A.R. Rahman is undoubtedly the leading name in Bollywood and Tamil film music today. Entering the Bollywood scene at a very young age from the world of advertising jingles, he grew into an internationally renowned composer, a movie song writer, a musician and a music director.

He was thrust into the limelight in 1992 when he won an Indian National Film Award for his first ever score for Roja. Since then, he has been awarded several of the major Indian national music prizes. Rahman followed his unprecedented early achievement, with many more winners - composing music for Bombay, Gentleman, Kadhalaan, Minsara Kanavu, Sapney, Dil Se, Saathiya and other movies.

Oxford educated Rahman’s “instantly hummable” and “lastingly satisfying” music is a blend of the classical and the modern, blues and funky techno-pop. Rahman has gained worldwide recognition through the newness of his musical expression that has changed the face of Indian film music.

”Melodic genius” was the unreserved compliment from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on A.R. Rahman and his music. Rahman’s recent achievement has been to create fresh, unconventional and vibrant music for Webber’s Broadway staged Bombay Dreams – a tribute to the Indian movie musical.

A.R. Rahman is also one of the most popular musicians in India today. He has been lauded as the one to have created a new dimension to Indian music.

His stirring and infectious songs have won him nationwide praise in India. A blend of the classical and the modern, his songs transcend language, religion and musical backgrounds to reach and touch all segments of his audiences. His, can be considered, the truly national sound of India today. “He knows the pulse of the public better than any other composer in India today”. His strength is the way he designs sound - he has revolutionised film music, says Hariharan, a singer of repute.

Renowned world artists including late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, with whom he performed a duet, have hailed A.R. Rahman as a musical genius. Rahman has worked with internationally reputed artists like Michael Jackson, Jean Michel Jarre, Vanessa Mae, Deep Forest, Apache Indian, Zakir Hussain, Dominic Miller, L.Shankar and David Byrne.

One leading Indian music director has said, “Rahman’s music is of the computer age. It is digital but intelligent, not just noise. He concentrates on his melody and has not deviated totally from his traditional sounds”.

Rahman’s ultimate goal is to promote “Indian music in the Western world”. His association with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber in creating the musical score for the Broadway staged Bombay Dreams has him well on his way to achieving this goal. Bombay Dreams – with its fresh, unconventional and vibrant music – is a joyful ride through the magic that is the Bollywood film industry and through the city of Mumbai itself.

He created music for the Chinese martial-arts drama Warriors of Heaven and Earth and is involved in composing music for the stage production of “Lord of The Rings” along with Finnish folk group, Varttina.

Despite being the most sought after music director in the intensely competitive Bollywood business, he comes across as an extremely reticent and humble individual and states, “Music speaks, statements don’t” and “Nobody can be completely original because the notes are already there. From the notes we form a raag and form a tune. It is a process.”

Rahman’s initiation into the world of films began while he was still a toddler tagging along with his father R.K. Sekhar, an assistant music director in Malayalam films. His musical journey began at the age of 11 when he joined the music troupe of Ilayaraja as a keyboard player. This experience enabled him to earn a scholarship to the famed Trinity College of Music at Oxford University from where he obtained a degree in western classical music.

A hidden talent and passion of Rahman’s is his singing. His first popular album ‘Vande Mataram’ showcased him as a singer. As a composer he has displayed his versatility with the varied melodies he has created. Recently Rahman composed music for Indian President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at Delhi to mark the occasion of Children’s Day.

After several chart-busting hits, many awards and an array of films in progress (for which he is scoring the music), there is little that Rahman needs to prove. In slightly over a decade, he has succeeded in redefining popular film music, mostly on his own terms. In his new avatar, he appeared in his first television campaign, endorsing Airtel’s prepaid magic card as its Brand Ambassador. He says “Just like Airtel, the concept of bridging emotions, distances and cultures is a concept that I try to reflect through my music as well”.