ELLE Digital Cover Star: A.R. Rahman, The Icon, The Maestro, The Legend

How do you imagine the energy on set with one of the biggest music icons this country has ever seen? Loud bursts of his discography, echoes of every film he has ever been a part of. Surely there must be music buzzing in every corner. But let me burst your bubble — the man with two Academy Awards, two Grammys, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, several National Film Awards, and innumerable other honours, A. R. Rahman (Allah Rakha Rahman), loves silence. The white noise before the shoot begins is his prelude. And when the camera shutters, his music choice surprises us; he asks for LUX, Rosalía’s latest masterpiece. The GOAT knows the vibe, of course, and what he created on set was electric. 

A man whose very name is synonymous with music, Rahman began his professional journey in 1992, launching his own studio, Panchathan Record Inn, and making his blockbuster debut as a film composer with Mani Ratnam’s Roja. The film won him his first National Film Award and opened the gate to an era that would reshape Indian sound forever. Over the years, he has added tunes to every emotion we’ve ever felt. As a young girl whose introduction to him began with Taal (1999), I carry those beats like muscle memory. So when we finally sat down for our conversation, there was giddiness, a kind of teenage awe I couldn’t quite contain.

His discography is filled with songs for every mood, in more languages than you can count on your fingers. He has moved seamlessly across Bollywood, South Indian cinema, and Hollywood. So my first question, naturally, had to be about the biggest creative shifts he feels while travelling through these worlds. “In the very beginning, it was very tough,” he says, gently. “But over time, you get used to it. My main focus was always understanding what the person engaging me really wanted, what they had in mind, and why they came to me. It can be confusing, because what I do in South Indian cinema is completely different from what I do in Hindi cinema, and Hollywood is a different arena altogether.”

He continues, “What we consider great here in South India or in India may not be ear candy for Hollywood. So there are certain filters you need to apply in the arrangement, in the lead sections, and the sensibility has to shift. But now, I’ve become more used to switching between all three.”

When I talk about his songs for every mood, it’s because he knows how to balance the emotional storytelling of Indian cinema with the technical precision global productions demand. He nods thoughtfully, “The borders are blurring now. Everybody is exposed to international cinema with Netflix and everything else. Even Indian films are being cut to Western temp music all the time. And that means we have to be very careful about how we retain the authenticity of Indianness while delivering a global sound. That, for me, is the real challenge.”

Look back at Roja, Bombay, Dil Se — you’ll always find a thread connecting the Rahman of then and now. And the maestro agrees. “It’s really the same. I don’t think I’m any different. But I’m also not someone who dwells on what I did back then compared to what I’m doing now. Some of my melodies are raga-based, some are groove-based. If you take the Bombay theme, it has Western and Indian orchestration together. What’s better now is the speed at which I can decide what melody to use or discard. That comes with time and experience. We’ve gone through two or three cycles, decades of this. It’s important to push the envelope every time — and then do it once again.”

When you have so many award titles attached to your name, you’d imagine a man at peace with success. But even heroes feel pressure. “After a point, you realise that self-validation is enough. I’m extremely harsh on myself; even if people say something is good, I might say, ‘No, I don’t like it, I’ll try something else.’ That need to refine comes from me. I filter everything myself first and only then share it. And the biggest lesson of all is this — never compromise. Be truthful and honest about what you put out into the world.”

His music transcends language far beyond India, and for him, creation has always been instinctive. “Even at the very beginning, there was this quiet intention to take Indian music to a global stage. We listen to Western music all the time, so why can’t the world listen to ours? Why can’t our sound travel? From my first film, that thought guided me, and it’s been incredible to watch it become a reality.”

He smiles, “Today, when I see choirs across the world singing our songs, or people in Indonesia, France, South Korea dancing to music by the younger Indian composers — it’s incredibly fulfilling.”

Music, at its best, is meant to be shared, and for a Grammy winner, collaboration has been a defining part of the journey. “Working with Danny Boyle, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Pussycat Dolls, Pharrell, all of them helped bridge cultures. Andrew Lloyd Webber became something of a mentor. Only later did I understand his impact. He once told me, ‘You have to take the mantle of theatre and bring a whole new freshness to it.’ At the time, I didn’t fully grasp it, but now I do.”

That thought echoed years later when they began training K-MUSIC students in musical theatre at his conservatory. “I feel India’s time for musical theatre has arrived. We have world-class spaces like NMACC. I hope more metros develop dedicated venues, too. I want to see this industry thrive again — not just through revivals, but through creating new works. With today’s immersive tools, we can reinvent theatre for a new generation.”

Rahman has always built spaces for new artists, such as the KM Conservatory and the Sunshine Orchestra. “I want to build spaces for emerging artists. From KM Conservatory to the Sunshine Orchestra, Jhalaa and Ruhi Noor — each initiative is about nurturing new voices and giving them room to grow. What touches me most is when a singer I introduced comes back six months later and says, ‘Thank you, sir, I bought a flat.’ It shows they had the drive — all they needed was someone to connect the dots.”

He insists on not taking any credit. “They’re the ones who built their path. But it becomes easier to support others when you’re in a good place yourself. People did the same for me — Mani Ratnam, Subhash Ghai, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Helping others feels like giving back.”

His advice to young artists is simple: “Dive deeper and don’t give up. Don’t expect quick results. Some things happen fast, others take time. Keep going. It pays off.”

But he acknowledges the oversaturation of today’s music landscape. “It’s tougher now to get an opening. So much noise. Today, you need more than musical sense — you need instinct and the right team. The ones who’ve risen now are extraordinary. You can’t rise without real talent, and I admire that.”

Rahman’s tastes move fluidly between pop and K-pop, especially the global phenomenon of BTS. “I like the idea of another industry rising globally. For so long, it was mostly the West, but the South Korean wave, in cinema, classical, and pop, is a wonderful alternative. Seeing them (BTS) at the Grammys, on major platforms, it’s beautiful to watch different cultures step forward.” He laughs and adds, “People don’t want to hear the same thing endlessly. They need variety, exposure. K-pop built a global movement, a beautiful connection.” 

The artist loves writing pop songs for films, but for Secret Mountain, which is an ambitious AI-driven metaverse project, essentially lensed as a virtual global band and musical universe, where diverse cultural characters, guided by human creators, blend music, fantasy, and technology. “Everything is being reinvented,” he says. “Live music was recorded. Radio became cassettes, CDs became streaming. Then came the video — and again, the way we experience a song changed completely. Today, we have an opportunity to make music not just from within our own identities, but by shifting consciousness, shifting identities. Our appearance doesn’t define the inside. The goal isn’t to reinvent humanity, but to amplify the diversity that already exists.”

He hints, “I’ve been working on many English tracks too. Maybe a collaboration with Secret Mountain would be interesting.”

His music often feels spiritual, even when contemporary. Faith and intuition, he says, are at the heart of it. “It’s like food. When something nourishes you, it gives you energy. Faith shapes your inner world. Even with Beethoven, faith, hope, and wonder fuelled his work. For me, I like not to exist. Our personalities are small, and when you let go, the infinite has a chance to manifest through your work.”

He often blurs sound and space — from Le Musk’s multisensory storytelling to his concerts. How does he compose for what’s not just heard, but felt? He adds softly, “Once you’re immersed in art, you go beyond what’s familiar. You search for oneness, where sound and visuals blend. You’re no longer defined by what you’ve done before. That mindset pushed me to create Le Musk.” He mentions, stepping behind the camera has been “liberating and terrifying.” Shooting Le Musk in Italy, he says, was one of the most memorable experiences of the past 15 years.

Rahman has long championed female voices; Rooh-E-Noor and the Firdaus Orchestra stand as two of his most powerful examples. When he speaks of ensembles, there’s a warmth that slips into his voice, an unmistakable pride. He talks about Firdaus Orchestra in Dubai, an all-women ensemble he mentored from scratch, and Rooh-E-Noor, the Indian choral project that caught everyone’s imagination. “Firdaus Orchestra began with Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy. She asked whether we could create an all-women orchestra, and they wanted to showcase what women are capable of. It worked beautifully; we built a studio, and the ensemble is still thriving.

Rooh-E-Noor came from a more personal place. My daughter is a musician and composer, and the others are incredibly talented. I felt building this band would help people appreciate their artistry.” He adds another layer, explaining how the sound itself was conceptualised:
“Rooh-E-Noor also came from a question. We often hear spiritual music, but rarely ear candy spiritual music. So we thought, what if six gifted artists created an ecstasy of voices? Rooh-E-Noor is just the beginning; we want to do much more with them, especially using technology.”

JHALA, his other gift to the music world, is a collective of 12 performers — six women and six men, all formally trained in Indian classical dance and music. Rahman shares that the idea stemmed from the Bharat Maestro Awards. “It was about presenting classical music with confidence, immersive enough for younger listeners or for those who don’t usually gravitate towards it. I want to curate music even a restless person can sit with,” he says.

Before we wrap, I ask for a glimpse into his two cultural epics-slash-upcoming-projects — Gandhi and Ramayana. “Being part of Gandhi is an honour. Even while scoring it, I’ve learnt so much. I’ve never seen his story told from this younger point of view — it’s fascinating to watch how he became the Mahatma.”

“With Ramayana, it feels like working on a piece of our cultural pride. It’s incredibly ambitious. I’m collaborating with Hans Zimmer; he’d invited me for projects earlier, and this finally feels like the right moment. I’m happy the promo was so well received, and I hope we can create much more together.”

As I finish writing this conversation, with Rahman’s words still echoing in my head, I find myself listening to Mahi Ve (Highway), reminded once again of how deeply his music seeps into the quiet corners of our lives.

Team Credits:

Editorial Director: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi (@aineenizamiahmedi); Photographer: Avani Rai (@avani.rai); Fashion Director: Zoha Castelino (@zohacastelino); Asst. Art Director: Alekha Chugani (@alekhachuganii); HMUA: Salon MUAH (@salon_muah); Jr. Bookings Editor: Anushka Patil (@anushkapatil21); Words by: Ekta Sinha (@16ektasinha); Assisted by: Idris Nidham (@iidrrisss), Tejashree Raul (@tejashreeraul) (styling), Sharayu Karalkar (@sharayukaralkar) (bookings); Artists Reputation Management: Mediasmiths Image Consultants (@mediasmithspr)