Composer A.R. Rahman – The Music of 127 Hours

Synopsis

A two-time Academy Award winning composer, A. R. Rahman has helped redefine contemporary Indian music. The “Mozart of Madras” as Time Magazine dubbed him, has sold more than 150 million CDS. Rahman pursued a musical career at a young age and obtained a degree in western classical music from the Trinity College of Music, London. He set up his own in-house studio Panchathan Record-Inn at Chennai. In 1991, he debuted with the score for “Roja”, a run-away success which won him the Indian National Award for best music composer, the first time ever by a debutant. Ten years later, Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Rahman to compose for his musical, “Bombay Dreams,” which ran for two years and later premiered on Broadway. Rahman also composed the score for the production of “The Lord Of The Rings,” one of the most expensive stage productions ever. In 2008 Rahman gained global prominence with his score for “Slumdog Millionaire” winning two Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Song. Overall, he won 15 awards including two Grammys, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. To date, Rahman has won 25 Filmfare Awards, 3 MTV Awards, 4 IIFA Awards, 6 Tamil Nadu State Awards, 6 Zee Awards, and 4 Screen Awards. Rahman was also bestowed with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, two of India's highest national civilian honours. This year, Rahman reunited with acclaimed filmmaker Danny Boyle for 127 HOURS. The film, released by FOX Searchlight Pictures, reunites the Slumdog Millionaire team of composer A.R. Rahman, director Danny Boyle, writer Simon Beaufoy, and producer Christian Colson. Boyle needed just the right music to capture the film’s exploration of one man’s extraordinary triumph over incomparable circumstances. Rahman’s superbly eclectic score succeeds by balancing ambient sound, silence and driving rhythms that deliver an emotionally powerful and uplifting score. The Wall Street Journal praised Rahman’s score by saying “as in "Slumdog," A.R. Rahman's score drives the narrative with relentless force” and Peter Travers at Rolling Stone noted “like the A.R. Rahman score that drives the movie, the triumphant, enthralling 127 HOURS pays fitting tribute to Aron by being thrillingly alive.” For his work on 127 Hours, Rahman was just nominated for a Golden Globe for “Best Original Score” as well as a Critics Choice Award for “Best Song.” Rahman wants to establish a tradition in western classical music in India and recently set up the KM Music Conservatory and Symphony Orchestra based out of Chennai. He plans to provide a platform for non-mainstream music through his music label KM Musiq and will shortly launch a couple of artists. Rahman has also set up the A.R. Rahman Foundation to help underprivileged children. He also serves as the UN Ambassador for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.