AR Rahman shares inspiration behind embracing Islam

MUMBAI - AR Rehman is a masterclass artist of the Bollywood film industry. The music maestro that has established himself as a force to reckon with in the Indian music scene, has with time become a global icon of unfathomable success owing to the long list of milestones and feats he has achieved.

In a recent interview with Indian publication, got candid and opened about his much-talked conversion to Islam, becoming a filmmaker and more.

It is no secret that AR Rehman was born in a Hindu family. His birth name was Dileep Kumar, however, he, along with his entire family embraced Islam after Rahman’s father passed away.

His mother, now Kareema Begum, was a spiritual person, and through her husband’s illness, visited various temples and churches, consulted holy men and tried every religion-led remedy. It is during this time that she met a Sufi preacher, who had a lasting impression on her.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpF_CBuFCdq/

Sharing his thoughts about his love for Islam, Rahman said, “It’s not about converting to Islam, it’s about finding the spot and seeing whether it presses the button in you.

The spiritual teachers, the Sufi teachers, taught me and my mom things that are very, very special. There are special things in every faith, and this is the one we chose. And we stand by it.

“Prayer,” he added, “has been extremely beneficial. It has saved me from many falls. In between prayers, I think, ‘Oh, I have to pray, so I can’t do this mischief’. People from other faiths do the same thing and are peaceful too. For me, this works!”

The great music composer who has now unleashed his filmmaking skills is helming his second film venture. His first one was named 'One Heart', a Virtual Reality documentary that follows one of his musical tours.

Talking about the experience of donning the filmmaker avatar, Rahman shared, “Almost every movie that has a musician shows him as a loser. He is kicked out of his house, his wife runs away, he gets into drugs and finally, there is a funeral.

"Amongst families, when someone says ‘My son is a musician,’ they are asked ‘Okay, but what job does he have? This was my original thought. I said, let’s do a story with this perspective, have all the eye candy in it, and challenge myself for the music as well,” shared Rahman.

“Truth be told, I didn’t know how to frame my sentences earlier. My speaking could not keep up with my thoughts. Music is easy: you can do it with your fingers and heart. Talking is not, so I thought to speak less and working more is better.

"Also, Krishna is the son of my friends Trilok and Sharda, who had once introduced me to Mani Ratnam.  But after I read the first three chapters, I was sold. I knew I had done the right thing," he stated.

Below is the sufistic song video composed by the great artist AR Rahman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pam8tXa6pkM