A R Rahman – Biography, Facts & Life Story
His Social Media Profiles
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Height, Weight & Physical Stats
| Body Measurements | 39-33-12 |
| Height | 5 feet 4 inches (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lbs) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Nickname | Isai Puyal and The Mozart of Madras |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 58 years old (in 2025) |
| Date of Birth | 6 January 1967 |
| Full Name | Allah Rakha Rahman |
| Profession | Music Director, Singer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Birthplace | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Religion | Islam |
| Published on | February 21, 2019 on 05:16 AM |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
A.R. Rahman is a renowned Indian music director, musician, composer, music producer and singer. He was born in Chennai, India on 6th January, 1967 as Dileep Kumar, he afterwards converted to Islam and came to know as Allah Rakha Rahman. His father, who predominantly worked as a conductor and composer died when A.R. Rahman was a kid owing to which A.R. Rahman had a childhood full of complexities. He joined troupe of eminent South Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja when he was only 11 years old.
He afterwards earned his graduation degree from Trinity College at Oxford University, with a major in Western classical music. Rahman’s lucky break came when he was approached by a famous music director to compose music for his film Roja in the year 1991. Roja’s music go ahead to create waves and ever since there was no looking back.
A.R. Rahman notched up numerous other megahits like Kadhalan, Bombay, Minsaara Kanavu, Indira, Swades, Muthu and Love Birds, Guru and Rang De Basanti. Rahman’s music was somewhat complex from the rest of pack. He made his appearance in Bollywood film industry with the movie Rangeela.
A.R. Rahman has worked with almost all the renowned directors both in South Indian film industry as well as in Bollywood. He has earned worldwide acclaim. In 2003, He composed a soundtrack for Chinese movie titled Warriors of Heaven and Earth. In 2002, legendary international composer Andrew Lloyd Webber appointed A.R. Rahman to compose music for his first stage production called Bombay Dreams.
KM Music, a special musical label of A.R Rahman was launched in the year 2006. Its first release was Sillunu Oru Kaadhal’s music recorded by Rahman himself. He has also been associated in numerous esteemed global projects just like Elizabeth: The Golden Age which was directed by Shekhar Kapoor in the year 2007. In 2008, A.R. Rahman also recorded the music for Slumdog Millionaire. This remarkable work procured him a Golden Globe and two Oscars. The music was immensely popular with Jai Ho crossing 15 number on US Billboard for Hot 100 and number 2 at Euro chart Hot for 100 Singles.
Over the years, A.R Rahman has been the receiver of numerous recognitions and awards. In the year 2010, he was bestowed with Padma Bhushan award, which is on 3rd number in the list of civilian awards convened by Indian government. In 2010, he also won Filmfare awards for the Best Music Director for his remarkable work in Delhi 6. The same movie also earned him Star Screen Award for the Best Music Director. His famous song Nana from the movie Couples Retreat was selected under the Best Original Song nomination in Academy Awards 2010.
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A.R. Rahman Education
Qualification: Degree in Western Classical Music
School: Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan, Chennai
College: Madras Christian College, Chennai
Trinity College of Music, Oxford University, United Kingdom
A.R. Rahman Career
Profession: Music Director, Singer
Debut:
Music Direction: Roja (1992, Tamil & Hindi)
Net Worth: $280 million
Family & Relatives
Father: R. K. Shekhar (Music Composer)
Mother: Kareema Beegum
Sister: A. R. Reihana, Fathima Rafiq and Ishrath Qadri
Marital Status: Married
Son: Ameen
Daughter: Khatija and Rahima
Facts You Never Knew About A.R. Rahman
- A.R Rahman was earlier recognized as A. S. Dileep Kumar prior he converted to Islam.
- A.R Rahman had a complex childhood as his father died when he was only 9 years old. He was the sole earner of his family. Firstly, he used to play his father’s instrument with the intention of earning money.
- He scored around 62% in his board examinations.
- Rahman always aspired to become a computer engineer.
- Pursuing the footsteps of his Dad, he started his early music training from Master Dhanraj.
- A.R Rahman’s first salary was only 50 (INR) for working on to a recording player.
- As a kid, he was seen in Doordarshan’s Wonder Balloon where he got popular for being the kid who could play 4 keyboards at once.
- A street in Markham, Ontario, Canada, has been named after him in his honour in November 2013.
- Rahman and his son, Ameen share the same birth date, that is 6th January!
- Apart from Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman has provided great scores for other Hollywood movies such as 127 Hours and the Lord Of War.
- In the Limca Book of Records 2007, Rahman holds “Indian of the Year for Contribution to Popular Music” Award.
- The Oscar-winning song “Jai Ho” was initially composed for the Salman Khan starrer- Yuvraaj.
- Despite all his international success, he still remains in touch with the South Indian film industry that he first took off from.
- He has won 4 national awards, 15 Filmfare awards and 14 Filmfare awards south, as of 2014. In fact, out of a total of 138 award nominations, he has won 117. He is also the first Asian to have won 2 Oscars in the same year!
- The French TV commercial for Volvic starring Zinedine Zidane in 2000 featured a sample from Rahman’s theme song for the movie Bombay.
- Airtel’s signature tune, composed by Rahman, is the world’s most downloaded mobile music with over 150 million downloads.
FAQs
Who is A.R. Rahman?
A.R. Rahman is an Indian music director, singer, born on 06 January, 1967 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
How old is A.R. Rahman?
A.R. Rahman is 58 years old as of February 2025.
How tall is A.R. Rahman?
A.R. Rahman is 5 feet 4 inches (1.65 m).
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