A.R. Rahman’s musical genius has long transcended national boundaries and his melodies have helped him bag two Academy Awards and two Grammy Awards. Here’s a look at the maestro’s five most memorable international collaborations.
Bombay Dreams (2002)
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the legend of West End and Broadway, was keen on making a Bollywood musical. He had heard some of A.R. Rahman’s melodies and approached him for scoring the production. Rahman worked with lyricist Don Black and came up with the score for Bombay Dreams in 2002. The West End show became an instant hit and eventually made its way to Broadway in 2004.
Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
Long before the word ‘viral’ found a place in modern lingo, the song Jai Ho! from Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire had the world grooving to its beats. An edgy and pulsating number, Jai Ho! went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture. Written by Gulzar and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Tanvi Shah, Jai Ho! turned AR Rahman into a global sensation.
SuperHeavy with Mick Jagger (2011)
Rolling Stones founder-member Mick Jagger started a one-off supergroup project called SuperHeavy to create a platform for the convergence of different musical styles. A.R. Rahman was part of this music project alongside musicians like Joss Stone, Dave Stewart and Damian Marley. Their debut single, Miracle Worker, released in 2011. The second single, Satyameva Jayathe, was composed by Rahman, which had Mick Jagger crooning in Sanskrit.
The Hundred Foot Journey (2014)
A.R. Rahman composed the soundtrack for Lasse Hallström’s American comedy-drama The Hundred Foot Journey in 2014. The film revolved around an Indian family that moved to France and opened a restaurant right across the street from a French restaurant run by a Michelin-starred chef. He married the Western orchestra with beats of Carnatic music, making this album stand out.
Marvel Anthem (2019)
Marvel Studios roped in AR Rahman in 2019 to compose the Marvel Anthem in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in a bid to attract more Indian fans. Rahman composed a 3-minute-long breezy number and sang it himself. The anthem celebrated the heroism and indomitable spirit of the superheroes belonging to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
