[Ch. 01] A Grieving Boy’s Symphony: How Dileep Kumar Became the Maestro A.R. Rahman

The interview which appears below, was originally published on Vikatan in January 2008. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. English translation credits go to Aravind A.M. from the A.R. Rahman Yahoo Fans Group. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.

In 1978, a 11 year old boy named Dileep hesitantly moves into a recording studio in Kodambakkam. Many masters are waiting for him. Arjunan master approaches him and says, “Come on Dileep, we’re waiting for you. There’s some problem with the synthesizers you brought. Could you please look into it?” Dileep starts to work on the problem in the synthesizer by dismantling the parts in a classy way.

After a few moments, it’s working fine. Arjunan master hugs Dileep and says, “You’re a brilliant boy.” Tears roll down from Dileep’s eyes, and Arjunan master also becomes emotional, saying, “Dileep, thinking of your dad? What can we do? It’s fate, this isn’t the age for him to pass away from all of us. It feels like your father is still with us.” Arjunan master gives some money to Dileep, which is intended for the purchase of music instruments like the Univox and Claviolin. With that money, Dileep buys chocolates and biscuits for his sisters and returns home, giving the remaining money to his mother.

On seeing him, Dileep’s mother wonders, “At such a young age, he carries the family on his shoulders. I send him to recording studios at a studying age,” worrying about her son. But upon seeing the visionary eyes of Dileep, she understands that he is on the right path. Dileep is not jovial at home.

Young Rahman’s Early Passion for Music and His Mother’s Support

His world revolves around musical instruments. His favorite activity is to dismantle and reassemble the parts of musical instruments in his room. He has no other hobbies or pastimes, such as going to the cinema or playing cricket, besides music. Dileep enters his room and starts playing a tune on the harmonium. It is “Bethlehemil Raavil,” composed by his father. Upon hearing her son play that tune, Dileep’s mother feels as if her husband is back.

Additionally, Dileep makes some modifications to the tune and plays it, causing his mother to be transported to another world. She comes and hugs her beloved son, shedding happy tears. “It’s lovely hearing you play, but I am a bit afraid too,” says Dileep’s mom. “Why are you afraid, my ma?” asks little Dileep.

“Your dad was such a talented person. He should have gone places. But this world didn’t understand him until the end. At such a young age, you have a lot of skills, I can see it. But I am afraid that the world will understand your talent or not,” says Dileep’s loving mom. The world did understand that child, and it was ready to welcome this musical genius with open arms. A glittering future for this kid was already constructed. At the young age of four, Dileep’s parents sent him to piano classes. He would soon leave his studies and study music with Dhanaraj Master. Dileep would go on to graduate from the London Trinidad Musical School and work with English bands in Chennai, such as Roots, Nemesis Avenue, and Magik.

In the coming years, Dileep will have the opportunity to be a keyboard player for MSV and Illayaraja, sometimes serving as a music assistant. His talent will bring him in contact with greats such as Vig Vinayak Ram, Kunnakudi Vaithiyanathan, and Zakir Hussain, and he will travel with them worldwide for musical tours. After that, he will compose jingles for over 300 advertisements. Under the name “Panchathan Record,” he will start his own recording studio, where he will meet Mani Ratnam and get the chance to compose for “Roja.” This musical will change the Indian style of music, and Dileep will receive a national award for his very first film. After some buzzing moments in his life, he will change his name from Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman, the musical maestro.

Kareema Begum’s Pride and Love for Her Musically Talented Son

The journey that started with “Roja” will eventually lead to the Oscars. All of these events seemed like a dream to Dileep. For Kareema Begum, Rahman’s mother, her heart moves whenever she thinks about these moments. “My son has been humble since he was young. He would always look into his father’s recording studio. His dad would proudly tell his neighbors that his son plays the harmonium. His father took him to Sudharsanam Master once,” says Dileep’s mom.

Dileep was four years old at the time. “Hey kid, you play the harmonium so well, is that right? Come on, play now,” asks Sudharsanan Master to Dileep. Without hesitation, Dileep starts to play. Sudharsanam Master is taken aback by the kid’s talent. He hides the harmonium chords with a cloth and asks Dileep to play, but Dileep plays it with ease, leaving everyone speechless. “His father was always surprised by the kid’s talents and told me that he would become a big icon one day. It still rings in my ears. Having realized this, we enrolled him in piano class. It all started from there, and now it stands at the Oscars,” remembers the proud mom of Rahman, Kareema. The Indian film industry has many musical geniuses.

All Indian music directors are unique and none of them lack talent. However, Rahman is called “First among equals” for many reasons. The Oscar award is just one of the milestones he has reached on his journey in the world of music. With his first film “Roja,” he introduced the genre of reggae into Tamil albums. After that, he firmly established the incorporation of western classical, Hindustani, Arabic, Sufi, Qawwali, jazz, Carnatic, ghazal, hip hop, rock, opera, blues, and African beats into his music.

No other Indian music director has collaborated with westerners as much as Rahman has. Some of the westerners with whom Rahman has worked include Michael Jackson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, PCD, Nusret Fateh Ali Khan, Adnan Sami, Dominick Miller, Akon, and Kylie Minogue. Famous Hollywood director Spike Lee used Rahman’s “Chaiyya Chaiyya” in his film “Inside Man.” In addition, Rahman has composed music for films such as “LOTR” and “WOHE.” In his 15 years of a musical journey, he has won four national awards, 25 Filmfare awards, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and two Oscars.

His continuous success can be attributed to his hard work, interest in new technologies and instruments, and the introduction of new singers. All of these qualities were also present in his father. Rahman says, “I am a small part of my dad’s vast musical knowledge, given to me by God. Whenever I think of him, tears roll down my eyes.”

“Without making any fuss, RK Sekhar churned out many hits in the Malayalam film industry. His history remains a light inside a pond,” says famous Malayalam writer, musical critic, and Rahman’s friend Shajji.

The Meeting that Led to Rahman’s Breakthrough Film Score: “Roja”

In 1992, Rahman constructed one of Asia’s best recording studios in his house, named “Panchatan.” Some of his hit jingles that season included those for Leo Coffee, Boost, Allwyn, Premium Pressure Cooker, MRF Tyres, The Hindu, and Asian Paints. Saradha Trilok, Ad producer of Leo Coffee, received an award for Rahman’s jingle. At the time, Maniratnam was searching for a new music director for his next film. Saradha Trilok introduced Rahman to Mani. Rahman asked Maniratnam to visit Panchatan studio if he had time, but Maniratnam forgot about the meeting. Six months later, he visited Panchatann studios.

Maniratnam did not expect such a high-tech studio and was surprised by its workings. After hearing Rahman’s jingles, he fell in love with them at once and decided on the spot that Rahman would be the next music director for his upcoming film. The rest, as they say, is history. Rahman earned a salary of 25,000 rupees for his first film “Roja,” which he used to make by creating jingles in just three hours.

“Money is not a big thing. I always wanted to work with Mani sir. He treated me like a brother and a friend. He selected the best from me, differing from the usual stuff. It made me realize who I am. I learned film music at Maniratnam University,” said Rahman. The Rahman-Mani combination is always a super hit.

For example, in 1998 during the economic crisis, Bollywood music sales were at an all-time low. Then came “Dil Se.” Within a week, two million records were sold out. In the next six months, six million records were sold out. It made its way into the UK top 10. This marked the beginning of Rahman’s journey on the world stage.

To date, he has sold 100 million CDs and 200 million cassettes. He is on the all-time top 25 list, having sold so many audio records.