he
graduates with a degree in Western Classical music.
*1989:* The family converts to Islam and the boy is renamed Allah Rakha
Rahman. Rahman becomes a keyboard player and arranger in the band Roots with
childhood friend A.Sivamani. He is the founder of the rock band Nemesis
Avenue and also plays keyboard, piano, the synthesizer, harmonium and
guitar.
*1991:* Rahman starts a recording studio in his house and starts composing
for jingles and television serials.
*1992:* Mani Ratnam, who has been watching Ilayaraja’s assistant, gives him
an independent break with Roja, the original Tamil film. A new style of
music is introduced and in a first-time feat later equalled only by Ismail
Darbar with the Hindi film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, bags the National Award
for a debut score, the first of four.
*1993:* Roja is dubbed in Hindi and as it sweeps the charts, led by Dil hai
chhota sa and the “item” song Rukmani Rukmani, Roja also brings into focus
the hitherto-neglected talent of singer Hariharan, who is suddenly
considered chart-friendly! With this score, Rahman forever changes the
future of Hindi film music.
His Tamil chartbuster that year is Thiruda Thiruda.
*1994-1995:* Two films of Rahman are dubbed in Hindi - his hit Kaadhalan as
Humse Hai Muqabala and Bombay. More importantly, several music directors
officially (The Gentleman) and otherwise (Angrakshak, Sabse Bada Khiladi et
al) pilfer his Tamil hits.
Duet, Indira and Muthu are his Tamil hits that year. And Rahman gets his
first international honour - the Mauritius National award in 1995.
In late 1995, Rahman writes history all over again with his debut original
Hindi film, Rangeela. Asha Bhosle returns to high-tide with Yai re and Tanha
tanha after a lull.
*1996:* More of Rahman’s films are dubbed, with indifferent results except
for Hindustani (Indian).
But the Tamil scenario is still upbeat with Love Birds and Kadhal Desam.
Rahman also scores the background music for his first crossover film Fire.
And Minsaara Kanavu wins Rahman his second National award.
*1997:* Sapnay, the dubbed version of the 1996 hit marks the debut of singer
KK with Strawberry aankhen, a top name today, and the breakthrough of Hema
Sardesai with Awara bhanwre. It begins his long association with Javed
Akhtar.
Sony Music (now Sony-BMG) signs Rahman as their first-ever South Asian
artiste for the hit album Vande Mataram.
The Tamil hits include Iruvar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s debut.
*1998:* The composer storms the charts with Mani Ratnam’s first original
Hindi film, Dil Se…, ending the struggle of singer Sukhwinder Singh with
Chal chhaiyya chhaiyya, and the singer’s association with him will now peak
with the Oscar nomination for Jai ho from Slumdog Millionaire. The same is
true of his journey with Gulzar, whose best phase as a top lyricist begins.
The film also features his first song with Lata Mangeshkar, Jiya jale. Also
released this year is Jeans.
*1999:* Rahman finally makes a proper pan-Indian breakthrough with Subhash
Ghai’s Taal, a musical love story that wins him his first Screen award. In
the same year, Deepa Mehta’s Earth is released in Hindi as 1947 with a
highly-appreciated, underrated but not-too-popular score. These two films
cement his association with Ghai and Anand Bakshi (till his death in 2002),
Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan.
He also tours Germany with Michael Jackson in the Michael Jackson & Friends
Concert.
*2000:* Rahman scores his first home production of a Mumbai hero - Anil
Kapoor, in Pukar. This is also the first of his only two films with Phalke
laureate lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.
The Tamil side is noted for Kandukondain Kandukondain and Thenali.
*2001:* Lagaan, Aamir Khan’s first film, wins him the National Best Music
award for the first time for a Hindi film. Careful observers term this his
most accomplished score in Hindi till then.
*2002:* Saathiya makes the industry take note of Kunal Ganjawala with O
humdum suniyo re. There is also an evocative score in The Legend Of Bhagat
Singh.
Back home in the South, Rahman scores with Kannathil Mutthamittal and Baba.
*2003-2004*: The Rahman Hindi bandwagon hits a lull with dull scores like
Tehzeeb, Meenakshi - A Tale Of Three Cities and Lakeer. But it ends on
another high with Swades.
Rahman get the rare honour of scoring for the Chinese film Warriors Of
Heaven And Earth and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage presentation Bombay Dreams.
He backs out of Indian commitments like Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa and Kisna
after recording a few songs. He also notches the highest tally among
National award-winning composers with Kannathil Muthamittal, his fourth
trophy.
With Finnish folk music band Värttinä, he scores music for The Lord Of The
Rings, a theatre production, and also composes the piece Raga’s Dance for
Vanessa Mae’s album Choreography.
The whizkid is also appointed Global Ambassador to the WHO initiative, Stop
TB Partnership.
*2005:* Rahman fails to recreate the period magic of his two earlier films
with Mangal Pandey - The Rising and Netaji - The Forgotten Hero. But his two
songs in Kisna are noticed. And for every low the composer gets a
compensatory high: He inaugurates his state-of-the-art AM Studios in Chennai
and Time Magazine lists Roja among the Top 10 Movie soundtracks of all time.
*2006:* Rahman composes the heady Daler Mehndi-Chitra sarson-sambar
title-track for Rang De Basanti. Here begins another fruitful association -
with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi.
Rahman also launches his own music label, KM Music, with his score for
Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. He also gets an Honorary award from Stanford University
for his contribution for global music.
*2007:* On his 42nd anniversary, he inaugurates the K.M.Music Conservatory.
In a double whammy, Rahman grabs both Best Music and Best Background Score
trophies for Guru from Nokia Star-Screen. He also scores the background
music for Provoked and composes the third of Deepa Mehta’s trilogies, Water.
Rahman also co-composes Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
The home front is represented by the all-time blockbuster Sivaji - The Boss.
*2008:* Jodhaa Akbar (for which he clinches another Screen trophy for
Background Score) and Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na (for which he gets Screen’s Best
Music Award) are highs enough, but that great times are coming is evident
from his tail-end 2008 release Ghajini becoming India’s all-time biggest
grosser. Slumdog Millionaire, his mainstream Hollywood film has won him a
Golden Globe Best Music nomination and hosannas galore abroad including 10
other nominations and awards from various organisations for Best Score and
Best Song.
*2009:* The incredible happens - in his birthday month, A.R.Rahman wins the
two Screen awards mentioned above, the Golden Globe for the score of
Slumdog… and Best Music and two Best Song nominations for Jai ho and also O
saya, for which he also co-writes lyrics. He is the first Indian to win
three Oscar nominations. The Oscar is now a possible - no, make that likely
- dream.
And the journey continues..
--
(¨`•.•´¨) Always
`•.¸(¨`•.•´¨) Keep
`•.¸¸.•´ Smiling!
GOD BLESS YOU
With Love and Care Always
Moin.H
--
Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat
you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for
a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it
changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just
promised it would be worth it.
