A.R. Rahman on the cover of People Magazine

The film Slumdog Millionaire has been making headlines for the number of Oscar nominations that it has garnered and the Golden Globes that it has won. However, this one individual associated with this film has been blessed with success at every step that he took in his career. But he has not once taken it for granted; instead he has worked even harder to outdo himself. He is none other than A R Rahman. This month in People magazine, musician A.R. Rahman opens up about the philosophy that makes him a great artist. The soft-spoken maestro attributes his success as much to his tremendous talent as having “ethics, commitment, passion and friendship”. After taking the international stage by storm with his score for Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman is now intent on cementing his reputation further. Talking about his spiritual side, Rahman says, “It boosts my confidence, instills humility and detaches me from everything else.” He in fact credits his father for teaching him to respect people. “My father was a hard worker and never judged musicians by their compositions. He had great respect for them as people and I learnt the same.” Though it is a Hollywood film that won him international acclaim (the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations), Rahman says that it is the victory of the Indian music. “My win is a win for Indian music. And I want to bring India more and more recognition in the field of music.” And now though the world is at his feet, for Rahman family comes first. “It is too exhausting to have many films on hand. We all need a personal life. I need to spend quality time with my family.” The magazine also features Rahman’s mother Kareema Begum, who treats the readers with an inside view of his life, “I have to send my grandchildren to the studio to remind him to have his food.” That just goes to show how committed he is towards what he is doing… So all of us here at Bollywood Hungama say cheers to India’s very own Beethoven.