Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Rahmaniac.com is a dedicated fan site for A.R. Rahman, the world-renowned Indian composer, and musician. The site features news, interviews, music reviews, and more about A.R. Rahman’s work and contributions to the music industry.

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A.R. Rahman is an acclaimed Indian composer, singer, and music producer known for his work in film and theater. He has won numerous awards, including Oscars, Grammys, and a BAFTA, and is known for his innovative and eclectic musical style.

A.R. Rahman began his music career in the early 1990s, with his breakthrough coming from the soundtrack of the film “Roja” in 1992. This success established him as a leading composer in Indian cinema.

A.R. Rahman has won numerous prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and several Indian National Film Awards. He is also known for his contributions to various international and Indian film soundtracks.

Some of A.R. Rahman’s famous soundtracks include “Roja,” “Bombay,” “Dil Se,” “Taal,” “Lagaan,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” and “Rockstar.” These works have been critically acclaimed and beloved by audiences worldwide.

A.R. Rahman’s favorite background score is his music for the movie Iruvar (1997) by Mani Ratnam.

A.R. Rahman lives in Madras (officially renamed Chennai), India, and has stayed there aside from studying Western classical music at Oxford. 

A.R. Rahman's first film with Mani Ratnam was "Roja," produced by K. Balachander's Kavithalayaa banner. The film's music was a phenomenal success and revolutionized modern Indian film music.

A.R. Rahman collaborates closely with the director to understand the film’s setting, time period, and emotional context. He then composes music that serves the film’s narrative while incorporating innovative and contemporary elements.

A.R. Rahman adds layers to his music to create a palette of sounds that captivate listeners. While he loves melody, he believes that layering adds texture and helps hold the listener’s attention, especially for those who may not enjoy pure melody.

The “Rahman sound” is characterized by its ability to blend different musical styles and surprise listeners with its unique progressions. It is a reflection of A.R. Rahman’s personality and emotions, making his music instantly recognizable.

A.R. Rahman strives to turn musical tastes in new directions and avoid predictability. He enjoys being challenged and believes that pushing boundaries keeps him alert and creative in his work.

A.R. Rahman believes that a song should come to you naturally, like a breeze. He emphasizes that the process should be organic and effortless, much like the gentle rustling of coconut tree leaves in the wind.

A.R. Rahman believes in layering music because it reflects the multi-layered nature of human emotions and helps fully occupy the listener’s mind, making the music more engaging.

A.R. Rahman finds it challenging to define his musical style as it often changes direction, tempo, and speed within a single song. He believes that his music reflects his emotions and personality, creating a distinctive and recognizable sound.

A.R. Rahman is influenced by a diverse range of musicians, including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Peter Gabriel, Vangelis, John Williams, Craig Armstrong, and Hans Zimmer. These influences help shape his eclectic and innovative musical style.

A.R. Rahman is particularly interested in the story and script of a film. He believes that understanding the narrative context and the emotions of the characters is crucial for composing music that enhances the film’s overall impact.

A.R. Rahman observes that musical taste in India is very broad and influenced by various cultural factors. While some audiences still enjoy traditional Carnatic music, others prefer experimental and modern sounds. Fusion music has also become popular, reflecting a blend of different musical styles.

A.R. Rahman described Mani Ratnam as a mentor and brother, stating that he was blessed to be picked by Ratnam, who encouraged him and provided a unique learning experience akin to studying in a university of music.

A.R. Rahman's music gave Indian film music a trendy legitimacy, making it popular among the youth who previously preferred Western music. His songs like "Humma Humma," "Muqabla Muqabla," "Musthafa Musthafa," and "Chaiyya Chaiyya" became hits at pubs, clubs, and discos.

• Gangai Amaran (South-Indian composer-singer and brother of Ilaiyaraja): “Rahman’s music is of the computer age. It is digital but intelligent, not just noise. He concentrates on his melodies and has not totally deviated from Carnatic traditions.”
• Gulzar (Noted director and lyricist): “He is a milestone in Hindi film music. He has single-handedly changed the sound of music in the movies. He has broken the mukhda-antara-mukhda scheme of composition and replaced the traditional patterns of tuning.”
• Ranjit Barot (Composer and close friend): “Rahman’s USP is his ability to combine slickness with melody. The songs from Roja still haunt me. Few can make a successful transition from doing 30-sec jingles to 5 min songs. He’s a genius.”
• Subhash Ghai (Bollywood movie mogul): “Rahman is the biggest representative of Indian music. He is an example for future generations. He is the best fusion of art and science in music.”
• Ramgopal Varma (Director): “It is a challenge to picturise songs set to Rahman’s music.”
• Nadeem-Shravan (Composers): “The most amazing quality about Rahman is that he has been able to create a ‘national sound’ which in spite of his strong south-Indian feel appeals to a pan-Indian audience.”
• Jatin-Lalit (Composers): “He totally changed the sound of Indian film music.”
• Ustad Zakir Hussain (Internationally acclaimed Indian Tabalchi): “He was barely 19 years old then but had mastered many different styles of music. He knows the public pulse and has given the public a very intelligent combination package.”
• Lata Mangeshkar (Singer, ‘Nightingale of India’): “Rahman records mostly in the night. But he made an exception for me. Rahman doesn’t take long over his recordings. Jiya jale was recorded in 40 minutes.”
• P. Unnikrishnan (Classical turned film singer): “The most wonderful thing is that today ARR is the most sought after Music Director in the whole country but as a person he has not changed and even today he is the same calm, composed, humble, committed, unperturbed ARR.”
• Harris Jayaraj (Composer): “If you single out A.R.Rahman, I can quote his relentless labour, high enthusiasm, and commitment to the tasks at hand. He would never compromise on the quality of a song.”
• Srinivas (Singer): “He’s totally absorbed in his music and there’s nothing else that affects him. For him music is God. And he gets the best out of a singer.”
• Vairamuthu (Lyricist): “A.R.Rahman is not a normal music director. He has some God-given gift in him. He is always confident that if a number is composed with a good heart and self-confidence it will be a big hit.”
• Vaali (Veteran lyricist): “His talent, energy, enthusiasm is a lesson to all youngsters. He is always experimenting and is always open to new ideas.”
• Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist): “Rahman has a good understanding of both Western and Indian classical music. I find Rahman very innovative, and wouldn’t mind doing more films with him.”
• Vishal Dadlani (Upcoming composer): “I’ve listened to the music of Dil Se.. a hundred times and, each time, I learn something new. It is like an encyclopedia on production.”
• Suresh Krissna (Director): “Rahman composes and mixes the voice with a basic rhythm track. Then he goes on adding the music making innovations, inclusions and improvisations till the very last minute.”
• Ilayakamban (Lyricist): “His musical ability to confine the whole world’s air in his flute; his glowing inner peace; the simplicity of a mother is what I saw in him.”
• Harini (Singer discovered by Rahman): “The best part about singing for Rahman is the freedom he gives the singer.”
• Roopkumar Rathod (Singer): “A R Rahman is a wonderful, humble person to work with. A complete workaholic and very involved with his music.”
• Abhijeet (Singer): “It is every singer’s dream to work with A R Rahman because he makes you feel like God.”
• Shankar (Director): “He knows what clicks and what does not. He composes music according to the demand of the situation. He slogs so much to see that a song is good.”
• Jeremy Spencer (World famous guitarist): “The only contemporary Indian composer I know of and like is A.R.Rahman. His ‘Vandemataram’ was brilliant.”
• Mehboob (Lyricist): “If there is one person whom I revere after God, our prophet, and my family then it is Mr. AR Rahman.”
• Shyam Benegal (Veteran director): “Among the young composers he probably is the most original. He has a strong sense of melody and his harmony is unbeatable.”
• Loy Mendonsa: “Rahman is a great musician, a great human being, his music is fresh, and honest.”
• Ehsaan Noorani: “A R Rahman is my favorite, he’s a genius, his personality reflects in his music.”
• Shankar Mahadevan: “A R Rahman is my favorite because he’s a genius, he knows exactly what he’s doing.”
• Bharathiraaja (Director): “There is something in his music that intoxicates you. You work with him once and you will never want to work with anyone else after that.”
• Chitra (Veteran singer): “He is the only Indian composer whose stuff stands out.”
• Rajeev Menon (Director): “He’ll remain my only choice and preference. He’s part of my family.”
• Yesudas (Acclaimed singer): “He is a genius musician knowing the psychology of youth.”
• Manna Dey (Veteran singer): “I do admire A.R.Rahman, for he is a master of rhythm. He is extremely experimental, and leaves no stone unturned in trying out new things.”
• Vishal Bharadwaj (Composer): “A. R. Rahman has elevated the quality of film music to an international level.”
• Suresh Peters (Old friend and singer): “Rahman’s sense of arrangement is amazing. He is aware of all the latest in sound techniques.”
• Pravin Mani (Independent composer and rhythm programmer): “Rahman is the greatest person I have ever seen in my life. He is really a humble person.”
• Kavita Krishnamurthy (Singer): “It’s such a pleasure to sing for A. R. Rahman. He’s such a simple guy. He has no ego hang-ups.”
• Sadhana Sargam (Singer): “He’s a reserved person and talks very little but he makes you give your best.”
• Asha Bhonsle (Veteran singer): “He understands the youth of today, he has brought about a freshness, a new sound to film music.”
• Shankar Mahadevan (Singer-Composer):
  “I think A.R.Rahman is an absolute genius and is one of the few music directors who completely knows what he is doing.”
• Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod maestro):
  “Wonderful! He has a new approach, he has given a new direction to film music.”
• S. P. Balasubramanium (Veteran singer):
  “The man responsible for the variety in today’s music is A. R. Rahman.”
• Hema Sardesai (Singer):
  “God has been great! He came into my life as Rahman sir.”
• Sukhvinder Singh (Singer):
  “A R Rahman not only gave me the break (in Dil Se), he taught me a lot of techniques in composing music arrangement and recording.”
• Anand-Milind (Composers):
  “He is the only composer to have brought in something new all by himself in a long long time.”
• Sivamani (Drummer):
  “Rahman changed it all. He gives credit to every single member of his team for whatever part they play, big or small.”
• Javed Akhtar (Noted lyricist):
  “Rahman has given a new dimension and understanding to sound. Working with him is definitely a great pleasure.”
• Sandeep Chowta (Composer and former Rahman associate):
  “Rahman revolutionised sound. He’s a trend-setter in more ways than one.”
• Bhupen Hazarika (Legendary Assamese composer):
  “People become immediately entranced by whatever Rahman composes. He is a phenomenon.”
• Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (Renowned composer of musicals):
  “He keeps it very much Indian. For me as a Westerner, I can always recognize his music because it has got a rule tone of voice of its own.”
• Chinni Prakash (Choreographer):
  “It’s challenging to choreograph Rahman’s songs. He’s unpredictable.”
• Ramgopal Varma (Director):
  “There is a bigness in Rahman’s music. Every note reflects the mood of the song.”
• Douchan Gersi (International director):
  “His music has that international quality which is absolutely stunning.”
• Jayanth Deshpande (Pune-based music critic):
  “His is a truly international music with a distinctly Indian feel.”
• Govind Nihalani (Director):
  “A. R. Rahman is the only composer in India up to international standards today.”
• Subhash Ghai (Director):
  “Rahman is the rhythm of ‘Taal – The Rhythm’. He creates according to the director’s need.”
• Hariharan (Singer):
  “His strength is the way he designs sound. He has revolutionised film music.”
• Deepa Mehta (Indian-born Canadian director):
  “Brilliant, I think he is the most consummate composer that I know of in the world.”
• Alka Yagnik (Singer):
  “He’s a one-man-show. Once he’s taught you the song, he gives you a free hand.”
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Noted Qawwal):
  “The young boy Rahman is the only person with humility in this entire industry.”
• Ismail Darbar (Composer):
  “His work speaks volumes. There’s no one like him.”
• Anu Malik (Composer):
  “A.R. has taught me the value and meaning of sound in my recording and thanks to him, today I am my own arranger.”
• H. Sridhar (Sound engineer and long-time friend):
  “Rahman’s biggest asset is that he treats each song as his first song.”
• Karan Johar (Director):
  “The only music composer from the current lot who will be remembered for a long time is A.R.Rahman.”
• Apache Indian (British-based international chart star):
  “He’s very talented as a songwriter and singer.”
• Mani Ratnam (Director and mentor):
  “He has the music in his mind, and uses every musician as an artiste. He tries to extract something extra from every one of his musicians.”
• Rajeev Menon (Cinematographer-director):
  “Music comes to him instinctively. When you see him play, his skill is such that you really believe God exists in his work.”
• The Times of India (Leading Indian newspaper):
  “What is most attractive about Rahman’s music is his ability to link modern rhythms and experiments with sound with our enormous legacy of classical and folk music.”
• India Today (Leading Indian news magazine):
  “When A.R. Rahman takes you on a journey, you feel you have no choice but to journey with him.”
• Femina (Leading women’s magazine):
  “Men we’ll still want to see around in 2009: A.R. Rahman.” 

A.R. Rahman feels that music, unlike films, doesn’t come with any baggage. Music can trigger various emotions and imagery in listeners, while in a film, music is defined by the scenes it accompanies. This difference allows music to have a limitless imaginative quality.

A.R. Rahman’s approach to composition was influenced by his early limitations. Working from his home studio, he used whatever was available to him, which led to his style of layering music. This necessity-driven approach became a distinctive part of his music.

A.R. Rahman balances craft and intuition by working to a brief and allowing the music to come to him naturally. He avoids toiling endlessly and prefers to return to his work after a break to maintain creativity.

Indian film composers face the challenge of creating music that matches the diverse moods of Indian cinema, which often includes multiple genres within a single film. They must be versatile and capable of composing various types of music, from popular songs to symphonic scores.

Recording technology has significantly improved A.R. Rahman’s work. It was technically difficult to create new sounds in the early days, but now with digital recording, he can layer multiple tracks and easily edit and mix them together.

A.R. Rahman believes that while recording technology makes the process of creating music faster, it doesn’t necessarily make it better. He thinks that technology can sometimes lead to less passionate music because it’s easy to delete and re-record mistakes.

A.R. Rahman compares music composition to photography, where digital technology can make the process faster but not necessarily better. He recalls a photographer in Brussels taking his time with film, whereas with a digital camera, the process would have been much quicker but less thoughtful.

A.R. Rahman heavily relies on Apple computers for his music production, building songs on loops and synthbeats and recording directly to an Apple hard drive. 

A.R. Rahman's music is hailed for its immaculate sound engineering and digital-age production techniques, making it stand out in the music industry.

Yes, A.R. Rahman often composes music purely for his own enjoyment. He finds it liberating to create music without the constraints of a film’s requirements, allowing his creativity to flow freely and produce unique and pure compositions.

In Swades, A.R. Rahman’s background music matched the visuals and suggested the character’s emotions. When the hero is in America, Indian music strains remind him of his homeland, intensifying his desire to return to his roots.

A.R. Rahman’s approach to composition was influenced by his early limitations. Working from his home studio, he used whatever was available to him, which led to his style of layering music. This necessity-driven approach became a distinctive part of his music.

A.R. Rahman considers his favorite musicians like family. This includes percussionists like Sivamani and Raja, flutist Naveen Kumar, bass guitarist Keith Peters, and many others from Chennai and Mumbai.

A.R. Rahman is still learning to play musical instruments. He started with a small synthesizer, then learned the pedal organ and keyboards before finally learning Western classical piano.