No leak from Raavan: Rahman

The latest wave in the Internet is a supposed ‘leaked’ song from Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film titled Raavan. 


The film, which stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles in the Hindi version and Vikram and Aishwarya in the Tamil version, has music by Oscar winner A R Rahman. According to a post in the internet recently, a song — titled Kaadale... in the Tamil version — has been sung by the lead actress Aishwarya herself!

However, music composer Rahman has denied that any such song features in the film. “Someone’s pulling a fast one,” is all he said. All eyes are on Raavan’s music as it will be the first album with the Mani Ratnam-Rahman combination that will be out after the composer’s double delight at the Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire. Besides Raavan, A R Rahman’s current projects include Rajinikanth’s Endhiran and Sultan, Couples Retreat and Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya. 


Courtesy:indiatimes.com

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

Rahman's great day in Greece

Oscar award winner and ace music composer A R Rahman had a special meeting with Vangelis, a world renowned music wizard in Greece on Tuesday.

According to sources, Vangelis had personally invited Rahman to his place and met him. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning score for the film Chariots of Fire, and scores for the films like Blade Runner and 1492: Conquest of Paradise.

During the meeting Vangelis admitted that he was a great fan of Rahman and liked his score in Slumdog Millionaire.

In a career spanning 47 years, writing and composing more than 40 albums, Vangelis is generally regarded by music critics as one of the greatest composers of electronic music of all time.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Rahman, Danny Boyle invited to become Oscar voters

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited India's music maestro A.R. Rahman and four other Oscar winners associated with the Academy award sweeper "Slumdog Millionaire" to join its roster of voting members.

Rahman has been invited for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", while the film's British Director Danny Boyle is also cited for "Sunshine".

Besides "Slumdog Millionaire", producer Christian Colson has been cited for "The Descent", cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle for "The Last King of Scotland" and film editor Chris Dickens chosen for "Shaun of the Dead".

They are among 134 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2009 to the Academy's roster of voting members.

"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," said Academy President Sid Ganis in an announcement from Beverly Hills, California.

"It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks."

The Academy's membership would have allowed a maximum of 166 new members in 2009, but as in the previous years, the several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them.

Voting membership in the organisation has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Centre for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.

Courtesy: hindu.com

Rajini on TV next?

If reports are to be believed, you could soon catch on screen, a face that has mesmerized millions of Tamilians with a voice and style that still remains inimitable. Yes, the Superstar could soon be on TV asking you, his fans, to catch him soon in Sun Pictures’ Endhiran The Robot'.

The Superstar, who is currently working in Shankar’s ‘Endhiran The Robot’ is said to have agreed to this unique means of promoting his film. He pairs with Aishwarya Rai for the first time in this film, which is being filmed at an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore.

With more than 60 percent of the shooting for the film being completed, the production house is said to be adopting never-heard-of methods to publicise the mega starrer, which also has Academy Award winning music composer AR Rahman working on the movie’s music.

Reports say the production house plans to do this personal invite from Rajinikanth and already has the Superstar’s nod to the project. And given Sun Pictures aggressive promotion campaigns for all their films, it is no surprise that they have come up with such a grand plan to promote their first direct production.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

A R Rahman working secretly

Ever since he has bagged the two Oscars, the Chennai Mozart A R Rahman has been going through a lot of changes in his life. Known for his low key nature and the private person that he is, there has been a extensive media coverage and Rahman is unable to get away from the press photographers and other media arc lights.

So now, it is being said that Rahman has decided to move secretly to his work places and sources close to him have been keeping his movement in tight wraps.

Rahman has also taken up few international projects and so he is now travelling across countries composing music but all this is said to be happening covertly.

Call it the price of being a celebrity folks??

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Sivamani, Bollywood bound?

Sivamani is back to work after cheering the Chennai Super Kings in South Africa. But is he not watching the T-20 cricket world cup?

“I am missing cricket,” he says, but then, he quickly switches to a philosophical mode and adds, “It’s like music. If you keep listening to it non-stop, you will not enjoy it. You need to give it a break and then continue to absorb its beauty and essence. Similarly, after the hectic South African schedule, I’ve decided to give cricket a break and am now busy with music.”
After the success of his album Mahaleela, he is busy working on Mahaleela-II. “It’s again very personal. This time, I have incorporated what I couldn’t in my first album. The recording at Rajasthan palace will be the highlight. I am proceeding to Manasarovar to do some recordings there too,” he muses.
He’s also working with AR Rahman in his Hollywood project. But Sivamani regrets that he could not be present at the Oscar ceremony. “I had a show for Shivarathri at the Mookambika temple and was praying for Rahman. The next morning, it was a double treat for me. My sister called me to inform that Rahman had won the Oscars and that the Tamil Nadu government was to confer the Kalaimamani title on me,” he recalls.
When I could not attend his post-Oscar show in Kerala, Rahman sent me a message saying ‘Don’t ditch me next time.’
Sivamani says that he will be joining Rahman in the shows that are to be held at Dubai, Kolkata and Chennai.
Known for his ability to innovate, he says, “I am busy rehearsing with my boys, especially for the show.”
Having achieved so much, what’s he looking forward to? “I am trying my hands at music direction in Bollywood. I’ll soon have an announcement to make,” he smiles.

When Rahman rubbed shoulders with Michelle Obama

Being voted one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine has seen his popularity soar. Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman not only got an opportunity to share the same platform with US First Lady Michelle Obama, he also had the whole audience in New York chanting “Jai ho”.

“At the function I was on the same table as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and the CEO of Time magazine. When I went up to the stage, a chant of ‘Jai ho’ (the Oscar-winning song from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’) went up in the house.”

The music maestro, who won two golden statuettes for his compositions in British filmmaker Danny Boyle’s underdog drama, says the awards have had a huge impact on his life.

“The impact of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been tremendous. The western perception of Third World countries has changed. Earlier when some of the most talented musicians of Asia would approach western companies, they’d encounter stumbling blocks. Today that has changed. The west is ready to listen to us,” Rahman told IANS in an interview.

Rahman admits that dealing with the huge amount of attention after the Oscars has been unnerving.

“Yes, the Oscar changed my life. I can’t even attend places of prayer without being recognised. Even when I’m at malls in the US, kids freeze in recognition when they see me. I need to concentrate on my music. I’m not the kind of guy who can pull himself away from my music, attend functions, give interviews and get back to what I’m supposed to do. It’s like entering and leaving new cities,” he said.

Ever since the Oscar happened, the music maestro has been doing extensive travelling.

“It’s been a full roller-coaster ride for me in the past week… from New York to Dubai to Calicut, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai… every day I’ve been in two cities. Can’t be helped. Everywhere they want to felicitate me and I can’t say no. How can I? Everyone was excited about my Oscar and wanted to share their excitement with me,” said Rahman, who will be conferred an honorary doctorate by the Aligarh Muslim University June 7.

He admits he is not able to spend time with his children.

“Luckily all three of my children are into music. So my kids and I are on the same wave-length. My wife dreamt of walking the red carpet with me to the Oscars. She can now dream of walking to the Oscars with our children,” said the 43-year-old.

“I’m slowly getting back to normal now,” said Rahman, now blocking away the Oscar euphoria to focus on his current work.

His forthcoming films are “Blue”, “London Dreams” and S. Shankar’s Tamil film “Endhiran”, which has Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikant in lead roles.

A.R. Rahman : Six-packs like Suriya!

A.R. Rahman went on to win two Oscars at the Oscar Awards ceremony that held last month. The musician was welcomed with a grand reception. He is now busy attending several press conferences and events organized to felicitate him. The two Oscar Statuettes are now a constant companion of A.R. Rahman. The two are seen escorting the musician to all the felicitation functions. And, quite naturally, the event organizers and

attendees want him to pose for the shutterbugs. In one such event, Rahman jocularly remarked that posing with the two statuettes, which weight about 3.85 kgs, will ensure that he develops a six-pack just like Suriya.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Kylie Minogue thrilled to work with AR Rahman

Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue says she was thrilled to work with Oscar winning music director AR Rahman in Bollywood film Blue. The 40-year-old singer plays herself in the film, and also performs a set-piece song-and-dance routine in the underwater thriller starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Katrina Kaif.


"It was an incredible experience (to work with AR Rahman),” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted her as saying. "I met AR Rahman at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards (in London last month). I couldn't believe I was doing a song with him in Bollywood so soon after," she added.


The film is about a sunken treasure ship and is said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production, The Deep. On being asked if she would like to be a part of some of the Bollywood movies in future, Minogue said she would certainly consider.


"I got a lot of love here. Right now this feeling is just sinking in but certainly in future I will do more if I get the chance,” she said. "I didn't know much of Hindi but it does not matter because everyone was very cooperative and I had fun and joy. I Wanted to be part of Bollywood for a while and it was great opportunity that came by," she added.


Courtesy: oneindia.in

Two more awards for Oscar Rahman

Barely a week after the Oscar triumph, Rahman hit upon another double delight at the Filmfare Awards. As expected, he walked away with awards for the best music and best background score. The year 2008 was very special for Rahman in Bollywood with at least three superhit albums; Jodha Akbar, Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Naa and Ghajini, Yuvraj being the only album that failed to make a big impact. It seemed like a contest between the three Rahman

albums for the coveted Filmfare statuette and in the end it was the peppy and youthful Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Naa which took the award. One can easily guess that it was the hugely popular ‘Kabhi Kabhi Aditi’ that did the trick for Rahman this time. Jodha Akbar took the award for the best background score for the stirring sounds created by Rahman. While it is rather true that Rahman’s victory at the Oscars has almost wholly eclipsed his Filmfare triumph. It is not a surprise, as the man has got many of these before. But for all Rahman fans, this is yet another reason to celebrate none the less.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Slumdog blossoms worldwide

The waiter at a Russia n restaurant in New York's Coney Island, home to about half million Russians and immigrants from the Caucuses, gazes at a customer for a minute. "May be you are from India," says the very elderly man. "Tell me about the new Indian film my cousins are seeing again and again in Russia. They say it is like Vagabond, story of poor people and a very young man. And it has a very nice song at the end."
He is referring to Raj Kapoor's Awara, a phenomenon across the communist world in the 1950s and has remained a perennial favorite for over four decades. And he is also talking about a new phenomenon. The Indian customer tells the Russians the new film is called Slumdog Millionaire and it is running in New York in many theatres. 
Just as Slumdog has become a huge hit across America, in Russia too the film is doing impressive business. Released two weeks ago, it has grossed over $1.2 million, according to trade publications. And now with the eight Oscars it has garnered, the film could become a bigger success not only across Russia but also worldwide.
Just as the Oscars  were approaching thanks to the incessant buzz, the gritty but ultimately feel good movie had started rising at the box-office in most of the 25 countries showing it including Uruguay, France  and Russia. 'The most impressive performance belonged to Slumdog Millionaire  which was up four percent to $8.4 million from 25 markets (outside North America, boosting its total to $74.3 million,' wrote box office expert Conor Brosnan in boxofficemojo.com, discussing the film's box office status.
Last weekend, it was the number three film worldwide (outside North America); the number one film, the star-driven The Curious Case of Benjamin Button grossed $21 million in 61 countries, followed by Bolt's $11 million in 37 countries and Slumdog's $8.5 million in 26.
Soon after the Oscars and reams of new worldwide publicity, the movie began to climb up the box office charts. In North America, it soared from number eight spot on the chart to number two. Worldwide gross by February 26 weekend was approaching $180 million. And there were predictions that the film, which cost just about $15 million (with some $50 million for print and publicity) would end its worldwide run with at least $260 million. Some observers believe it could even top $300 million.
The movie, which will be opening soon in Germany , Japan , South Korea, Sweden, Austria and several other territories, has been most successful in North America where it has grossed $103 million by February 26 and the United Kingdom where the gross was approaching $35 million.
Director Danny Boyle  has repeatedly said he had never thought the film would resonate with the audiences outside the United Kingdom apart from playing in a handful of small, art theatres in key cities.
Even in India, where many people were upset that the film was showing the underbelly and not the India that is shining, its box office is approaching $5 million. It would have been much higher but for the huge DVD black market of the film.
In most countries the film opened among the top five; there were no startlingly big openings. For example, in France it opened to a decent $1.2 million weekend. But thanks to a terrific word-of-mouth and slew of stories in major magazines of the country, it remained growing steadily.
No film that Danny Boyle directed in the last two decades, not even The Beach starring a post-Titanic  Leonardo DiCaprio, has come anywhere near the worldwide success of Slumdog Millionaire.


Courtesy: rediff.com

'I thought Defiance would win'

I did not prepare an acceptance speech for a simple reason," A R Rahman , who won two Oscars -- for the Best Original Score and Best SongJai Ho -- says as a matter of fact. "I thought Defiancewould get for the score and Peter Gabriel would get the Oscar for best song.
"That is why I said something that came from deep inside my heart. I thanked my mother because from over 10 years she has been saying, 'You must get an Oscar, and I want to walk on that red carpet with you.'" Rahman toldRediff India Abroad's Arthur J Pais from his home in Chennai.
Her dream came true, he added. "I suddenly remembered a line from a film (later I realised it was from Deewar) in which one brother says to another that he has the mother with him and that matters to him the most."
"In my case, I saw very little of my father since he passed away when I was a boy and it is my mother who gave me the support, the confidence, and the vision," he added.
Rahman is yet to sleep as he arrived in the wee hours of February 25. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me," he says with a chuckle. "There were 6,000 people at the airport, there was a riot. I was very tired, and my mother, my wife and my sister were tired too. But how could one not refuse to spend some time with my admirers?"


Courtesy: rediff.com

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death

The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.


Courtesy: oneindia.in

What’s next for SM’s Indian team?

We take a look at what the Indian team of Slumdog Millionaire is doing after the film's Oscar wins.




A R Rahman: The only Indian to win two Oscars, Rahman’s upcoming Indian albums include Nagesh Kukunoor’s 8X10, Ashtvinayak’s Blue, Shankar’s Endhiran, Abbas Tyrewala’s 1-800-Love and Mani Ratnam’s Ravan. He also has an Indo-Japanese movie called Nair San starring Mohanlal and is in talks about composing for Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes’ next films.




Dev Patel: He has bagged M Night Shyamalan’s flick The Airbender. His role of Prince Zuko of Fire Nation, based on a popular Nickelodeon TV series, will require him to learn martial arts. Filming begins next month in Philadelphia.




Freida Pinto: She has bagged a Woody Allen film alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin. Shooting for the as-yet-untitled film begins in July.




Resul Pookutty: India’s first Oscar-winning sound technician has Saurabh Shukla’s romantic comedy Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and Sanjay Gupta’s stylised action thriller Acid Factory as his upcoming projects. He is also working on a Rajat Kapoor film and an untitled Hollywood flick.




Irrfan: The actor has another Indo-American venture, Hissss, starring Mallika Sherawat and Divya Dutta. The film is directed by Jennifer Lynch, David Lynch’s daughter. His other international project is New York, I Love You. Irrfan also has a summer release in the form of YRF’s New York, directed by Kabir Khan and starring John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Katrina Kaif. Then, there is Sanjay Gupta’s action thriller Acid Factory and drama Alibaug, Ambika Hinduja’s Teen Patti and rom-com Kal Kisne Dekha, among others.




Anil Kapoor: Race was one of the biggest hits of 2008 and Anil Kapoor will be part of its sequel. He will also start work on the sequel to Mr India. His home production Shortkut - The Con Is On, starring Sanjay Dutt and Amrita Rao, will release later this year.




Gulzar: The legendary lyricist-writer-director will be working with Vishal Bhardwaj on songs for his romantic comedy Ishqiya starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan.


Courtesy: starboxoffice.com

To the man who brought us the Oscar!

Over the last two days there has been nothing but Rahman on TV and in newspapers. The number of things that are being said about him is so much that even the most avid couch potato might have missed quite a few of those anecdotes and profuse remarks that have been aired. So, it will not be a bad idea to try and compile some of the best anecdotes that were narrated for the sheer reading pleasure of all Rahman fans. SPB was around on TV for quite some time on the 23rd of February and he said a lot about Rahman and the way he worked. He recalled the days of Roja. SPB believes that he was the first one to have rendered his voice for a Rahman song (Kadhal Rojave). That day, before the recording began Rahman told SPB that he was not sure

about why he was being given this opportunity when master composers like Ilayaraja and MS Viswanathan were still around. He also said that having made his debut, if all went well; he would manage to hang around for maybe a period of five years. Then SPB shifted five years down the line to Minsaara Kanavu. Then, SPB asked Rahman, “you told me that you were going to stick around for 5 years, its past that now” and Rahman replied, “I think I have got a bonus of 5 more years.”

SPB also remarked that Rahman was the only composer who managed to make someone else lend their voice to SPB himself, the singer was Sukhvinder Singh. To date, it remains the only instance when someone else has sung for SPB on screen.

Then there was Sukhvinder Singh who remembered that it was his association with Rahman in Dil Se (the Chayya Chayya) song that really launched his career. Director Rajkumar Santhoshi was also around telling us about how well Rahman understood the medium of cinema and how he listens carefully to every situation before giving a tune, about how he keeps playing on the piano endlessly until the director spots one combination that he likes. More than that, he said that it is Rahman’s ability to do classy background scores that sets him apart, in short, Rahman takes on a movie as a whole.

Then there were a host of young singers who were discovered and blooded by Rahman from the most unlikely of scenarios. Most of you might have heard about the story of Naresh Iyer. He was participating in a reality show for singers where Rahman was one of the judges. After a particular round, Rahman told Naresh Iyer that there was both good news and bad news. The bad news was that Naresh had been eliminated from the competition while the good news was that Rahman had decided to use his voice. Rang De Basanti happened and Naresh Iyer has not looked back since. Like Naresh, there are other singers like Madhushree, Benny Dayal etc., who are all beneficiaries of Rahman’s unique ability to spot talent.

There are dozens of other stories that comes to ones mind, many of them being associated with Rahman’s affinity to working right in the middle of the night; he has however exempted SPB from such unearthly recording hours. Then, all of you might have read on the site about how he carried his harmonium along with him on his honeymoon. We have heard about him globetrotting in his search for new sounds and styles of music and many more, you could go on talking about Rahman for hours together.

But the one point that everyone seemed to echo in common was about the man’s simplicity. Almost everyone used these words ‘he is a wonderful human being’. It was not planned or stage managed, but people sitting in different parts of India at different times used almost the same words to describe Rahman. That says a lot about his character, neither success, money nor fame have changed him one bit. He still remains as enthusiastic about music as he was when he made his debut. His down to earth attitude was reflected in the way he said ‘ella pugazhum iraivanukke’ on the Oscar stage, it also showed us that he is not a man to forget his roots.

That is why one couldn’t help seeing the lighter side when a journalist on TV asked a guest about whether the Oscar would take Rahman away from India. If he had such plans he would have vanished long back, he has such boundless talent. And, the most gratifying thought that comes from this Oscar award is the knowledge that Rahman is capable of many more wonders. One is so confident about this because anyone who has heard Rahman’s songs over the years will know that ‘Jaye Ho’ or ‘O Saaya’ are not his best compositions by a long shot. If they are good enough for Oscars, then we cannot imagine the heights that await him. God bless Rahman! Jaye Ho!

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

A new anthem from Rahman!

Lyricist Vairamuthu informed the media that he is writing lyrics for a new Tamil anthem particularly for the NRIs. And the music for this will be composed by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman. According to Vairamuthu, the Tamilians living in foreign countries have their own Tamil anthem as the present one “Neerarum…” is based on the political boundaries of India. The lyricist said that he came to know that Tamilians living in Malaysia had their own Tamil anthem while

he and Rahman participated in a function there. The duo had decided that all the Tamilians across the globe must have a single anthem and had started working on it.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

A.R.Rahman Press Meet Images

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

At Rahman’s press conference…

The much awaited press meet of A.R. Rahman took place at the Green Park Hotel in Chennai. Rahman arrived at the venue around 4:30 pm. The musician looked relaxed and was comfortable answering the questions thrown at him. The ever-courteous Rahman enquired if the reporters preferred him to answer in Tamil or English and finally decided to answer depending on the language in which the question was asked.

A.R. Rahman said that he understood that music has no boundaries and hence wanted his music to reach everyone. He added that he believed music can deliver messages and through his music he wishes to promote peace and harmony.

When asked how he bagged the Slumdog Millionaire offer, Rahman said that Danny Boyle signed him up only after listening to his music and accessing his talent. This shows the confidence that Boyle had on the musician.

Rahman’s message to those who want to achieve greater things in life is: “Have good intentions and get the results.”

When quizzed about what he accomplished by these coveted awards, Rahman said that it was immense respect that he got from the people, his counterparts and even legends.

Responding whether his children would toe his line, Rahman said that they are slowly learning music and it is up to them to decide.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

A.R.Rahman - Harmonium for the honeymoon!

The thought of an Indian winning two Oscars is still to sink in for most of the cinema fans. A.R.Rahman who is the toast of the country hasn't reached this stage without sheer passion for what he does best - music. A.R.Rahman's brother-in-law, who is also named Rahman, is a well known actor in Kerala and has done roles in many Tamil movies like Sangamam, which again had music by A.R.R. Talking to the media

after his brother-in-law won the Oscars, the actor revealed how passionate the maestro is about his music. "It is his sheer commitment towards music that has brought him here", says Rahman. He adds that the Mozart of Madras always had his harmonium with him. "Even during his honeymoon in Kodaikanal, we were told that in the middle of the night he was sitting in the next room and playing a harmonium. Such was his dedication" A.R.R's ever media-shy wife Saira Banu had walked the red carpet with her husband at the Kodak Theatre for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Saira Banu was seen clinging to Rahman’s right arm throughout the ceremony. A.R.Rahman before leaving to the US for the Oscars had commented: “In fact winning an Oscar is not my dream, it’s my wife’s dream”. The legend sure has fulfilled his wife’s dream.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com