Hey i got his from the web.
The name A.R.Rahman or Allah Rakha Rahman suggests melody and need no
introduction. This is the man who redefined contemporary Indian music
to appeal to the younger generation. Today, his very name is a
'guarantee' of good music and is a source of inspiration to millions.
It was in the year 1991 when it all began. Mani Ratnam, one of India's
best-known directors was in search of a new music composer for his
films. At an awards function for excellence in the field of
advertising, he met Rahman after he bagged the award for the best ad
jingle in Sharada Trilok's advertisement for Leo Coffee. Sharada
introduced the young composer to her cousin, Mani Ratnam who was so
impressed that he signed him for K. Balachander's 1992 film Roja, six
months later. The film was directed by Mani Ratnam and featured Madhoo
and then debutant Arvind Swamy. At last, Rahman's talent and caliber
came to the notice of the entire world. The song 'Tamizha Tamizha' in
the film became a rage. The colourful fusion of pop, Bach, Beethoven,
Mozart, reggae, rock, and classical Indian music (Carnatic) won him
three awards for Best Music Director. A.R Rahman's music is greatly
influenced by Sufi mysticism.
It is interesting to note how this great music composer came up in
life, considering his humble beginnings. A.S. Dileep Kumar or A.R.
Rahman as we know today was born on January 6 1966, in Madras.
Rahman's father, K.A. Sekhar was a successful musician, arranger and
conductor in Malayalam movies and had worked with popular figures like
Salil Chowdhary and Devarajan. Under this background, AR Rahman began
learning the piano at the age of four. But life was not all that
hunky-dory for the young boy who lost his father at the age of nine.
The responsibility of supporting his mother Kasturi (Kareema Begum)
and three sisters (Kanchana, Bala - now Talat and Israth), soon fell
on his young shoulders. At the age of eleven, Dileep joined
Illaiyaraja's troupe as a keyboard player and a session musician on
soundtracks. All this was casting an adverse effect on Rahman's
education. Lack of attendance and indifference on the part of the
management forced him to shift from the prestigious Padma Seshadri Bal
Bhavan to the Madras Christian College. However, he finally dropped
out of school at the age of 16.
He then roamed the world with various orchestras including renowned
Zakir Husain. His experience and exposure helped him earn a
scholarship and obtain a degree in Western Classical Music from
Trinity College of Music, Oxford University.
It was sometime in 1987 that Rahman ventured into composing jingles
for television commercials, the first one being for Allwyn's new
trendy range of watches. He composed more than 300 jingles in a matter
of five years apart from his first album of Muslim devotional songs
titled 'Deen Isai Malai' and the English album, 'Set Me Free'.
However, that failed to make an impact in the market. Few of the
popular ads that he did included Parry's, Leo Coffee, Boost showcasing
Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev, Titan, Premier Pressure Cooker, Hero
Puch and Asian Paints. The small studio called Panchathan Record Inn
that he began is one of India's most well equipped and advanced
recording studios today. Also, Rahman began a collection of sound
samples - The most comprehensive sonic libraries in Asia.
A lot has been talked about Rahman's conversion to Islam. In fact the
quiet music composer even received a lot of flak for the same. It was
in the year 1989 that Dileep Kumar and his family converted into
Islam. It wasn't a very difficult decision to make as his mother
Kareema Begum belonged to a Muslim family. Also, in 1988, one of his
sisters fell seriously ill and in spite of the family's effort to cure
her, her health deteriorated by the day. They happened to meet a
Muslim Pir - Sheik Abdul Qadir Jeelani or Pir Qadri. His prayers and
blessings did wonder for his sister who made a miraculous comeback to
life. Thus began the journey of A.S.Dileep Kumar to A.R. Rahman.
Life after Roja was very predictable for the young composer. He
composed music for six films in 1993 and nine in 1994 including
Maniratnam's Bombay (1995), starring Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy
in the lead role. The film was a huge success as the soundtrack for
Bombay crossed 5 million units with sales of more than 40 million
albums in 3 years. The theme of the movie was featured on Talvin
Singh's 'Soundz' of the Asian Underground compilation.
Sony Music signed AR Rahman (He was the first Indian artist to sign
with Sony Music) for a three-year contract in 1997. The first song he
sang was 'Vande Mataram', celebrating 50 years of India's
independence. AR Rahman soon became a name known in the international
scenario having worked with the likes of David Byrne, Michael Jackson
and Andrew Webber Lloyd for his album 'Bombay Dreams'.
The regional films that he composed music for include Thiruda Thiruda
(1993), Pudhiya Mannargal (1993),
