A. R. Rahman Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Biography

A. R. Rahman Quick Info
Height	5 ft 5 in
Weight	70 kg
Date of Birth	January 6, 1967
Zodiac Sign	Capricorn
Spouse	Saira Banu

A. R. Rahman is an Indian songwriter, music director, and composer who is widely known across the globe for his contribution in the field of music. He began his career in the 1990s with the film Roja and has continued to mesmerize everyone with his music since then. He is one of the best selling record artists who has worked in Indian and International projects. Some of his most renowned films and albums are Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Vandemataram, Jodhaa Akbar, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, and many more. He began his career at a very young age while assisting his father at the studio and was also a school dropout. He initially began by composing scores for various ad films and documentaries. In 1992, he was approached by Mani Ratnam for composing the music for his film Roja. That year, Rahman also opened his own studio in his backyard which is now the most high-tech studio in the country called Panchathan Record Inn.

Rahman also collaborated with Sony Music in 1997 to commemorate India’s 50th Independence and created the album Vande Mataram which connected very well with the audience. In 2008, Rahman gained international recognition when he received the Oscar Award for Slumdog Millionaire. He has also won 2 Grammy Awards and BAFTA nominations. He has received doctorates from various universities like Trinity College of Music, Aligarh Muslim University, Anna University, Middlesex University, and the prestigious Berkley College of Music. Rahman is also involved in a lot of social work. In 2004, he was appointed as the global ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, a WHO project. To help the poor women in Chennai, he composed the music for the short film The Banyan in 2006. He also has an orchestra group that is called Sunshine Orchestra with India’s first symphony orchestra where economically and socially deprived children get free music education. His main aim is to generate more of western classical music in India. He has done more than 170 films and won several national and international awards. He has a huge social media following with more than 3 million followers on Instagram and more than 20 million followers on Twitter.

Born Name

A. S. Dileep Kumar

Nick Name

Isai Puyal, AR, Mozart of Madras

Sun Sign

Capricorn

Born Place

Madras, Tamil Nadu, India

Residence

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Nationality

Education

Rahman attended the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and later attended Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School from which he soon dropped out. He also received a scholarship from Trinity College of Music. Rahman completed his diploma in western classical music from Madras.

Occupation

Singer, Songwriter, Music Director

Family

Father – R. K. Shekhar (Film Score Composer)
Mother – Kareema
Siblings – A. R. Reihana (Older Sister) (Singer), Fathima (Younger Sister), Ishrath (Youngest Sister) (Owns a studio), Rahman (Brother) (Actor)
Others – G. V. Prakash Kumar (Nephew) (Composer)

Manager

A. R. Rahman is managed by Vijay.

Genres

Dance, Electronic, Filmi Music, Indian Classical, Carnatic Music, Sufi Music, World Music

Instruments

Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Harpejji, Continuum Fingerboard, Piano, Goblet Drum, Concert Harp

Labels

KM Music Conservatory
Sony Music India
Tips Music
T-Series

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 5 in or 165 cm

Weight

70 kg or 154.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

A. R. Rahman has dated –

Saira Banu (1995-Present) – Rahman and Saira got married in 1995. Saira was chosen for Rahman after Rahman’s mother spotted her at the mosque and found her to be the perfect one for him. He had 3 conditions that his wife should be beautiful, she should be educated, and full of humility and Saira had all those qualities. Hence, they got married when Rahman was 27 years old and Saira was 21 years old. They have always complemented each other on various occasions and also have 3 children together Khatija, Rahima, and Ameen.

Race / Ethnicity

Asian (Indian)

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Curly Hair

Brand Endorsements

Rahman has composed music and jingles for various ads. He has also featured in a few commercials for brands such as –

Apple (2018)

Cinthol (1993)

Leo Coffee

Asian Paints (1991)

Titan Watches

Premier Pressure Cooker

MRF Tyres

Airtel

Garden Sarees

Hero MotoCorp

Renault

Religion

Islam

Best Known For

Integrating Indian classical music with other forms like electronic music and traditional forms
Winning 2 Academy Awards in the category of “Best Original Score” and “Best Original Song” for the film Slumdog Millionaire

First Album

His first album titled Disco Disco was released in 1987.

First Film

As an Actor

He made his theatrical film debut as “Himself” in Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000. However, he was uncredited for his role.

As a Film Scorer

His first theatrical film as a scorer was in the Tamil film Roja (1992).

As a Playback Singer

His first song was Chinna Chinna Aasai for the 1992 film Roja.

As a Lyricist

Nenjae Ezhu was his first song as a lyricist for the film Maryan (2013).

As a Director

He made his theatrical film debut as a director in Le Musk in 2017.

First TV Show

He made his TV show debut as “Himself” on Omnibus in 2002.

Personal Trainer

Rahman is not into the conventional form of fitness. He sleeps late in the night due to his work but the first thing he does in the morning is to pray to god and meditate. He is more involved in mental fitness.

A. R. Rahman Favorite Things

Sport – Cricket
Food – Fish, Vegetables, Home Cooked Food, Rasam rice
Hobbies – Collecting cameras, clicking pictures,
Musicians – Freddie Mercury, Queen, Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach
Composition – Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Accham Yenbathu Madamaiyada

Source – The Quint, KurrentMusic.com

A. R. Rahman Facts

He is called the John Williams of the Indian music industry.

His father died when he was just 9 years old.

He collaborated with the Finnish folk-music band Värttinä on the music of The Lord of the Rings.

Romantic music is his favorite genre.

He got popular for playing 4 keyboards at once on a Doordarshan show.

Before pursuing his career in the music industry, he wanted to be a computer engineer.

In November 2013, a street was named after him in Canada.

Rahman and his son share the same birth date.

His first salary was Rs. 50.

He has given songs for Hollywood films like 127 Hours and Couples Retreat.

He was featured in the 2007 Limca Book Of World Records in the “Indian of the Year for Contribution to Popular Music” category.

The keyboard that he played as a child is still installed at his studio in Chennai.

Despite getting Hollywood films, he still remains in constant touch with the South film industry.

In the year 2011, he was awarded GQ’s “Legend Of the Year” award.

His music for the 2001 film Lagaan was listed in “The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time”.

In 2009, he was included in the list of “World’s Most Influential People” compiled by Time magazine.

He converted from Hinduism to Islam in 1989 and officially changed his name to Allahrakka Rahman (A. R. Rahman).

A. R. Rahman launched his own music label in 2006 called KM Music.

He likes to work during the night since there is no disturbance.

His daughter Khatija Rahman got married to audio engineer and aspiring entrepreneur, Riyasdeen Shaik Mohamed in May 2022. They had gotten engaged in December 2021.

In August 2023, Rahman collaborated with Mahindra Electric Automobiles to launch a new brand anthem titled Le Chalaang.

In December 2023, he was seen getting involved in a Krishna Kirtan at his Dubai home.

Featured Image by Bollywood Hungama / www.bollywoodhungama.com / CC BY-3.0

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Tisa Delillo

Update: 2024-06-13

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