A. R. Rahman Won a National Film Award for Roja, Then a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, Two Oscars and Two Grammys for Slumdog Millionaire

On Sunday, 22 February 2009, A. R. Rahman received two Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles: Music (Original Score) for Slumdog Millionaire, and Music (Original Song) for “Jai Ho”, where the Academy credits the music to Rahman and the lyric to Gulzar. He had three nominations that night, the third being “O Saya”, credited to Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam. Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in all, and the Academy lists Resul Pookutty among the three winners for sound mixing.

Behind those two awards sit a Tamil film from 1992, an album made for India’s 50th Independence Day, and two Government of India honours. This piece follows the official lists and credits every other claim to the outlet that makes it.

The jury’s citation for Roja

Roja is a Tamil film, 137 minutes long, written and directed by Mani Ratnam and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. In the catalogue for the 40th National Film Awards, the Directorate of Film Festivals credits Arvindswamy and Madhubala in the leading roles, Santhosh Sivan as cinematographer, A. R. Rahman as music director and Vairamuthu as lyricist. Its synopsis describes Rishi Kumar, a computer scientist, who goes with his wife Roja to Kashmir, where militants abduct him. Roja appeals to the police, the army and the militants’ leader for his return.

According to the News Minute, the film opened on 15 August 1992, a Saturday, a day the makers chose over the usual Friday because it was Independence Day. That outlet also describes the dubbed versions as a huge success across the country.

Three National Film Awards for Roja are recorded in the catalogue. It won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, with a Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) and ₹30,000 for the producer and ₹15,000 for Ratnam. Vairamuthu won Best Lyrics. Rahman won Best Music Direction, with a Rajat Kamal and ₹10,000. Praising “the harmonious blend of western and Karnatak classical music” in the film, the jury’s citation adds that the two systems complemented each other without losing their identities.

Rahman’s catalogue profile says he had performed in recordings and on tours with L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain and David Byrne, had scored advertisements and documentaries, and had only recently begun work on film soundtracks. He was 25 and composing advertising jingles when Ratnam brought him to the film, the News Minute adds.

A 1997 album for the 50th Independence Day

Two filmmakers, Bharat Bala and Kanika, conceived, funded and directed a project to mark 50 years of independence, and Rahman made the album, the News Minute reported in 2018. Vande Mataram came out in August 1997, three days before the 50th Independence Day. Sony Music had entered India that year, and Rahman was its first signing, on a three-album contract, the same article says.

Its title song is “Maa Tujhe Salaam”. Mehboob wrote the Hindi lyrics and Vairamuthu wrote the Tamil version, “Thai Manney Vanakkam”. Bala and Kanika shot a video for it across the country and released it free, while Sony sold only the album. For another track, “Gurus of Peace”, Rahman travelled to Pakistan to record with the singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The News Minute calls the cassette a bestseller and says television channels, radio stations and programmes in educational institutions still play songs from the album every Independence Day and Republic Day. It also records some grumbling that patriotism was being commercialised.

In July 2024, PTI reported, Rahman posted a 41-second video on X of the Indian cricket team singing along to “Maa Tujhe Salaam” at the Wankhede Stadium ceremony in Mumbai for the T20 World Cup win. The BCCI shared a clip of its own.

The song whose name the album carries

Bankimchandra Chatterji’s national song “Vande Mataram” is believed to have been written on Akshaya Navami, 7 November 1875, the Ministry of Culture says. It first appeared in the journal Bangadarshan as part of his novel Anandamath, and in 1882 as a standalone book. On 24 January 1950, Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, declared that it would be accorded equal honour with “Jana Gana Mana”.

Nationwide celebrations of its 150 years were approved by the Union Cabinet on 1 October 2025, and the year-long commemoration runs from 7 November 2025 to 7 November 2026. Rahman’s “Maa Tujhe Salaam” is a separate piece with its own lyrics, and the album shares the national song’s name.

From the Golden Globe to the Grammys

Hosted at the Beverly Hilton on 11 January 2009, the 66th Golden Globe Awards gave Best Original Score to Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire, according to the Golden Globes’ own record.

BAFTA’s release of 8 February 2009 says the film won seven awards at the Royal Opera House in London, including Best Film. Screen International’s list of winners gives the music award to Rahman.

Two weeks later came the Oscars. Alongside the two Rahman wins, the Academy’s ceremony page lists Danny Boyle for Directing, Christian Colson for Best Picture, Simon Beaufoy for the adapted screenplay, Anthony Dod Mantle for cinematography and Chris Dickens for editing.

At the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on 31 January 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Rahman won two more. Grammy.com lists them as Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for Slumdog Millionaire, and Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for “Jai Ho”. For the song it credits Gulzar, Rahman and Tanvi Shah.

Rahman was nominated again at the 83rd Academy Awards on 27 February 2011, for the score and for the song “If I Rise” (lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong) from 127 Hours. He did not win either. Golden Globes also lists a 2011 nomination for that score.

Rahman’s other scores and the Padma list

Aamir Khan’s name sits on the same 2010 Padma Bhushan list as Rahman’s. Tuput’s profile of Aamir Khan, Lagaan and Dangal covers his side of it, and WION credits Rahman with composing Lagaan. Outlook credits him with the music of Rang De Basanti, the film at the centre of tuput’s piece on Rang De Basanti at twenty.

A President’s Secretariat notification of 26 January 2000 lists “Shri Allah Rakka Rahman (Art- Music), Chennai, Tamil Nadu” among the Padma Shri awards. Padma Bhushan followed in the Gazette of 31 March 2010, which lists “Shri A.R. Rahman, Art, Tamil Nadu”. Both entries appear in the Ministry of Home Affairs’ year-wise directory, a Padma Shri for 2000 and a Padma Bhushan for 2010, each under art and Tamil Nadu.