A.R. Rahman

Allah Rakha Rahman ( Born on January 6, 1967 as A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) is a two time Academy Award winning Indian film music composer, based out of Chennai, India. To date he has sold over 250 million albums worldwide making him one of the biggest selling artists of the last two decades. Rahman began his career composing ad jingles for brands like Leo Coffee, Allwyn Trendy watches and Asian Paints in the 80s. He made his debut in Mani Ratnam's National Award-winning Tamil film, Roja (Rose), in 1992, which was subsequently dubbed into many languages. The pan-Indian success of the music of Roja was followed by a string of equally-successful Tamil soundtracks, like Gentleman, Kaadhalan and Duet, all of which established Rahman's ability to churn out chart-topping numbers that melded Carnatic classical influences and Tamil folk music with sonic flourishes and world beats. Rahman broke into the Hindi film industry with Ram Gopal Verma's Rangeela (1995). On the 50th anniversary of India's independence, he released Vande Mataram, a patriotic non-film album. The video of the title song Ma Tujhe Salaam, directed by Bharat Bala made it a source of pride, inspiration and patriotic fervour in India. Rahman's work with mainstream director Subhash Ghai on the music of Taal (1999) is another landmark in his career, showcasing his ability to adapt North Indian folk and classical sounds into his music. Over the course of his career, Rahman has had a track record of successful collaborations with respected directors in the Bombay and Madras film industry, including Ashutosh Gowarikar - for whom he composed Lagaan, nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2001, Swades (2005), and Jodha Akbar (2008); Shankar (Gentleman, Sivaji, Mudhalvan ), Rakeysh Mehra ( Rang De Basanti, Delhi 6), and Mani Ratnam (Thiruda Thiruda, Dil Se, Bombay). He is also co-ambassador for cellphone service provider Airtel and satellite radio company Worldspace Asia and has composed signature tunes for both companies. A.R Rahman in the West: His recent works Include "Bombay Dreams" with Andrew Lloyd Weber, a Mandarin movie, "Between Heaven and Earth" and the 8 time oscar award winning movie, "Slumdog Millionaire". The movie "Inside Man" opens with the Hindi song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" composed by A.R.Rahman for the film "Dil Se". The music of A.R. Rahman also featured in the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, which was released at the end of 2008. The score won multiple awards, including the Golden Globe award for best music, the Academy Award for the Best Score and, along with lyricist Gulzar, the Best Song category for the song 'Jai Ho'. 'Jai Ho' has recently been remixed by the Pussycat Dolls and producer Ron Fair, with additional English lyrics and a different key signature . It was released as 'Jai Ho! ( You are my Destiny)', the first single from Doll Domination 2.0.