Happy Birthday, A.R. Rahman! Some Lesser-Known Facts About The Legend

Mozart Of Madras

Allah Rakha Rahman is more than just a name for his millions of followers. As the music maestro turns 51 today, here are some lesser-known facts about the legend.

Faith

Rahman was born Dileep Kumar, into a Hindu family. The music composer went on to embrace Islam at the age of 23, after he met his spiritual guru, Qadri Islam.

Throwback

Rahman originally wanted to become an engineer, before taking a liking for a keyboard gifted by his father and turning to music.

Here: A.R. Rahman as an 18-year-old with members of the band 'Roots and Magic', with whom he performed once at the Music Academy. (From Left) Dheena, A Sivamani, AR Rahman, John Anthony, the late Jojo.

Isai Puyal

Rahman made his feature film debut with Mani Ratnam's 'Roja'. He went on to win his first National Award for the film. The win created history as never before had the award been given to a first-time film composer.

Isai Puyal, another name given to Rahman, roughly translates into 'A musical cyclone'.

Here: AR Rahman with Mani Ratnam (l) during the making of 'Roja'.

The Man, The Enigma

Rahman, who initially thought music was a means to make ends meet after the demise of his father, went on to create some of the finest tunes of our time. His talent was evident from the start, when as a kid, he played four keyboards at once on Doordarshan’s 'Wonder Balloon'.

Family First

Rahman tied the knot with Saira Banu in 1995. The couple have three children – Khatija, Rahima and Ameen. The music legend shares his birthday with his son Ameen.

The Legend

Rahman is the first Asian to have won 2 Oscars in the same year. He also has two Grammy Awards to his credit for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri recipient has also won 4 National Awards.

Even a street in Ontario, Canada, has been named in his honour.