AR Rehman is an epitome of talent, skill, poise and elegance. The music maestro that has established himself as a force to reckon with in the Indian music scene, has with time become a global icon of unfathomable success owing to the long list of milestones and feats he has achieved. The star who is now at the zenith of his illustrious career, in an interview with Indian publication, got candid and opened about his much-talked conversion to Islam, becoming a filmmaker and more.
It is no secret that AR Rehman was born in a Hindu family. His birth name was Dileep Kumar, however he, along with his entire family had a change of heart when they embraced Islam after Rahman’s father passed away. His mother, now Kareema Begum, was a spiritual person, and through her husband’s illness, visited various temples and churches, consulted holy men and tried every religion-led remedy. It is during this time that she met a Sufi preacher, who had a lasting impression on her.
Articulating his thoughts about his love for Islam, Rahman said, “It’s not about converting to Islam, it’s about finding the spot and seeing whether it presses the button in you. The spiritual teachers, the Sufi teachers, taught me and my mom things that are very, very special. There are special things in every faith, and this is the one we chose. And we stand by it.
“Prayer,” he added, “has been extremely beneficial. It has saved me from many falls. In between prayers, I think, ‘Oh, I have to pray, so I can’t do this mischief’. People from other faiths do the same thing and are peaceful too. For me, this works!”
The great music composer who has now unleashed the filmmaking skills he possesses, is helming his second film venture. His first one was named 'One Heart', a Virtual Reality documentary that follow one of his musical tours.
Talking about the experience of donning the filmmaker avatar, Rahman shared, “Almost every movie that has a musician shows him as a loser. He is kicked out of his house, his wife runs away, he gets into drugs and finally there is a funeral. Amongst families, when someone says ‘My son is a musician,’ they are asked ‘Okay, but what job does he have? This was my original thought. I said, let’s do a story with this perspective, have all the eye candy in it, and challenge myself for the music as well,” he said while talking about his upcoming venture '99 Songs'.
Directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, it is slated to release next year.
AR Rehman, who during his glorious musical stint has gone on to win a number of international and national awards and accolades, recently unveiled his biography titled 'Notes of a Dream' by Krishna Trilok.
“Truth be told, I didn’t know how to frame my sentences earlier. My speaking could not keep up with my thoughts. Music is easy: you can do it with your fingers and heart. Talking is not, so I thought speaking less and working more is better. Also, Krishna [the author of Notes of a Dream] is the son of my friends Trilok and Sharda, who had once introduced me to Mani Ratnam. Having a young guy write this was a double-edged sword. But after I read the first three chapters, I was sold. I knew I had done the right thing," he stated.