https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=A._R._Rahman%3A_The_Musical_StormA. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm - Revision history2026-08-07T00:37:40ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=A._R._Rahman:_The_Musical_Storm&diff=483802&oldid=prevManpreet23 at 05:31, 24 January 20262026-01-24T05:31:33Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Biography of an Indian music composer}}<br />
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2021}}<br />
{{Infobox book<br />
| name = A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm<br />
| image = A. R. Rahman- The Musical Storm cover.jpg<br />
| caption = <br />
| author = Kamini Mathai<br />
| country = India<br />
| language = English<br />
| series = <br />
| release_number = <br />
| subject = [[A. R. Rahman]]<br />
| genre = Biography<br />
| set_in = <br />
| publisher = [[Viking Press]]<br />
| published = 18 June 2009<br />
| media_type = Print<br />
| pages = 265<br />
| isbn = 978-06-70083-71-8<br />
| isbn_note = <br />
| oclc = 762648108<br />
| dewey = <br />
| congress = <br />
| preceded_by = <br />
| followed_by = <br />
| notes =<br />
| exclude_cover = <br />
}}<br />
'''''A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm''''' is a biography of the Indian music composer [[A. R. Rahman]] by the journalist Kamini Mathai. The book was released on 18 June 2009 by [[Penguin Books]]' subsidiary [[Viking Press]] and became a commercial success. Consisting of thirteen chapters, it describes Rahman's birth in Madras (present-day [[Chennai]]) in 1967, his 27-year-long musical career, and his marriage in 1995 to Saira Banu, with whom he has three children.<br />
<br />
Mathai was appointed by Penguin Books in early 2003 to write a biography on Rahman. In March the same year, she started contacting him through e-mails. He responded nearly one year later, and their first meeting happened the following six and seven months. In her writing process, she also met nearly other 100 people, including his family members and his colleagues. Critical reception of the book was mostly positive, with Mathai's writing and its contents getting the most attention.<br />
<br />
== Summary ==<br />
The book is written in a nonlinear narrative. It opens by describing Rahman winning the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] trophies for his composition in ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008) at the [[81st Academy Awards]]. It then chronicles his early years and early career, including his birth in 1967 in [[Madras]] (now Chennai) and his debut as a music director with the [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language romantic drama ''[[Roja (film)|Roja]]'' (1992), which would be his first of many collaborations with the director [[Mani Ratnam]]. The book also discusses his [[Bollywood]] debut with [[Ram Gopal Varma]]'s comedy-drama ''[[Rangeela (1995 film)|Rangeela]]'' (1995), his marriage to Saira Banu in 1995. The book further chronicles his conversion from [[Hinduism]] to [[Islam]].<br />
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== Background and release ==<br />
[[File:Opening Ceremony Hockey World Cup 2018 (39).jpg|thumb|left|[[A. R. Rahman]] (pictured) was able to respond to Kamini Mathai's e-mails after nearly a year]]<br />
Kamini Mathai is a Chennai-based journalist working for ''[[The New Indian Express]]'', ''[[The Indian Express]]'', and ''[[The Times of India]]''.{{sfn|Gautam 2009, Meet Lata Mangeshkar}}{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}} In 2003, she and other journalists were contacted by [[Penguin Books]] to write a biography on A. R. Rahman, and Mathai was ultimately chosen to write it.{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}} Although she accepted the offer, she had never been a fan of Rahman and did not know much about him.{{sfn|S. 2010, Maestro Rahman}} Mathai called writing the book a rough task since he was really busy at the time and unable to meet her easily.{{sfn|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}} Rahman's friends told her that emailing him was the only way to interact with him. Mathai first e-mailed Rahman the same year when he was on a world concert tour.{{sfn|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}}<br />
<br />
Mathai kept following up periodically until Rahman finally responded to her in ten or eleven months, and their first meeting occurred within the following six and seven months.{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}} "[You] have to be really, really close to him to finally get him to open up. He is very guarded about his past, about everything. So, I had to have eight paragraphs of information and then ask, 'Is this true, or why did you say this?', then he would open up. You have to be specific", she said.{{sfn|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}} In her research, Mathai also spoke to nearly 100 people, including his sisters—[[A. R. Reihana|Reihana]], Ishraat, and Fatima—though none of whom gave her much needed information.{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}} Mathai also met Rahman's mother and his colleagues. She revealed that hardest parts of her research were to collect information on his father, R. K. Narayan, and Rahman's early years.{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}}{{sfn|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}}<br />
<br />
Following a six-year research period, the book was published by [[Viking Press]] on 18 June 2009 on [[Amazon Kindle]].{{sfn|Mathai 2009, Amazon Kindle version}} Entitled ''A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm'', it marked Mathai's debut as a biographer as well as the first book on Rahman.{{sfn|N. 2009, A R Rahman}} Reports from the [[Press Trust of India]] mistakenly suggested that the book was an authorised one. Mathai clarified that it was not and added that before its publishing, she had sent him several chapters from the book but he had not had had the time to read them.{{sfn|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}} Two years later, Rahman confirmed that he had not read Mathai's book, so it was unauthorised by him.{{sfn|Raghavan 2011, A lot's in}} ''A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm'' was a commercial success and debuted at the fourth position in ''[[The Hindu]]''{{'s}} non-fiction best seller list in their 7 July 2009 issue.{{sfn|''The Hindu'' 2009, Bestsellers}} The book was released on hardcover on 20 December and its paperback version was released on 26 May 2010.{{sfn|Mathai 2010, Paperback version}}{{sfn|Mathai 2009, Hardcover version}}<br />
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== Critical reception ==<br />
The book has received positive critical acclaim, with praises directed towards the content and the writing. A review in [[Bollywood Hungama]] concluded, "In spite of apparent limitations that Kamini must have faced due to lack of extensive conversations with the man himself and the challenges that she would have faced to get to the bottom of the affairs when it came to certain controversies and clarifications, [it] still turns out to be a good and a detailed read."{{sfn|Bollywood Hungama 2009, Book review}} Deepa Ganesh of ''[[The Hindu]]'' described the book as an "anecdotal biography", further saying that its nonlinear narrative makes the work an "engaging book" that "humanises the deified Rahman",{{sfn|Ganesh 2010, The case of}} and critic in ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' newspaper described Mathai's book as "a balanced biography."{{sfn|''Dawn'' 2011, Non-fiction}} Writing for ''[[Madras Musings]]'', Savitha Gautam said the book made its readers "a little closer to Rahman, the person, but at the end you realise that he continues to be an enigma. And that's what makes the read interesting!"{{sfn|Gautam 2009, Meet Lata Mangeshkar}}<br />
<br />
''The Book Review''{{'s}} Safeeq Valanchery believed Mathai succeeded "in giving us a feel" about Rahman's early life and background.{{sfn|Valanchery 2010, On a rich}} Kaveree Bamzai of the ''[[India Today]]'' magazine likened the book with a "cut-rate [''[[crème brûlée]]'']", which is "crunchy on top and not gooey enough inside, and added that there is "a tendency to hang quotes like on an untidy clothesline".{{sfn|Bamzai 2009, Book}} S. Anand from ''[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]'' called it "a string of quotes", but thought that she was still unable to "unravel the 'mystery' behind Rahman's music".{{sfn|Anand 2009, Medley Messiah}} The film critic [[Sudhish Kamath]] elaborated: "Kamini Mathai's ''A.R. Rahman: The Musical Storm'' is full of such anecdotes that attempt to demystify one of the most enigmatic popular culture icons of our time."{{sfn|Kamath 2009, Demystifying A. R.}} ''[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]''{{'s}} Lalitha Suhasini complimented Mathai's research for the book, and said if there is one thing missing in the book, it is Rahman's "soul".{{sfn|Suhasini 2009, Pieces of the}} S. Subramanian from the Emirati newspaper ''[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]'', felt Mathai's writing is "so promising and generous with detail".{{sfn|Subramanian 2009, God of score}}<br />
<br />
== Publication history ==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"<br />
|-<br />
! scope="col"|Region<br />
! scope="col"|Release date<br />
! scope="col"|Format<br />
|-<br />
!scope="row" rowspan="3" |India<br />
|18 June 2009<br />
|[[Amazon Kindle]]{{sfn|Mathai 2009, Amazon Kindle version}}<br />
|-<br />
|20 December 2009<br />
|Hardcover{{sfn|Mathai 2009, Hardcover version}}<br />
|-<br />
|26 May 2010<br />
|Paperback{{sfn|Mathai 2010, Paperback version}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
{{refbegin|2}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Anand |first=S. |date=3 August 2009 |title=Medley Messiah |work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |url=https://outlookindia.com/magazine/story/medley-messiah/260071 |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822040454/https://outlookindia.com/magazine/story/medley-messiah/260071 |archive-date=22 August 2016 |ref={{Sfnref|Anand 2009, Medley Messiah}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Bamzai |first=Kaveree |date=25 June 2009 |title=Book: An Oscar encore |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20090706-book-an-oscar-encore-740108-2009-06-25 |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411040149/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20090706-book-an-oscar-encore-740108-2009-06-25 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Bamzai 2009, Book}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |date=7 July 2009 |title=Bestsellers |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Hyderabad, India |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Bestsellers/article15917191.ece |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913022151/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Bestsellers/article15917191.ece |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|''The Hindu'' 2009, Bestsellers}} |url-status=live }}<br />
* {{Cite web |date=20 August 2009 |title=Book review: A.R. Rahman – The Musical Storm |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/book-review-a-r-rahman-the-musical-storm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913074711/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/book-review-a-r-rahman-the-musical-storm/ |archive-date=13 September 2021 |access-date=13 September 2021 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]] |ref={{Sfnref|Bollywood Hungama 2009, Book review}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Ganesh |first=Deepa |date=4 February 2010 |title=The case of a curious keyboardist |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/The-case-of-a-curious-keyboardist/article15704242.ece |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913022347/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/The-case-of-a-curious-keyboardist/article15704242.ece |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Ganesh 2010, The case of}} |url-status=live }}<br />
* {{Cite magazine |last=Gautam |first=Savitha |date=1–15 July 2009 |title=Meet Lata Mangeshkar and A.R. Rahman |url=http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%206/otherstories.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116051126/http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2019%20No%206/otherstories.html |archive-date=16 January 2011 |access-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Gautam 2009, Meet Lata Mangeshkar}} |magazine=[[Madras Musings]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Kamath |first=Sudhish |author-link=Sudhish Kamath |date=30 June 2009 |title=Demystifying A.R. Rahman |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-bookreview/Demystifying-A.R.-Rahman/article15950922.ece |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913022300/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-bookreview/Demystifying-A.R.-Rahman/article15950922.ece |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Kamath 2009, Demystifying A. R.}} |url-status=live }}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |date=18 June 2009 |publisher=[[Viking Press]] |location=New Delhi, India |asin=B06XXZJQFS |ref={{Sfnref|Mathai 2009, Amazon Kindle version}}}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |date=20 December 2009 |publisher=Viking Press |location=New Delhi, India |asin=B01K3OT1X4 |ref={{Sfnref|Mathai 2009, Hardcover version}}}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |date=26 May 2010 |publisher=Viking Press |isbn=978-06-70083-71-8 |location=New Delhi, India |ref={{Sfnref|Mathai 2010, Paperback version}}}}<br />
* {{Cite web |last=N. |first=Patcy |date=9 June 2009 |title=A R Rahman, as you didn't know him |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1--ar-rahman-as-you-did-not-know-him/20090609.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703074430/https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1--ar-rahman-as-you-did-not-know-him/20090609.htm |archive-date=3 July 2012 |access-date=14 September 2021 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |ref={{Sfnref|N. 2009, A R Rahman}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |date=23 October 2011 |title=Non-fiction: The melody maker |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/668385/non-fiction-the-melody-maker |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018082317/https://www.dawn.com/news/668385/non-fiction-the-melody-maker |archive-date=18 October 2015 |ref={{Sfnref|''Dawn'' 2011, Non-fiction}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Raghavan |first=Nikhil |date=3 April 2011 |title=A lot's in a book |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/A-lots-in-a-book/article14668529.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210812074009/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/A-lots-in-a-book/article14668529.ece |archive-date=12 August 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Raghavan 2011, A lot's in}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=S. |first=Divya |date=18 June 2010 |title=Maestro Rahman, the elusive genius |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-maestro-rahman-the-elusive-genius-1336050 |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212012647/https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-maestro-rahman-the-elusive-genius-1336050 |archive-date=12 February 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|S. 2010, Maestro Rahman}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Sivaramakrishnan |first=Vidya |date=26 June 2009 |title='He always said he wasn't ready for a biography' |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Sisn13AAVQUydlkbC37BJI/8216He-always-said-he-wasn8217t-ready-for-a-biography.html |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913022418/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Sisn13AAVQUydlkbC37BJI/8216He-always-said-he-wasn8217t-ready-for-a-biography.html |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Sivaramakrishnan 2009, 'He always said}} |url-status=live }}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Subramanian |first=S. |date=14 August 2009 |title=God of score |work=[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]] |location=Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/god-of-score-1.529090 |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210913080307/https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/god-of-score-1.529090 |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Subramanian 2009, God of score}} |url-status=live }}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Suhasini |first=Lalitha |date=25 June 2009 |title=Pieces of the puzzle |work=Mint |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/mkO258L44saRatfpmpX7zN/AR-Rahman--Pieces-of-the-puzzle.html |access-date=13 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913075832/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/mkO258L44saRatfpmpX7zN/AR-Rahman--Pieces-of-the-puzzle.html |archive-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Suhasini 2009, Pieces of the}}}}<br />
* {{Cite magazine |last=Valanchery |first=Safeeq |date=January 2010 |title=On a rich trail |url=https://www.thebookreviewindia.org/on-a-rich-trail/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913075017/https://www.thebookreviewindia.org/on-a-rich-trail/ |archive-date=13 September 2021 |access-date=13 September 2021 |ref={{Sfnref|Valanchery 2010, On a rich}} |magazine=The Book Review}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* {{Google Books|id=gfCTmjEAChIC}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:2009 non-fiction books]]<br />
[[Category:Indian biographies]]<br />
[[Category:Viking Press books]]<br />
[[Category:A. R. Rahman]]</div>Manpreet23