Roja to Jai Ho, celebrating Rahman’s music on his 48th birthday

Music composer and singer AR Rahman turns 48 today, so what better time to celebrate his music? Rahman, who began his journey in the music industry with Roja, has had an illustrious career with massive hits and many awards. In fact, he is the only Indian music composer to have won an Academy award for his work. Rahman's music, with influences from different genres like Sufi and world music, has stood out in the world of Bollywood music and has been an inspiration to many, including composer Amit Trivedi.
The composer's musical career began when he was a boy. His father was also a music director and once, when Rahman was nine, he was in the studio while his father was working and composed a fragment that went on to be the Tamil song, "Vellithen Kinnam Pol". The track, however, was credited to his father and Rahman's real debut came with Mani Ratnam's Roja. The film was a huge hit and its soundtrack was a fantastic success. Roja's songs were a hit down south and, once the film was released in Hindi, they won over Bollywood audiences too. Songs like "Roja Janeman" and "Chhoti Si Asha" became instant hits, bringing in much critical acclaim for the Rahman.
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