A. R. Rahman Age, Wife, Family, Children, Biography & More
Quick Info→
Hometown: Chennai
Wife: Saira Banu
Age: 54 Years
| 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 in 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 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 Honours 1995– Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu |
| Controversies | A fatwa or fringe was issued against him for composing music of biopic on Prophet Muhammad, called “Muhammad: The Messenger of God.” |
| Favourite 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 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 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 starrer 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 honour in Markham, Ontario, Canada.
A. R. Rahman Street in Canada
- Unlike other musicians, he likes composing music at night.
- His favourite 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
