Bio
Real Name	A. S. Dileep Kumar
Full Name	Allah Rakha Rahman
Nickname(s)	Isai Puyal, The Mozart of Madras
Profession(s)	Music Director, Singer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 5”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	6 January 1967
Age (as of 2021)	54 Years
Birthplace	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
School	Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan, Chennai
College	Madras Christian College, Chennai Trinity College of Music, Oxford University, United Kingdom
Educational Qualification	Degree in Western Classical Music
Debut	Music Director: Roja (1992, Tamil & Hindi) Album: Vande Mataram (1997)
Family	Father– R. K. Shekhar (Music Composer) Mother– Kareema Beegum Brother– None Sisters– A. R. Reihana, Fathima Rafiq and Ishrath Qadri
Religion	Islam (converted from Hinduism)
Address	Kodambakkam, Chennai
Hobbies	Playing the Keyboard
Awards, Honours	National Film Award 1992– Best Music Direction – Roja 1996– Best Music Direction – Minsara Kanavu 2001– Best Music Direction – Lagaan 2002– Best Music Direction – Kannathil Muthamittal 2017– Best Music Direction – Kaatru Veliyidai 2017– Best Music Direction – Mom Academy Award 2009– Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Jai Ho” – Slumdog Millionaire BAFTA Award 2009– Best Film Music – Slumdog Millionaire Grammy Award 2009– Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for “Jai Ho” – Slumdog Millionaire Honors 1995– Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu 2000– Padma Shri by the Government of India 2001– Awadh Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh 2004– National Lata Mangeshkar Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh 2010– Padma Bhushan by the Government of India
Controversies	A fatwa or fringe was issued against him for composing music for a biopic on Prophet Muhammad, called “Muhammad: The Messenger of God.”
Favorite Things
Food	Palak Paneer, Rasam-Rice
Musician(s)	Ilayaraja, Mohammad Rafi, Michael Jackson
Destination(s)	Chennai, Mumbai, London
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Wife/Spouse	Saira Banu
Children	Daughter– Khatija, Rahima Son– Ameen
Money Factor
Salary (approx.)	Rs. 5-8 crore/film
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 163 crore

Some Lesser Known Facts About A. R. Rahman

• Does A. R. Rahman smoke?: No

• Does A. R. Rahman alcohol?: No

• Rahman was known earlier known as A. S. Dileep Kumar before he converted from Hinduism to Islam.

• He had a difficult childhood as his father died when he was 9 years old, leaving him as the sole earning source of his family. Initially, he used to play his father’s keyboard to earn money.

  

  A. R. Rahman’s Childhood Photo

• He scored 62% in his board exams.

• He aspired to be a computer engineer.

• Following the footsteps of his father, he incepted his early training in music from Master Dhanraj.

• His first salary was 50 (INR) for operating a record player.

• From 1984-88, he was part of the band called Roots”. During this period, he also played the keyboard for 10 – 12 Kannada films.

  

  A. R. Rahman – Roots Band

• Later, he became part of a rock band called “Nemesis Avenue”, where he worked as a producer-arranger and also performed for a concert ‘Jive live’.

  

  A. R. Rahman – Nemesis Avenue Band

• In 1987, he started composing short songs for ad commercials, first among them was Alwyn’s new Trendy range of watches. And, in the span of 5 years, he composed around 300 of them.

• In 1989, he and his family converted to Islam from Hinduism after his sister felt magical relief out of her severe illness from the blessings of a Pir Qadri called Sheik Abdul Qadir Jeelani.

• In 1991, he met a producer, Sharada Trilok, who introduced him to her cousin, Mani Ratnam who got so much impressed with his performance, that he gave him a breakthrough in the film Roja (1992). In 2005, the same song was listed among TIME’s “10 Best Soundtracks” of all time.

• Very few people know that the first film for which he composed music was Mohanlal starer Yodha (1992), a Malayalam film.

• By 2004, he was among the world’s all-time top-selling recording artists, as till then, he sold almost 200 million cassettes and 150 million recordings of his soundtracks.

• Though he loves to compose music of all genders, but romantic is his favorite.

• In 2008, he founded KM College of Music and Technology in Chennai, which was inaugurated by Mukesh Ambani.

  

  A. R. Rahman KM College Of Music And Technology Inaugurated By Mukesh Ambani

• His Oscar Award-winning song “Jai Ho” was initially composed for the Bollywood film Yuvvraaj (2008), but it later became a part of Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

• In 2012, he had received a Christmas card and a dinner invitation from Barack Obama, the then President of the United States at the White House.

• He shares his birthday (6 January) with his son, Ameen.

• He is a global ambassador of the WHO’s “Stop TB Partnership” and also supports “Save the Child” in India.

• In 2013, a street was named in his honor in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

  

  A. R. Rahman Street in Canada

• Unlike other musicians, he likes composing music at night.

• His favorite raaga is ‘Sindhu Bhairavi’.

• Along with filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, he has launched a social media platform called “Qyuki”, to showcase the raw talent in India.

  

  A. R. Rahman And Shekhar Kapoor

• On 20 January 2017, he along with members of the Nadigar Sangam observed a one-day fast to support the people of Tamil Nadu protesting against the ban on Jallikattu ( a bull-taming event).

  

  A. R. Rahman Tweet For Jallikattu

• In January 2018, he became the first-ever brand ambassador of Sikkim.

  

  A. R. Rahman in Sikkim