With the advent of a new promising decade and being just passed off a musically
stupendous decade, i just felt to rewind our great Rahman sir's works and
achievements by my simple mere words here.! Well, it just goes out to be an
understatement if we all declare A.R.Rahman sir as [b]"The Man Of The
Decade"[/b] in the entertainment category.
Raining Filmfares, Padmashree, Doctorates, Lata Mangeshkar Awards, National
Awards, State Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs,Swaralaya Yesudas Awards, Grammy
Nominations and above all the Oscar Academy awards,not withstanding, Rahman sir
clearly won millions and trillions of hearts across the globe. I, personally
consider that more than those aforementioned awards, its the love among the
hearts of people that has made what Rahman sir is today!
Lets all rewind back to his illustrious works and corresponding achievements
of the decade 2000 - 2009:
2000
1) Alaipayuthey (Tamil)
--> A Manirathnam - Rahman Sir Combination Classic Runaway hit!
--> Won Filmfare South Best Music Director Award
2) Fiza (Hindi)
--> Graced the movie as a guest composer and composed an anthem Qawwali "Piya
Haji Ali" which no one would ever forget
3) Kandukondain Kandukondain (Tamil)
--> A Musical Superhit in Rajeev Menon - Rahman Sir combination after Minsaara
Kanavu
4) Rhythm (Tamil)
--> A sugary sweet and simple composition by Sir
5) Thenali (Tamil)
--> A laugh riot flick in the combination of Rahman Sir - Kamal Haasan -
K.S.Ravikumar
6) Zubeidaa (Hindi)
--> A classic periodical love story by Shyam Benegal.It was ARR's signature
tunes that stood up in the movie and well received!
2001
1) One 2 Ka 4 (Hindi)
--> Movie turned out to be damp squib despite the presence of most influential
people: ARR Sir and Shah Rukh Khan
2) Star (Tamil)
--> Rahman sir re-used most of his "Thakshak" and "1947-Earth" tunes onto this
one.The response was moderate though!
3)Naayak (Hindi)
--> Remake of Tamil Hit "Mudhalvan", the same songs were re-used and the
response was great!
4)Lagaan (Hindi)
--> One of the most successful Cinemas in the film industry, Rahman sir proved
the world that there is no one to replace him in period films.
--> ARR swept away almost all awards for the year
National Award for the best Music Direction
Filmfare Award for the best Music Direction
IIFA Award for the best Music Direction
Zee Cine Award for the best Music Direction
5) Paarthale Paravasam (Tamil)
--> Hugely anticipated movie of the year since it was legendary director
K.Balachander's 100th flick! Songs were well received but the movie sank
without a trace!
6) Alli Arjuna (Tamil)
--> Another masala flick which had tunes of "Pukar", "1947 Earth" and "One 2 Ka
4" all mixed together. Both the songs and film was soon forgotten since all
felt that the songs have already been heard before in Hindi!
2002
1)Kannathil Muthammital (Tamil)
--> The year began with a bang with Rahman sir teaming up again with
Manirathnam.The result: A Megahit venture!
-->ARR was again the most favourite among the award presenters
National Award for the best Music Direction
Filmfare South Award for the best Music Direction
2)Saathiya (Hindi)
--> A hit remake of the Tamil classic hit "Alaipayuthey"
--> Songs became a rage among masses and classes with ARR grabbing :
Filmfare Award for the best Music Direction
Bollywood Movie Award for the best Music Direction
IIFA Award for the best Music Direction
Zee Cine Award for the best Music Direction
MTV Immies Award for the best Music Direction
3) The Legend Of Bhagath Singh (Hindi)
--> A revolutionary concept by Rajkumar Santoshi
--> Songs and BGMs ruled the music world while the movie bombed due to the
interventions of too many movies with the same concept released
simultaneously.ARR also received the Filmfare Best Background Music Award for
his soul stirring BGMs.
4) Baba (Tamil)
--> A mega hyped Rajinikanth starrer which made Rahman sir adapt to Rajni's
stardom style. The result was just moderate and movie went disastrous!
5) Kaadhal Virus (Tamil)
--> A breezy romantic flick which arrived and departed very quietly without
making any news! Only hardcore Rahmaniacs cherish the album till date!
6)Bombay Dreams (English)
--> The first and foremost widespread introduction of ARR to the entire world!
Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborated with the meastro and made a historic win!
--> ARR won the Laurence Olivier Award(UK) for the Best Musical Score
7) Ek Nazaria / One Vision ( Multi)
--> ARR gave life to the magical lyrics of the then honorary President Dr.APJ
Abdul Kalam.
2003
1)Udhaya (Tamil)
--> A commercial venture which could not in any means bring accolades by the
audience. The music was quite appreciated but not without the critics lamblast!
2) Parasuram (Tamil)
--> Another run-of-the-mill flick which was least talked about even by
Rahmaniacs. One could easily make out the uncomfirtablity of Rahman sir while
working on this project!
3)Boys (Tamil)
--> The biggest blockbuster movie with the first magical combination of Rahman
- Shankar of the decade!Rahman ruled the roost with vibrant, peppy and groovy
numbers which became teenage anthems!
--> Its quite strange that Sir did not win any awards for such a mammoth
composition!
4)Enakku 20 Unakku 18 (Tamil)
Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu (Telugu)
--> This flick too falls under the same league of Boys, but the result turned
topsy turvy this time! Rahman sir though, was rained with huge appreciation.
5) Kangalal Kaidhu Sei (Tamil)
--> A perfect instance of a mediocre script gobbling up the marvellous
music!Had this music been written to a good script, the result would have been
magnanimous!
6) Tehzeeb (Hindi)
--> First superflop album in Hindi for Rahman sir! Though it had some magical
ghazalish songs, the results were not warming enough!
[2004
1) Warriors Of Heaven and Earth (Mandarin/English)
--> An awesome feat achieved by any Indian so far, Rahman sir even ventured
into the gigantic East Asia! The indian version of one of the song was warmly
received!
2) Lakeer- The Forbidden Lines (Hindi)
--> ARR's magical compositions in Rhythm got its Hindi version for this flick!
Though the reception was not impressive, it did make some news ONLY for its
music!
3) Meenaxi: A Tale Of Three Cities (Hindi)
--> Meenaxi offered a royal feast for music lovers despite its non release at
the theaters. Ace artiste MF Hussain could cheer only because of his flick's
music sales!
--> Rahman sir received the Best Music Arrangement(Critic) Sangeet Awards for
the year!
4) Yuva (Hindi)
Aayitha Ezhuthu (Tamil)
--> The deadly combo Rahman - Manirathnam bounced back with this bilingual
venture which took the industry by storm for its screenplay and music!
5) New (Tamil)
Naani (Telugu)
--> The SJ Surya directed bilingual movie was more talked about for its
controversy rather than the nice reasons.
6) Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (Hindi)
--> Rahman sir worked again as a guest composer and composed 3 awesome tracks
and left the rest to Himesh Reshammiya
7) Swades (Hindi)
--> The most sophisticated yet simple musical score by Rahman sir! Acclaimed
director Ashutosh Gowariker made no mistake in roping in his Lagaan team yet
again!
--> Rahman sir won the Filmfare for the Best Background Score for the year!
8) Kisna (Hindi)
--> Guest composer again for the 3rd time. This time ARR shared the musical
credits with Ismail Darbar. ARR composed total 3 tracks for the movie!
2005
1) [maroon][b]Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero
(Hindi)[/b][/maroon]
--> A rich, lavish composition by ARR unfortunately got misplaced and as the
title of the movie, the music also was long forgotten by the people. Only cult
section of people preserve this pure composition!
2) Mangal Pandey: The Rising (Hindi)
--> Another period film which proved that ARR is the most chosen favorite for
the period flicks! Again all efforts made by ARR went in vain, since neither
the movie nor the songs were accepted by the people! But performance wise, ARR
did magic with Mujras and Qawwalis for this lose script!
3) Anbae Aaruyire/ Ah Aah (Tamil)
--> After New, SJ Surya and ARR united again for this flick which again made
news for all the wrong reasons! ARR created a furore in the musical department,
but the film's debacle harmed the music score !
4)Water (Hindi/ English)
--> Another internationally acclaimed album by ARR which showcaused his talent
in handling sensitive subject. Deepa Mehta once again proved that her team up
with ARR is unarguably a classy best. The soundtracks proved the classical
expertise of seasoned singers Sadhana Sargam and Sukhwinder Singh!
--> ARR almost had a chance of winning the Academy Awards when his Chanchan was
nominated for the Best Original Song!
2006
1) Rang De Basanti (Hindi)
--> In came RDB, and ARR silenced all critics who were going over the board
claiming ARR has lost his touch! A massive hit soundtracks backed with a rock
strong script made RDB a classic wonder!
--> ARR swept away accolades and awards such as
Filmfare Award for the Best Music Direction
GIFA Award for the Best Music Direction
IIFA Award for the Best Music Direction
Star Screen Award for the Best Background Music
Zee Cine Award for the Best Music Direction
Planet Bollywood's People's Choice Best Music and Best Background Music
Awards
2) Sillunu Oru Kadhal (Tamil)
--> ARR bounced back to the kollywood music generating a teenage love anthem
thorugh the soundtracks of this flick! Though the movie was not wery widely
accepted, the audio tracks created a rage across the nation!
--> ARR won Filmfare South Award for Best Music Direction
3) Varalaaru (Tamil)
--> It was a great year for ARR with back to back superhits. Varalaaru created
a history in both music and script! A perfect blend of classical, folk, Melody
and peppy songs made all masala lovers go bersek and love them!
--> ARR won an unsual award at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards for the best
music direction
4)The Lord Of The Rings Musical (English)
--> A Prestigious project for ARR which propelled his growth in the western
cinema! The audio sales were super impressive and ARR became a household name
across the west.
5) Guru (Hindi)
--> The Guru of Movie makers and the Guru of Music directors united again for
this big blockbuster roping in the Bachchan clan in the lead roles. The most
versatile album of the year made Rahman stand all among all his contemproaries!
--> Yet again, ARR swept accross all the leading awards for both the songs and
BGMS for the year!
Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction and Best Background Music
IIFA Award for Best Music Direction and Best Background Music
Star Screen Award for Best Music Direction and Best Background Music
Zee Cine Award for Best Music Direction and Best Background Music
V.Shantaram Award for Best Music
6) Pray For Me Brother (English)
--> The album showed the generosity side of Rahman who made a charity song for
the street children suffering from diseases. Since it was not commercialized to
the greater extent, this work of ARR remains to be hidden for many people!
2007
1)Provoked (English)
--> A hollywood production house flick with Aishwarya Rai Bachhan in the lead
had many instrumentals composed by ARR. Surprisingly, the music did not make
any news and it was moderately received!
2) Sivaji -The Boss (Tamil)
--> A grand Mass entry by ARR in Tamil for the year. Owing to the mass subject
for Rajinikanth, ARR belted out mass entertainers which was considered as the
year's blockbuster album!
--> ARR was showered upon the accolades and awards for the album
Filmfare South Awards for the Best Music Direction
Sunfeast Tamil Music Awards for the Best Music Composer of the Year
Star Vijay Award for Best Music Director
3) Elizabeth: The Golden Age (English)
--> A Shekar Kapur - ARR combo that made little news both pre and post release!
ARR composed only Four tracks sung by himself for the movie!
4) One Love (Multilingual)
--> Just to popularize TajMahal, ARR made this album in many languages like
Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali. The result was so
enormous that many people voted for the Taj and squeezed it into the list of
new 7 wonders of the World!
5) Azhagiya Tamil Magan (Tamil)
--> Sweetly remembered as ATM, the music of the album rocked the airwaves
across southern india and became a massive hit! Vijay - ARR combination that
failed in Udhaya, bounced back with this album! Many young singers had the
priviledge to croon the songs for ARR.
2008
1)Jodhaa Akbar (Hindi)
--> A grand mighty epic based on emperor Akbar and princes Jodhaa Bhai that
thronged the box office right after its release. ARR, the musical emperor
propelled the film to look more classy and majestic! The very feel of the music
haunts all the people till date.
--> And the obvious results was...Raining awards
Filmfare Award for Best Background Score
IIFA Award for Best Music Direction
IIFA Award for Best Background Music Score
Star Screen Award for Best Background Music Score
V.Shantaram Award for Best Music
2) Al-Risalah (English)
--> Rahman composed and sang this haunting sufi number for the movie The
Mesaage. Not promoted well and hence fall flat without a notice!
3)Aasmaan (Hyderabad Airport Signature Tune)
--> Hyderabad enjoyed the cake by roping in AR for a signature tune for its
grand launch of International Airport! Naresh Iyer crooned to this lovely song.
However, it did not create much impact on rest of the states!
4) Sakkarakatti (Tamil)
--> ARR's last Tamil release yet, Sakkarakatti turned out to be a dampener at
the box office. But the music made an everlasting impact that recorded the most
frequently played song in the Chennai airwaves!ARR was the main attraction for
the movie with the posters showing life sized cut outs of him.
5) Yuvvraaj (Hindi)
--> Much anticipated ARR - Subhash Ghai combo flick after a long gap since
their successful Taal, Yuvvraaj certainly did not live upto the expectations
and movie turned out to be a flop! Nevertheless, ARR was much appreciated
deservingly for his heavenly orchestration with less trendy and more melody!
6) Ghajini (Hindi)
--> A mega blockbuster Aamir Khan - ARR movie that stormed the screens big
time! Even though a remake of a tamil flick by the same name, Ghajini managed
to get a great opening and became ultimate success! Major part of the success
however goes to ARR for his action packed romance compositions! There were
however unavoidable comparisons drawn between ARR and Harris Jayaraj for his
composition in the original!
7) Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa (Hindi)
--> A teeny bopper album which instantly ruled the chartbox, JTYJN was simply
the best teenage anthem of India! All the songs were equally liked and adored
by the youngsters. ARR showered his compositions keeping only youngsters in
mind!
--> For this teenage sensational hit, ARR was awarded
Filmfare Award for the Best Music Direction
Also won IIFA for his Outstanding contribution by an Indian
8)Ada - A Way of Life (Hindi)
--> The most unfortunate film that ARR has so far done! It has never seen the
light of its day till date! Due to the production hassles, Ada was pushed for
many years and there were periodic rumours of its release but in reality, it
never did! ARR has belted out his career best melodies in this movie which has
a greater concern of getting ignored by the audience!
9)Slumdog Millionare (English / Hindi)
--> A mammoth project which broke all records at the box office and made Rahman
an international celebrity. It was just like how Roja made him country wide
popular, SDM made him worldwide popular! The BAFTAs, Golden Globes and finally
the mighty Oscars couldn't help but felicitate the musical wonder with their
honours! ARR bagged two Oscars creating a history of sorts! No Indian acheived
this feat so far and its such a pride that ARR is the poineer!
--> After getting nominated in almost all different award ceremonies of the
world, the music managed to grab almost all awards! 2 Oscars, BAFTA,Golden
globe and many more!
10)Connections ( Multilingual)
--> A relatively lesser known album which promoted only Jiya Se Jiya and left
out the rest!Wish this album was rightly released and widely promoted!
2009
1) Delhi 6 (Hindi)
--> Rakesh Omprakash Mehra teamed up with ARR again for this critically
acclaimed flick! ARR has given gems and diamonds through his compositions with
each of them worth to be preserved! There is no doubt that he will fetch all
awards for the music in this year!
2) Blue (Hindi)
--> Touted to be the costliest movie of India, Blue boasted to be the first
underwater movie with huge starcast. The music, though criticized initially,
was widely accepted after the movie released. The much hyped Kylie Minogue
presence could not save the movie though! Blue, still remains one of the
stylish compositions made by ARR!
3) Passage (English)
--> With 4 fantastic instrumentals, Passage album , again because of the weak
marketing, bore the brunt and was limited only to the hardcore Rahmaniacs!
4) Couples Retreat (English
--> Rahman Sir's first official full fledged hollywood movie raised his
standards further and the movie found its moderate success primarily because of
its stunning music. With this, ARR's long time dream to do a hollywood comedy
musical was fulfilled!!
So..that's it folks! Rahman became an undisputed emperor of Indian Music in
this entire decade. The future appears to be even more brighter for this
whizkid with many interesting projects lined up in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam,
Hindi and Hollywood ofcourse!
To Summarize, Rahman Sir is "The Man Of the Decade" of the Indian Film Music
Industry!!!! Salutations to you Sir!!
PS: If any missouts or corrections to be made..please put forward!
