Less films, more talent nurturing by Rahman after Golden Globe

Bollywood film producers are going to be disappointed after Rahman's Golden Global award success. Less films and more organisational work. Winning the Golden Globe for best musical score in a feature film (Slumdog Millionaire 2008) has made India's top composer likely to devote more time to find, mentor and promote young and talented musicians in India, according to sources. Rahman is in the final stage of launching his own television reality show 'Big Band' in association with India's state-owned broadcaster Doordarshan (DD). Sources tell iefilmi he chose DD for network's extensive terrestrial reach as Rahman is keen to access those as well who are not served either by cable or satellite tv.

Slumdog Phenomenon

Slumdog MillionaireSlumdog Millionaire, a British movie directed by Danny Boyle, emerged the big winner at the 66th Golden Globes. It scooped four awards to underline its credentials ahead of next month’s Oscar awards.

The film picked up honours for composer A.R. Rahman, British director Danny Boyle (Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director) and Simon Beaufoy (Best Screen Play).

Mozart of Madras

Rahman, once labelled ‘Mozart of Madras’ by Time, became the first Indian to win the Golden Globe, for Best Original Music Score with ‘Jai Ho’. He thus brought a new round of international recognition to a country whose rich classical traditions have inspired oeuvres of global music.

Big Band Mission

Few people know, Rahman has always preferred to work for a number of charitable causes. Now, he has come up with an ambitious project to look for those talented musicians in India who have are looking for mentoring and guidance to become as successful as Rahman. 'Charity begins at home. The idea is to search talent in India first and then follow the same search and mentoring in South Asia, South-East asia and finally the world," says the source. This suggests AR Rahman is going to be extremely busy in his organisational work. All this talent hunting will be a part of his ambitious 'Big Band'.

In 2004, he was appointed as the Global Ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, a project by WHO. SinceHe has shown support to charities including Save the Children, India, and worked with Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam for his song "Indian Ocean" . The song featured a-ha keyboard player Magne Furuholmen and Travis drummer, Neil Primrose, according to internet-based Wikipedia. The proceeds of the song went towards helping orphans in Banda Aceh, one of the areas worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. He also supports charities such as Save the Children and has also produced the single "We Can Make It Better" by Don Asian alongside Mukhtar Sahota. In 2008, Rahman opened his KM Music Conservatory partnered with Audio Media Education facility to tutor and train aspiring musicians in vocals, instruments, music technology and sound design. The conservatory — with preeminent musicians on its panel and a newly founded symphony orchestra — is located near his studio in Kodambakkam, Chennai, offering courses at Beginners, Foundation and Diploma level.

Allah Rakkha Rahman: The Genius

Allah Rakkha Rahman (born January 6, 1966 as A. S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) is called 'The Genius' in India by almost every one. His work has garnered considerable acclaim and a large global fanbase since his career scoring film began in the early 1990s. He has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, and sold over 200 million cassettes making him one of the world's top 10 all-time top selling recording artists.

Commenting on A R Rahman's achievement on being the first Indian to win the coveted Golden Globe award, legendary singer Asha Bhonsle says the versatile music director has taken Indian music to a higher level. "I am very delighted with Rahman for what he has done. When I met him first for 'Rangeela', he was a young guy with long hair. And look at his compositions now. He is a genius," the veteran singer told news agency PTI from Mumbai.

Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup’s novel Q and A, the film depicts the heart-warming story of an orphan, Jamal, who goes on to win the Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ in an effort to win his love back. The film stars Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor as the show host and British Indian Dev Patel in the lead role of Jamal. Like its magical underdog-winner story, the film which was made on a small budget, has turned out a big winner by virtually dominating the pre-Oscar award scene.