AR Rahman says his parents were thrown on streets, father worked 3 jobs to get a house: ‘I was seeing trauma every day’

Oscar-winning music composer and singer AR Rahman has often spoken about his difficult childhood. In a recent conversation with Nikhil Kamath on his YouTube channel, the musician recalled experiencing daily trauma in his early years and watching his father work three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads.

Rahman revealed that it was his mother who encouraged him to pursue music, and after his father passed away when he was just nine, he took on the responsibility of supporting the household. He shared that much of his childhood was spent in studios with 40- and 50-year-old musicians, leaving him with little time to enjoy school life or spend time with friends.

AR Rahman on his father’s struggles

He said, “I think when I was growing up, I went through a lot of things, like my father’s and grandmother’s deaths. I was just nine years old when this happened, and I was seeing trauma every day. My mother was a single mother, and she was a very confident lady. She took all the pain, and she had to go through so much to protect us. She was such a strong woman who withstood all kinds of humiliations and single-handedly brought us up.”

Rahman also reflected on his father’s financial struggles and added, “Yes, I have spent most of my life in Chennai. I was born there, and my father used to work in the studios. We used to live in the belly of the beast, near Kodambakkam, where all the studios used to exist. My father and mother were thrown onto the street by his family members. He started living in a rented house and worked day and night to get us that house. Working three jobs at the same time, and then because of that, his health went berserk. That’s the dark side of my childhood, and it took a lot of time to get over that trauma.”

AR Rahman’s recent work

AR Rahman is currently garnering praise for his music in Anand L. Rai’s upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein. The movie, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles, is set to release in cinemas on 28 November. Meanwhile, the composer is preparing to perform live in Pune at the MCA Stadium on 23 November. The event will also feature appearances by Aamir Khan, Boney Kapoor, Sukhwinder Singh, Chinmayi and Hariharan.