The "Mozart Of Madras", India's legendary musical icon, the one and only A R Rahman turns 49 as he celebrates his birthday today January 6, 2016.
Here we take a look at the top ten most popular and award winning films of the music maestro, the films which made him the man and the legend that he is today.
1. Rangeela - This 1995 movie was one of the earliest films which Rahman composed music for. The film's soundtrack became extremely popular upon release and all songs from the album became chartbusters. With this film, Rahman proved to one and all that he was a force to be reckoned with and he went on to win the Filmfare Award for his work in the film.
2. Dil Se - With this film, Rahman was back in fine form once again. All the songs of this film superseded the other in terms of music and melody which only the genius can create. The soundtrack album was widely lauded and became a chartbuster upon release fetching Rahman a Filmfare Award for his work.
3. Taal - Undoubtedly, A R Rahman was getting bigger and bigger with each film he composed music for and this 1999 film was one amongst them. The soundtrack of the film became a huge and critical and commercial success upon release and made its entry into "The Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time" list. Rahman made a clean sweep of all the music awards that year including the Filmfare Award.
4. Lagaan - Everyone knows the fact that 'Lagaan' is on the biggest blockbusters of all time but the soundtrack of the film which was composed by Rahman too was its equivalent. Upon release, the soundtrack became highly popular, with all songs becoming huge hits. It also received high critical acclaim, with many reviewers stating it as a "Magnum Opus" by A. R. Rahman. It is described as one of Rahman's finest and most successful works to date. The rich background score of the film also got great critical acclaim and is said to have contributed immensely to the film's success.
5. Rang De Basanti - For this film, Rahman integrated traditional Punjabi cultural elements within his music for the soundtrack. The soundtrack won the Filmfare Best Music Director Award, and had two of its tracks, "Khalbali" and "Luka Chuppi", were considered for an Academy Award for Best Original Song nomination.
6. Jodhaa Akbar - The acclaimed score and soundtrack of this film marked Rahman's third collaboration with Ashutosh Gowariker after Lagaan, and Swades. The soundtrack album was met with very positive reviews, with most of the reviewers hailing the album a magnum opus by Rahman and as always the genius made a clean sweep at the music awards with a Filmfare Award.
7. Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle, the director of the film stated that he chose Rahman as the music composter because not only does he draw on Indian classical music, but he's got R&B and hip hop coming in from America, house music coming in from Europe and this incredible fusion is created. Rahman won the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and won two out of three nominations for the Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song for Jai Ho.
8. Rockstar - The soundtrack album of this film is a musical journey that sails through ballads, Gujarati folk, Sufi music and gypsy notes from an unheard Czech tradition. The soundtrack met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, with most critics citing it as the best album of 2011. Rahman won the International Indian Film Academy Award as well as the Filmfare Award for his score in the film.
9. Jab Tak Hai Jaan - The soundtrack of this film marked the first ever collaboration of director Yash Chopra with A.R. Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. According the Rahman, the soundtrack was a rare combination of old charm and soul music which he wanted to do for quite a long time. The maestro won the Bollywood Cosmopolitan Award for his work in the film.
10. Highway - Expectations of the audiences were as always high especially since A R Rahman had composed the music for this film. And much to the audiences delight, Rahman did not let them down. Two of the songs from the soundtrack, "Maahi Ve" and "Patakhaa Guddi" clenched second position on iTunes India single charts on their respective release dates as singles. The whole soundtrack album was also a critical and commercial success upon release.