AR Rahman can leave dinner midway if inspiration strikes & other anecdotes about the reticent music maestro

[{"selector":"#anim-12072e85-70ca-447f-9c83-0625e9e590bf [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(2.8716216343370817%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-069e442c-cf92-4e33-b395-01b25fa1bc82","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(123.99999%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d208ebab-cbbf-463f-a747-cd450fb6f0d8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e621ee69-5319-4f30-b769-df566c425f30","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Academy award singer, composer and now director AR Rahman has sold an estimated 150 million records.

[{"selector":"#anim-2af278ee-e3fb-41f8-b76a-151dcbbe76bb [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(2.8716216343370817%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7a5bb3f7-4257-4ab8-aaa4-c97e816739e5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(119.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-97bae6d4-1a02-4adb-80a0-67a958be563f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ec94f056-ff5a-42f8-8105-f8f80071f700","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] turns 56 today. He has sold an estimated 150 million records, according to Berklee Today .

[{"selector":"#anim-9454ccdc-61bf-49ac-b35e-9eecba9f0689 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0d52324b-49be-432a-8ca1-ed6e5225bdc4","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(117.26385%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9ed88190-7901-49a5-87ec-5a112d9f2a0b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9b599669-b6d2-4b67-8f2f-79ee81ad651e","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] An invitation to score the 1992 movie Roja by Indian director Mani Ratnam opened the door to a film-composing career for Rahman.

[{"selector":"#anim-bb2b8431-91ee-4ce5-abcd-1986316633a7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-1.8581081163357531%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d4a70caf-c95f-4585-8e51-7ea28049ec7e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(126.73611%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4f261086-a3fe-4271-bda3-c76230f927dd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6e6d213c-e9c6-4985-9d19-17034d09089e","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] AR Rahman’s marriage to Saira Banu was an arranged one and he had already told his wife that ‘if they had a dinner, and a song came up, they would have to ditch the dinner’,

[{"selector":"#anim-ffdefdb2-517b-4fdd-8ac8-7600e0c197ed [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(11.317567617681437%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3e0e1fa6-7083-49ff-836c-b9f87c749bed","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(120.13201%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-444a4c40-4733-49ad-af2a-b9ededb1c3d6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1b4aaf73-8c55-4842-92f1-0cf6191028e2","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] The revered singer Asha Bhonsle was facing a dry spell in her career before the 1990s. It was AR Rahman’s entry into the Hindi music world with the film Rangeela that gave her the second innings of her career.

[{"selector":"#anim-b1a966cc-a1d6-44bd-98fd-2f6d46b544a9 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-9.628378421012563%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-df143f01-1656-4b9a-a8de-a10e78ba394e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(120.13201%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-86017d7f-cd3d-4fbe-90c3-d9309aeee31b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-428f81cc-ba3c-43c9-bd9e-04b7c013d732","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Indian Carnatic and film musician Sid Sriram was given his first break by Rahman. Previously a student at Berklee College of Music, it was Rahman who called him to sing for the Mani Ratnam film ‘ Kadal .’

[{"selector":"#anim-ee102c28-0545-4be0-a0d8-d39140c21d97 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-9.628378421012563%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0fb38f6c-2c0d-4dc7-8c58-b0adcc6b94ea","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(119.80198%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b811fca0-5528-4210-a5ac-f9a4262cb453","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ee02d299-cfc0-4650-8524-a7574116cb40","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] When I was in Berklee, I sent him (Rahman) an email with some of the original music I was releasing at the time. I never expected a response, so when he did respond I couldn’t contain myself.’

[{"selector":"#anim-ac39f4c3-d0d2-41df-9ab1-91ab3a5fca33","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(120.13201%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-15ad9272-775d-48f1-9aed-6fbcb84c3fbb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0a680ed0-4440-43ab-9584-b2fc6bd22b2f","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] 2008 by the A R Rahman Foundation. Socially and economically-deprived children with an aptitude in music are provided free musical training through KM Music Conservatory.