Music legend and double Oscar-winner AR Rahman has once again spoken about the deeply emotional and challenging experiences that marked his early childhood. In a candid chat with Nikhil Kamath on his YouTube channel, Rahman looked back at the turbulent years that shaped him long before fame, success and global recognition came his way.
Rahman revealed that his first memories of life are tied with responsibility, loss and struggle. He shared that his father, who worked in Chennai’s busy Kodambakkam film studios, took on three jobs at a time just to keep the family afloat. The pressure of constant work eventually took a toll on his father’s health, leaving a lasting impact on the young Rahman.
He said that his father and mother were once left homeless by extended family members. The couple started their life again in a rented house while his father worked relentlessly to buy a home for them. Rahman shared that watching these hardships unfold in front of him became a part of his everyday life.
The composer recalled the most painful chapter, losing his father and grandmother around the same time, when he was only nine years old. “I was just nine years old when this happened, and I was seeing trauma every day,” he said. After his father’s passing, financial responsibility fell on Rahman, who began spending most of his time in recording studios among much older musicians. This left him with almost no childhood no school fun, no playtime, and no real youth to look back on.
He added that his mother played the biggest role in keeping the family together. He described her as a strong and confident woman who absorbed every setback silently while making sure her children remained protected. “She took all the pain… she was such a strong woman who withstood all kinds of humiliations and single-handedly brought us up,” Rahman said.
