A. R. Rahman Indian Music Composer

A. R. Rahman Biography

A. R. Rahman, whose full name is Allah Rakha Rahman, is an acclaimed Indian composer, singer, and music producer. Born on January 6, 1967, in Chennai, India, Rahman is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential music composers in the world. He gained international fame for his unique and innovative approach to music, blending Indian classical music with various global genres.

He has won fifteen Filmfare Awards, seventeen Filmfare Awards South, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six National Film Awards. The third-highest civilian honor in India, the Padma Bhushan, was given to him by the government in 2010.

With occasional ventures into international cinema, Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist. He is well-known for his contributions to Indian cinema, primarily in Tamil and Hindi films. He has won fifteen Filmfare Awards, seventeen Filmfare Awards South, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six National Film Awards. The third-highest civilian honor in India, the Padma Bhushan, was given to him by the government in 2010.

The Tamil film Roja marked the beginning of Rahman’s film-scoring career, which he started with his own studio, Panchathan Record Inn, in the early 1990s. After that, he composed music for a number of Tamil movies, such as the politically charged Bombay directed by Ratnam, the Urban Kadhalan, Thiruda Thiruda, and Gentleman, the first film directed by S. Shankar. Rahman won the BMI Award for Best Score for his work on the comedy Couples Retreat (2009), his debut Hollywood picture. At the 81st Academy Awards, he won Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work on Slumdog Millionaire (2008). At the 2010 Grammy Awards, he also took home the Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Compilation Soundtrack Album awards. Both “Mozart of Madras” and “Isai Puyal” (musical storm) are nicknames given to him.

Rahman has also developed into a philanthropist and humanitarian, contributing to and raising funds for numerous charities and causes. He received recognition from Stanford University in 2006 for his services to world music. The Madras Rotary Club awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. He was listed as one of the 100 most important persons in the world by Time in 2009. He brought 7.1 surround sound to South Indian movies in 2013. He was given an honorary doctorate by Berklee College of Music in 2014. His honorary doctorate from Aligarh Muslim University is another accolade. He debuted as a writer and director in the 2017 picture Le Musk.

Early life

Born on January 6, 1967, as A. S. Dileep Kumar in Madras, Tamil Nadu, Allah Rakha Rahman was named after him. His father, R. K. Shekhar, was a conductor and film soundtrack composer for Malayalam and Tamil movies. He was from a Mudaliar family. At age four, Rahman started taking piano lessons. He played the keyboard to help his father in the studio.

Rahman’s family made ends meet by renting out his father’s musical instruments when he passed away when he was nine years old. Rahman was a student at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. Raised by his mother, Kareema (born Kashturi), he had to work to support his family, which caused him to frequently miss class and do poorly on tests. Rahman claimed in a 2012 interview that his mother had been called and instructed to take him to the streets of Kodambakkam where he would beg, with the intention of keeping him out of school.

Rahman spent a year at another school called MCN before enrolling in Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, where he was admitted based on his musical talent and formed a band with his high school classmates. However, after consulting with his mother, he dropped out of school to pursue a full-time musical career. Rahman worked as a keyboardist and arranger for Roots (along with childhood friend and percussionist Sivamani, John Anthony, Suresh Peters, JoJo, and Raja) and founded the Chennai-based rock band Nemesis Avenue. He was particularly interested in the synthesizer because it was the “ideal combination of music and technology.” He mastered the keyboard, piano, synthesizer, harmonium, and guitar.

Rahman received his early training in music from Master Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he started performing in the orchestra of Malayalam composer M. K. Arjunan, a close friend of his father. After receiving a scholarship from Trinity College London to the Trinity College of Music, he soon started working with other composers, including M. S. Viswanathan, Vijaya Bhaskar, Ilaiyaraaja, Ramesh Naidu, Vijay Anand, Hamsalekha, and Raj-Koti. He also accompanied Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, and L. Shankar on global tours. Rahman had helped numerous music directors in his early career with keyboard and synthesizer work. A noteworthy piece of work is the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, in which Rahman and Sivamani composed the song “Kalikalam” for the film’s music director, S. Balakrishnan.

Conversion to Islam

Rahman attended the Madras School of Music and received a diploma in Western classical music. While Rahman’s younger sister was in critical condition in 1984, he was first exposed to Qadiri tariqa. His mother was a devout Hindu woman. In 1989, at the age of 23, he and other family members converted to Islam, and he adopted the name Allah Rakha Rahman (A. R. Rahman).

Rahman Career

Soundtracks

Titan Watches jingle, which featured the theme from Mozart’s Symphony No. 25.
A pair of beaming men with a record trophy
At the MagnaSound Awards, Rahman (left) was presented with a platinum award. In 1992, MagnaSound released his debut film soundtrack, Roja. Mani Ratnam, the director, contacted him in 1992 to write the soundtrack and score for his Tamil film Roja.

When Rahman opened Panchathan Record Inn, a recording and mixing studio in his backyard, in 1992, his film career officially got underway. It would develop into one of Asia’s most sophisticated and high-tech recording studios, as well as the most advanced in India. Rahman was signed by cinematographer Santosh Sivan for his second film, Yoddha, which was directed by Sivan’s brother Sangeeth Sivan, and starred Mohanlal in Malayalam. Yoddha was released in September 1992.

Rahman was awarded the Silver Lotus award for best music director at the National Film Awards the following year for Roja. The inventive theme “Chinna Chinna Aasai” propelled the original and dubbed versions of the films’ critically and commercially successful soundtrack. Rahman then went on to compose hit songs and scores for Tamil-language movies for the Chennai film industry. These included the urban Kadhalan, directed by S. Shankar, and the politically charged Bombay, Thiruda Thiruda, starring Ratnam. The latter film featured the well-known dance song “Chikk Bukku Rayile.”Rahman wrote successful Tamil rural folk-inspired film songs for Kizhakku Cheemayile and Karuththamma with director Bharathiraaja; he also composed for K. Balachander’s Duet, which featured some memorable Saxophone themes. Not to be overlooked were the romantic comedies Mr. Romeo and Love Birds, as well as the 1995 film Indira.

Rahman’s success in Japan drew in viewers from that country. His ability to blend jazz, reggae, rock, Carnatic and Tamil traditional music, and Western classical music has made his soundtracks well-known both within the Tamil Nadu film industry and overseas.15 million copies of the Bombay soundtrack were sold worldwide. Later, “Bombay Theme” was included on the soundtrack for Deepa Mehta’s Fire, as well as several compilations and other media. It appeared in the Nicolas Cage film Lord of War (2005) and the Palestinian film Divine Intervention (2002). Rahman made his Bollywood debut in Rangeela, which was helmed by Ram Gopal Varma. Following were popular tunes and scores for Dil Se.. and the percussion-heavy Taal. “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from the previous movie and “Zikr” from his Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero soundtrack album (which included intricate orchestral and choral arrangements) were influenced by Sufi mysticism.

In 1997, Rahman’s soundtrack album for the Tamil film Minsaara Kanavu set a record for six consecutive wins for the South Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction in a Tamil film, and he went on to win the same award three more times. Rahman also won his second National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Carnatic vocals, the veena, rock guitar, and jazz were used in the musical cues of the Sangamam and Iruvar soundtrack albums. Rahman wrote popular songs and scores for films in the 2000s, including Alaipayuthey, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades, Rajiv Menon’s Kandukondain Kandukondain, Rang De Basanti, and songs with Hindustani themes for the 2005 film Water. Rahman has collaborated on commercially successful soundtracks with directors Mani Ratnam and S. Shankar, and he has worked with Indian poets and lyricists like Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Vairamuthu, and Vaali.

In order to create the most advanced studio in Asia, Rahman opened AM Studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai, in 2005, expanding his Panchathan Record Inn studio. With the release of his Sillunu Oru Kaadhal score, he established his own record label, KM Music, the following year. After doing extensive research and utilizing classical music from China and Japan, Rahman composed the music for the Mandarin-language film Warriors of Heaven and Earth in 2003. For Varalaru (Godfather), his 2006 score earned him the Best Music Album award from the Just Plain Folks Music Organization. He co-scored Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Shekhar Kapur’s second British film, in 2007. For his Jodhaa Akbar score, he was nominated for a Best Composer Asian Film Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The music of Rahman has been used as a sample for several Indian film scores, including Inside Man, Lord of War, Divine Intervention, and The Accidental Husband.

The 2009 comedy Couples Retreat, which was his first Hollywood production, earned him the BMI London Award for Best Score. Rahman’s soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) was successful internationally, and the songs “Jai Ho” and “O… Saya” won two Academy Awards (the first for an Asian) and a Golden Globe. Indian youth were drawn to his music from the 2008 Bollywood film Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. In the same year, he won an IIFA award for best music direction and score, received critical acclaim, and received a nomination for the Best Composer Asian Film Award for his work on Jodhaa Akbar.

Rahman wrote the original soundtrack and songs for three films in 2010: Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, the romantic comedy Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, the sci-fi romance Enthiran, and the Imtiaz Ali musical Rockstar, whose soundtrack was a critical and financial success. In 2012, Rahman worked with director Yash Chopra on Jab Tak Hai Jaan and composed music for the American drama People Like Us as well as Ekk Deewana Tha. All were well received. His soundtrack for Mani Ratnam’s Kadal peaked at the top of the December iTunes India chart by the end of the year. Rahman released two singles in 2013: Maryan and Raanjhanaa. Both were well received; the former was the iTunes India Tamil Album of 2013 and the latter was nominated for several awards.

2014 was one of Rahman’s busiest years; he claims to have contributed to 12 different language films. After receiving favorable reviews for Imtiaz Ali’s road movie Highway, which was his first release of the year, he went on to release Soundarya Rajinikanth’s performance-capture animation film Kochadaiiyaan, which starred Rajinikanth. The soundtrack to the movie was included on the upcoming Academy Awards’ long list. His next assignments were the music for two consecutive Hollywood pictures, Million Dollar Arm and The Hundred-Foot Journey, both of which were nominated for an Oscar in the original score category.

Next, he collaborated with director Vasanthabalan for the first time as a composer for the historical drama Kaaviya Thalaivan. Shankar’s thriller I and K. S. Ravikumar’s period action movie Lingaa were his next releases.

Background scores

His use of ambient sounds and delicate orchestration is a defining feature of many of his background scores. In order to create scores, he frequently uses both traditional Indian instruments like the shehnai, sitar, mrudangam, veenai, and tabla, as well as modern instruments like guitars, cello, flute, strings, keyboard, fingerboard, harpejji, and Santoor.

Roja, Bombay, Iruvar, Minsara Kanavu, Dil Se.., Taal, Lagaan, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Swades, Rang De Basanti, Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar, Raavanan, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, Rockstar, Enthiran, Kadal, Kochadaiiyaan, and I. A. R. Rahman won two Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire and was nominated for two Academy Awards for 127 Hours—some of the movies that earned him appreciation for background scores. His scores for Million Dollar Arm, The Hundred-Foot Journey, and Kochadaiiyaan have recently been nominated in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ long list. Everyone has been impressed by the background score of his Mersal music in 2017. Rahman received a national award in 2018 for his Mom’s background score.

A. R. Rahman is co-credited with Qutub-E-Kripa, a group of young musicians from KM Music Conservatory, for the background scores of movies like Sarkar, 2.0, O Kadhal Kanmani, Tamasha, OK Jaanu, Kaatru Veliyidai, Mom, and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Additionally, they composed music for the Netflix series Daughters of Destiny.

Performing and other projects

Rahman has worked on non-film projects as well. One of India’s best-selling non-film albums is Vande Mataram, an album of original compositions released in 1997 to commemorate the country’s 50th anniversary of independence. He then released an album for the video Jana Gana Mana, which was directed by Bharat Bala and featured performances by top Indian classical musicians. Rahman frequently uses the Chennai Strings Orchestra and the Czech Film Orchestra in his orchestrations and advertising jingles for sports events, documentaries, short films, and media on television and the Internet.

In 1999, Rahman collaborated with choreographers Shobana and Prabhu Deva, as well as a Tamil film-dancing group, for Michael Jackson’s Michael Jackson and Friends concert in Munich, Germany. Andrew Lloyd Webber commissioned him to write the music for Bombay Dreams, his debut stage production, in 2002. Rahman and the Finnish folk-music group Värttinä worked together on The Lord of the Rings production in Toronto. In 2004, Rahman wrote “Raga’s Dance” for Vanessa-Mae’s album Choreography, which was performed by Mae and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to working with Karen David on her upcoming studio album, Rahman has been touring the world three times since 2004 to great success, entertaining crowds in Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and India. In May 2006, the two-disc CD Introducing A. R. Rahman was released, which included 25 of his Tamil film-score compositions. On December 12, 2008, his non-film album Connections was released. On November 24, 2009, Rahman sang at a state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama at the White House during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s official visit.

On the charity single “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” which was released in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he is one of over 70 artists. Rahman wrote “Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat” in 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gujarat State’s founding, “Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam” for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010, and “Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto” as the Commonwealth Games 2010 theme song. On June 11, 2010, at the Nassau Coliseum in New York, Rahman launched his first global tour, dubbed the A. R. Rahman Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour, which was slated to stop in 16 cities across the globe.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed a number of Rahman’s well-known compositions in April 2010. Rahman reworked Michael Bolton’s “Sajna” from Couples Retreat for Bolton’s album Gems – The Duets Collection in February 2011. SuperHeavy, featuring Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and Rahman, was announced by Mick Jagger on May 20, 2011. The group’s self-titled album was set for release in September of that same year. Jagger would perform a vocal rendition of Rahman’s song “Satyameva Jayate” (“The Truth Alone Triumphs”) on the album.

The Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg announced in January 2012 that it would play Rahman’s songs with musicians from the KM Music Conservatory as part of a 100-person concert tour that would take place across five Indian cities (Germany and India 2011–2012: Infinite Opportunities). celebrated the 100th anniversary of both Babelsberg Studio, the oldest film studio in the world, and Indian cinema.

Rahman wrote a Punjabi song in the summer of 2012 for Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The song was a part of a medley that highlighted Indian influence in the UK. The medley also included a song by Indian musician Ilaiyaraja from the 1981 Tamil film Ram Lakshman. Qyuki is a networking site that Rahman and Shekhar Kapoor launched in December 2012. It serves as a forum for storywriters to share their ideas. Cisco acquired a 17-percent stake in the startup with 270 million in investment.

For the website, Qyuki makes use of Cisco’s cloud infrastructure. In an effort to spread love, peace, and hope on December 20, he released the song “Infinite Love” in both Hindi and English. This date coincides with the end of the Mayan calendar. On July 29, 2013, in Mumbai, Rahman announced his 2013 tour, dubbed Rahmanishq. Starting on August 24 in Sydney, the tour proceeded to several Indian cities.

Rahman returned to performing live in January 2016, this time bringing his full Tamil playlist to Coimbatore and Madurai after a lengthy hiatus. Nenje Yezhu started 2016 on a positive note and with music from the heart, as the name would imply. The money raised from this concert will support the VS Medical Trust outside of Chennai, as well as flood relief efforts in Tamil Nadu and cancer awareness campaigns.

In 2017, Rahman released The Flying Lotus, a 19-minute orchestral piece that featured demonetization. This musical composition, which also features a speech by Narendra Modi, is an open interpretation of this significant protest against black money. Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 Opening Ceremony performance.

On August 15, 2018, Rahman made an appearance on Amazon Prime Video as the host of the five-episode “Harmony” series. Rahman introduced ARRived, the first YouTube Original from India, with the goal of discovering the greatest vocalists in the nation. The first episode of the 13-episode series was posted online on November 7, 2018. Shaan, Vidya Vox, and Clinton Cerejo accompany Rahman, who serves as the chief judge.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited introduced NEXA Music on January 16, 2019, a platform wherein 24 artists will be selected and guided by Rahman and Clinton Cerejo to produce global music in India. Rahman was a judge on The Voice as well. StarPlus started airing the show on February 3, 2019. Rahman collaborated with Marvel to write the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu versions of the “Marvel Anthem” promotional song for Avengers: Endgame (2019). Rap and strong percussion add flavor to Rahman’s song, which he also composed and sang. MC Heam (a rapper) and Nirmika Singh wrote the lyrics. Along with walking the red carpet, the cast of the movie snapped selfies with more than 3,500 spectators.

Rahman and the Irish rock group U2 worked together to release the single “Ahimsa” in December 2019. The song’s title, which comes from the Sanskrit word for non-violence, was written with the intention of celebrating India’s rich ethnic and spiritual diversity. Rahman said that the song is a celebration of non-violence and peace and that practicing ahimsa requires courage and strength.

Musical style and impact

Rahman is renowned for his film songs that combine elements of various genres, such as Carnatic music, Western and Hindustani classical music, and the Qawwali style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He does this by layering instruments from various musical idioms in an improvisational style. Rahman shared monaural recordings in the 1980s with K. V. Mahadevan and Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy, his musical forebears. He has also contributed to hundreds of films as a pianist with Ilaiyaraaja’s group. His approach evolved over time as he experimented with fusing new electronic sounds and technologies with conventional instruments.

Rahman’s love of experimenting is the source of both his musical interests and outlook. His compositions combine Indian pop music with a distinctive timbre, form, and instrumentation through an auteuristic use of counterpoint, orchestration, and the human voice. Rahman’s music appeals to a wide range of social classes and cultural backgrounds in Indian society because of its syncretic style and inclusive lyrics.

Time included his debut soundtrack, Roja, in their list of the “10 Best Soundtracks” of all time in 2005. The South Asian diaspora is credited with contributing to the composer’s early international success, according to film critic Richard Corliss, whose “astonishing debut work parades Rahman’s gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman”. Rahman is regarded as “one of the world’s great living composers in any medium” by music producer Ron Fair.

Rahman gave South Indian movies access to 7.1 surround sound. With an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, Rahman is among the best-selling musicians in India. Rahman and Will.i.am, the former member of Black Eyed Peas, announced on May 21, 2014, that they would be recreating the early hit song “Urvashi Urvashi.” “Birthday” is the track.

Personal life

Actor Rahman is married to Saira Banu, who is not to be confused with actress Saira Banu. The couple has three children together: Khatija, Raheema, and Ameen. The songs “NaNa” by Ameen and “Pudhiya Manidha” by Khatija are from Couples Retreat and Enthiran, respectively. Rahman’s older sister A. R. Reihana is the mother of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar. Rahman’s Music Conservatorium in Chennai is run by Fathima, his younger sister. Ishrath, the youngest, owns a recording studio. Rahman, the actor, has a brother named A.R. Rahman.

Rahman was born into a Hindu family and converted to Islam in his 20s. His mother was a devout Hindu, and Sufism eventually affected her and his family during the difficult times following the early death of his father. Rahman honored his mother at the 81st Academy Awards ceremony, saying, “There is a Hindi dialogue, mere pass ma hai, which means ‘even if I have nothing, I have my mother here.'”Prior to speaking, he uttered the Tamil phrase “All praise to God,” which is a translation of “Ella pughazhum iraivanukke” from the Quran. Rahman faced criticism for his liberal persona in February 2020 when Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen brought up the subject of his daughter donning a burka.

Philanthropy

Rahman is active in several humanitarian endeavors. He was named the Stop TB Partnership’s global ambassador in 2004, a WHO initiative. Together with Yusuf Islam, Rahman has backed Save the Children India. The song “Indian Ocean” features Magne Furuholmen, the keyboardist for A-ha, and Neil Primrose, the drummer for Travis. The song’s proceeds were donated to Banda Aceh orphans who were impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

He co-produced Don Asian’s single “We Can Make It Better” with Mukhtar Sahota. Rahman established the KM Music Conservatory in 2008 as an audio-visual learning center to teach aspiring musicians sounds engineering, music Several levels of courses are available at the conservatory, which is close to his studio in Kodambakkam, Chennai, and has a symphony orchestra and well-known musicians on staff. L. Subramaniam, a violinist, serves on its advisory board. Numerous of Rahman’s studio protégés have composed music for motion pictures. He established Sunshine Orchestra in 2009 with the goal of establishing India’s first symphony orchestra, where children from underprivileged backgrounds receive free music instruction from the KM Music Conservatory. In order to help Chennai’s impoverished women, he wrote the theme music for a short film for The Banyan in 2006.

Inspired by the Free Hugs Campaign, Rahman and renowned percussionist Sivamani wrote the song “Jiya Se Jiya” in 2008, which was then supported by a music video shot in several Indian cities for charitable purposes. He established the One Heart Foundation in 2017 to help those in the music industry. Rahman revealed Ta Futures, a cooperative cultural initiative that would curate and showcase Tamil Nadu’s musical heritage.

At the annual Pratham gala in New York in 2019, Rahman gave a Sufi Benefit Concert. Pratham is one of the biggest non-governmental organizations in India that works to provide quality education to underprivileged children in India. Rahman and his group gave a pro-bono performance of the entire dinner concert. He thanked the audience for their generosity and respect on Twitter after the event, writing that his “long-time dream of performing #Sufimusic for human causes came true”.

A. R. Rahman discography

Filmography

Producer, writer and director

Awards

He has won six National Film Awards, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards, and sixteen Filmfare Awards South for his musical compositions. Rahman has won honors for musical achievement from the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, a Padma Shri from the Government of India, and a Kalaimamani for distinction in the realm of music from the Government of Tamil Nadu.

He was honored by Stanford University in 2006 for his services to world music. Rahman became the first Indian to be named “Indian of the Year for Contribution to Popular Music” in the Limca Book of Records the following year. The Madras Rotary Club awarded him the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. Rahman won two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, shared with Gulzar) at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. He also took home the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.

Middlesex University, Aligarh Muslim University, Anna University in Chennai, and Miami University in Ohio have all awarded him honorary doctorates. Best Compilation Soundtrack Album and Best Song Written for Visual Media are the two Grammy Awards that the composer has won. The third-highest civilian award in India, the Padma Bhushan, was given to Rahman in 2010.

In 2011, he was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Original Song and Best Original Music Score) and received a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his role in 127 Hours. Rahman is a Trinity College of Music Honorary Fellow.

During a performance honoring Rahman’s work with a global student cast, Berklee College of Work bestowed an honorary degree upon him on October 24, 2014. After accepting his award, he said that being recognized by Berklee was a perfect example of how his life had gone full circle because, at the beginning of his career, he had intended to attend the school before being given the chance to score Roja. In his address on May 7, 2012, Rahman accepted his honorary degree from Miami University in Ohio and noted that he had gotten an invitation to dinner at the White House and a Christmas card from the President’s family. In November 2013, a street in Markham, Ontario, Canada was named in his memory.

A. R. Rahman was awarded Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles by the Seychellese government on October 4, 2015, in recognition of the “invaluable services contributed to enhancing Seychelles’ Arts and Culture development.”

He was named the government of Sikkim’s Brand Ambassador in January 2018. The achievements of the state will be projected and promoted nationally and internationally by A.R. Rahman. On January 4, 2020, in Chennai, Rahman received the Pride of Indian Music award at the first Zee Cine Awards Tamil.

In August 2011, he was named one of “Tomorrow’s World Music Icons” by the UK-based world music journal Songlines. He has been consistently named as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World for many years.

He now serves on the International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.) Board of Advisors.