From sparkly limelight to Oscar wins, A.R. Rahman has achieved the pinnacle of musical success over the years. As the music mogul turns 55 today, we shed light on some less-known facts and intricacies of his life.

1.  Rahman began his musical career with regular sessions with other musicians, namely Sivamani, John Anthony and Raja. He then went on to create the Chennai-based rock band, ‘Nemesis Avenue’, with singer Suresh Peters, Paul Jacob, Sudhin Prabhakar, Satya, Chandran Christian, and Uday Balasundaran.

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2.  Rahman, a fan of action flicks, would often enjoy home-cooked snacks with his band mate, Sivamani, and the duo would regularly visit the local VHS store to get the latest action films.

3.  According to biographical mentions and certain reports, Rahman reached a rather low point in his life after the demise of his father. The music maestro contemplated suicide at 25 and would often stay worried about his future. To get out of the rut, Rahman decided to start his own recording studio in his backyard. The small studio, named ‘Panchathan Record Inn’, became Rahman’s workstation, and later on witnessed music legends Asha Bhosle and S.P. Balasubramaniam perform their hits in its rather confined space.

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4.  Initially named as Dileep Kumar, the music icon converted to Islam after the demise of his father. Rechristening himself  A.R. Rahman in the 80s, the music director got his name changed at the last minute in the end credits of ‘Roja’, a 1992 film. Although the film mentioned his birth name, his mother, Kareema Begum had urged him to get his name changed in the credits.

5.  The 55-year-old icon has always been a fan of shows and movies on television. He would often get so carried away that he would miss his work deadlines. ‘Rangeela’ director Ram Gopal Varma, who worked with Rahman in the project, recalled an instance when the duo decided to go on a trip to Goa, to get inspired to work on Rangeela’s music. While Verma thought spending some time alone in a hotel room would help Rahman get started on a catchy tune, it turned out that he spent the entire trip locked up inside, watching television. Rahman then asked Verma to never book him a room that had a television set.

Despite the television junkie in him, A.R. Rahman continues to be one of India’s most celebrated musicians.