AR Rahman almost turned down 'Slumdog Millionaire'? Composer reveals why
What's the story
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, who gave the world the iconic Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, has revealed that he almost turned down the project. Speaking at TIFF 2025, he recalled how his then-manager had warned him against collaborating with director Danny Boyle. "Actually, what happened was my agent at that time said, 'Don't do this because you might get fired,'" Rahman said in the interview.
Composer's choice
'A leap of faith and courage'
Despite the warning, Rahman decided to go ahead with the project. He revealed, "I said, 'Okay, nobody will know that I got fired if I don't tell it out.' So, I scored the movie, and Danny was amazing." "You have all the system around, which confuses you. So, I went ahead with it, and the result was great." "It was actually a leap of faith and courage."
Hidden process
He kept the project a secret from his team
Rahman also admitted that he kept the entire process of composing the music for Slumdog Millionaire a secret from his team. He said, "I did it in secret. The team thought it was a documentary or something like that." "It brought in a bigger international audience for me. In life, you get certain projects which are very blessed."
Artistic pressure
'I torture myself,' says Rahman on his creative process
When asked if he is a hard man to please, Rahman said, "Please myself? Yes. I torture myself. I am not seeking validation." "Sometimes, I have sleepless nights for a month, thinking about why I did something and how I should have done better." He added, "Even with mixing or anything else. I have trained a lot of people now so that even if I miss anything, they do the last checkup."
Future endeavors
Meanwhile, on Rahman's new project
The Oscar-winning composer is currently composing for Hansal Mehta's ambitious series Gandhi, featuring Pratik Gandhi in the lead role. He will also be collaborating with Hollywood giant Hans Zimmer for Ramayana. The film's iconic track Jai Ho won him two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.