Music maestro A R Rahman to receive Lakshminarayana International Award

Music composer A R Rahman will be honoured with the Lakshminarayana International Award this year, organisers of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival announced.

The award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the arts, will be presented at a special ceremony on December 15. The event will mark the curtain raiser to the 35th edition of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival and will take place at Rasika Ranjani Sabha.

Rahman, among India’s most influential music composers, is widely credited with reshaping the sound of Indian cinema. A two-time Academy Award winner, he has sold over 150 million records worldwide and composed music for more than 100 films and albums.

His body of work includes iconic films such as Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours.

Trained in Western classical music at Trinity College, London, Rahman founded Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai, now considered one of the country’s most advanced recording studios. He made his debut with Roja, winning the National Award — the first of a record seven National Awards received by an Indian composer.

Rahman is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.