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In the Studio: AR Rahman: The man behind the music

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AR Rahman - Musician and Composer

01/01/2019 GMT

AR Rahman: The man behind the music

BBC World Service - In the Studio, AR Rahman: The man behind the music

AR Rahman on music, God and how spirituality is entwined in the process of composition

AR Rahman on music, God and how spirituality is entwined in the process of composition.

AR Rahman is known as the ‘Mozart of Madras’ and for good reason. He has won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards. Perhaps most incredibly he has crossed film genres, languages, nationality and film industries across the globe, conquering Bollywood, Hollywood and Kollywood. It is 10 years since the debut of Slumdog Millionaire but Rahman’s songs still linger in the imagination.
 
Rahman is prolific and instinctual; working not just as a musical director but now as producer, director, teacher and visual artist. To each project he brings a touch of magic whether it be his latest virtual reality film Musk, his incredible catalogue of Hindi and Tamil film scores, global pop hits such as Jai Ho or in his superstar collaborations such as Super Heavy with Mick Jagger, Dave Stuart, Joss Stone and Damian Marley.
 
Lifelong fan, producer and DJ Bobby Friction meets Rahman as he reaches the end of his biggest US tour in Houston, Texas. We learn how the melodies he creates alone in the quiet of night are recreated by a cast of India’s greatest singers and musicians and performed to entertain thousands across America.
 
For Rahman, and Bobby, music is God. Spirituality is deeply entwined with the process of composition for both men and together they will explore some of the tracks which resonate with their belief in the true power of music.

(Photo: AR Rahman. Credit: Azhar Khan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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