Rahman becomes Oscar juror

Seven months after winning two Oscar titles, A R Rahman will take on a new role as a voting member for the Academy Awards — from next year. The music composer is one of the 134 artistes to have received an invitation to join the Oscar roster of voting members for 2009.

Rahman has received an invite from the Board of Governors, considering his contribution to music — in recognition of his score in the films Slumdog Millionaire and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The 43-year-old ‘Mozart of Madras’ was unavailable for comment, but sources close to him confirmed that Rahman would join the 6000-plus voters of the elite list for the Oscars from next year. With this, Rahman will be in the company of Will Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson and Mira Nair to choose the winners of the most famous international awards.

Membership for the academy voters roster is limited, and open only by invitation. Those who have been nominated for the Oscars are eligible to be on the voters list. Joining Rahman this year are Casey Affleck, Hugh Jackson, apart from Peter Gabriel, who was Rahman’s contender in the Best Original Song category.

Rahman, who won an Oscar each for Best Musical Score and Best Song this year for Slumdog Millionaire, has now signed on a complete Hollywood project, Couples Retreat, apart from working on an international short film with Shekar Kapur, A Night of Passage. He is said to be eyeing more Hollywood projects.

Courtesy:expressbuzz.com