Top 10 A R Rahman songs of all time

8 years ago

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The music maestro has given innumerable hit albums not just in India, but also in the West. While it is a difficult task to select a few favorites out of a plethora of superhit numbers, we bring to you a list of top 10 A R Rahman albums in all languages.

1. Roja: At a time when Rahman was quite content composing for jingles, his mentor and ace director Mani Ratnam pushed him to further explore his talent. Holding admission forms to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in one hand and an offer of Roja in the other, A R Rahman decided to go with the latter, and the rest was history. The music of this film is undoubtedly one of his biggest achievements in music and a game-changer in his life. His compositions for the Hindi movie too, ensured his path-breaking foray into Bollywood films.

2. Duet: In his first ever collaboration with legendary director K Balachander, A R Rahman weaved magic again with the music of Duet. With the use of saxophone in most of his compositions, the music of the film was refreshing, and ‘Anjali Anjali’ turned out to be one of the most soulful songs of all time.

3. Thiruda Thiruda: The OST of the Tamil comedy thriller from 1993 is also considered to be a benchmark in his career. With songs like Chandralekha and Veerapandi Kottayile in the album, A R Rahman showed the majestic combination of a number of different instruments and techno pop elements infused with traditional vocals.

4. Kadhalan: Songs like ‘Urvashi Urvashi’, ‘Pettai Rap’ and ‘Mukkala Mukabla’ combined the eclectic music of Rahman with Prabhudeva’s dance moves. The floating suit sequence in Mukabla was a smashing hit with the audiences, and the number of copies made of the song bagged in a Limca Book of Records for Rahman!

5. Bombay: The OST of this film ranged from an explosive ‘Humma Humma’ to a divine composition like ‘Tu Hi Re’/’Uyire Uyire’. The movie also earned him global recognition as it made to The Guardians list of ‘1000 albums to hear before you die’. It features in every list of the top songs of 90s as well as the most memorable songs of Rahman, making it a must have in our A R Rahman jukebox.

6. Dil Se: The maestro of Chennai took Bollywood by storm with his soulful notes in ‘Dil Se Re’. Other songs in the album like ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’, ‘Ae Ajnabi’, ‘Jiya Jale’ and ‘Satrangi Re’ showcased his wide range of musical capabilities and ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ remained a chartbuster for a long time.

7. Rang De Basanti: From the peppy Punjabi title track voiced by singer Daler Mehndi, to the soothing and heart-wrenching duet Lukka Chupi with Lata Mangeshkar, the OST of this patriotic drama touched a chord with millions instantly. Songs like Tu Bin Bataaye, Roobaru, Khalbali and Masti Ki Paathshala tapped into the sentiments of audiences and became all-time favorites of youngsters.

8. Slumdog Millionaire: The film which put A R Rahman on an international pedestal has to feature in every list made on him ever! His internationally acclaimed song ‘Jai Ho’ was loved across the globe and also fetched him two Academy Awards. He also produced compositions like Latika’s theme and Ringa Ringa for the film, which were loved by people all over.

9. 127 Hours: His first top-notch film in Hollywood grabbed him a lot of eyeballs and headlines. His composition ‘If I Rise’ was also nominated for the Best Original Score for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe as well as a BAFTA, to name a few.

10. Maa Tujhe Salaam/Vande Mataram: A R Rahman’s version of the national song in his 1997 studio album is the largest selling Indian non-film album to date. A critical and commercial hit, this song is an all-time favorite the country.