AR-Rahman 20 year celebration music & history

AR Rahman, Oscar winner and Mozart Of Madras, has completed 20 years in the world of music. In 1992, Rahman made a searing debut with Mani Ratnam’s Roja, redefining the sound of Bollywood. Countless awards have followed, among them two Oscars, two Grammys, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and four National Awards. And he shows no signs of slowing down. NDTV asked surfers to vote for their 10 favourite Rahman songs. You chose:Dil Se Re: The critically acclaimed song from the movie Dil Sefigures in the top spot. The song was a chart topper in 1998 and has achieved cult status ever since. It effectively captures the pain of Shah Rukh Khan in pursuit of his elusive beloved Manisha Koirala.Close on the heels of Dil Se Re is Dil Hai Chhota Sa, the chartbuster from Rahman’s first movie Roja. The movie, made in Tamil and dubbed in Hindi, was a riff on love against a backdrop of terror-gripped Kashmir. It finds a place at the second spot.

Chaiyyan Chaiyyan: Who can forget Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora Khan grooving on top of a moving train in Dil Se? The lyrics, written by Gulzar, are based on a Sufi folk song Thaiyya Thaiyya by poet Bulleh Shah. The song figures in the third spot.

Yeh Haseen Wadiya: Roja again. The soulful number makes it the fourth slot.

Kehna Hai Kya: The track from from the 1995 critically acclaimed film Bombay was picturised on actors Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy. It has been voted number five.

Khwaja Mere Khwaja: The soulful sufi melody from the film Jodhaa Akbar had listeners spellbound. Rahman said, “I am indebted to Khwaja Gharib Nawaz for the success of the song.” The song has been voted number six.

Humma Humma: The foot-tapping number, sung by pop star Remo, from the from the movie Bombay figures on the eight slot. The award winning film, based on the 1992 Mumbai riots, was directed by Mani Ratnam and starred Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala.The song finds a place in the seventh spot.

Rubaroo: The song from the movie Rang De Basanti had the entire nation on its feet. The voice behind the popular melody, Naresh Iyer, later said in an interview that he never thought the song would prove the break of his lifetime.The song won him the Best Male Playback singer at the National Film Awards. It finds a place in the eighth spot.

Rangeela Re: The song from the movie Rangeela made a star of Urmila Matondkar. The film was Rahman’s first Hindi film. He had previously only composed music for Mani Ratnam’s original Tamil films which were later dubbed in Hindi. The song figures in the nineth spot.

O Mitwa: Rehman dared to differ with this song from the movie Lagaan, a rural sound in a time of Western beats. The song rounds up the top 10.