With his mop of curls, T-shirt and jeans, he looks like a teenage college student, but his first film score, Roja, fetched him the National Film Award, in 1992, and thrust him into the limelight. In the five years since Roja, he has created music for blockbuster Indian films, including Pudhiya Mugam, Gentleman, Kizhaku Seemaiyilae, Duet, Kadalan, Bombay, May, Madham, Indian, Muthu, Kadhal Desam and Love Birds. His 1995 soundtrack for Bombay crossed 5 million units and Rahman arrived as the “King of Indian Pop" with sales of more than 40 million albums over a period of 3 years.
Allah Rakha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras, to a musically affluent family. Dileep started learning the piano at the tender age of four. But at the age of nine, his father passed away. The pressure of supporting his family fell on Dileep. At the age of 11, he joined Illaiyaraja's troupe as a keyboard player. All this had an adverse affect on his education, and finally he dropped out of school altogether.
Eventually, he played with various orchestras, and accompanied Zakir Hussain on world tours. All this experience enabled him to earn a scholarship to the famed Trinity College of Music at Oxford University from where he obtained a degree in Western Classical Music.
After he returned, he continued to be a part of various music troupes and local rock bands. Rahman branched out into advertising in 1987, when he was asked to compose a jingle to promote a range of watches. The ads were a success, and over the next five years, Rahman would compose more than 300 jingles. He also released his first album, of Muslim devotional songs, titled Deen Isai Malai and the English album, Set Me Free. Both went unnoticed in the market.
In 1989, he started a small studio of his own, called Panchathan Record Inn, attached to his house. This would later develop into one of India's most well equipped and advanced recording studios. In his established state of the art sound and recording studio he began experimenting in sound engineering, design and production.
He also began a collection of sound samples, creating one of the most comprehensive sonic libraries in Asia. The move to movies came during an advertising awards function, where he met Mani Ratnam. Mani requested for a sample of his wares. The composer readily complied and invited the director over to his studio. Mani was hooked, and signed on Rahman to score the music for his next film – Roja. The rest is, as they say, history.
Rahman's blitzkreig continued, and his first break with Hindi films came with Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela. Rahman unleashed his tunes and created mass frenzy. His Tanha tanha was seduction personified. Mani Ratnam picked him for his first Hindi film, Dil Se, and the rest, as they say, is history. His flirtation with Hindi films continued, and Subhash Ghai's Taal landed on his lap next. The composer displayed his versatility with the tunes he composed. Rahman also got an opportunity to work with Deepa Mehta, on the music of Fire and 1947 Earth
The maestro promises a splash in 2001 with One 2 Ka 4, Love You Hamesha and Aamir Khan's long-awaited Lagaan. The genius remains unstoppable!
