Popular for his distinct style of music around the globe, A.R. Rahman is a prominent Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence after composing music for Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Roja, for which he also won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction, Filmfare Award for Best Music Director Tamil and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director. For his extensive body of work, Rahman has won many other awards like Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, National Film Awards, and several Filmfare Awards.
Fondly known as the Mozart of Madras, Rahman's in his long career has redefined music in Indian cinema, taking it to an international level. Time magazine rated the soundtrack of 'Roja' in the Top 10 of their all time best movie soundtracks of the world; The Guardian, UK, listed the soundtrack of Bombay in '1000 albums to listen before you die'. In 2009, Time also included Rahman on its list of the world's most influential people.
Apart from giving groundbreaking music, Rahman is actively involved with numerous charitable causes and is a notable philanthropist.