Happy Birthday A R Rahman: Top 10 albums

Roja
Roja, released in 1992 was the debut work of music maestro and Oscar winner Allah Rakha Rahman. Roja is considered a milestone in Indian film music that heralded the start of a new era. It was also listed in Time magazine's ‘10 Best Soundtracks’ of all time. A. R. Rahman won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction which was won for the first time ever by a debutant. 


Dil Se
Dil Se featured six soundtracks composed by A R Rahman. The song Chaiya Chaiya, on SRK and Malaika Arora Khan, became popular internationally and was listed as one of the top 10 songs of all-time in an international poll. The song is written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It immediately became popular upon its release and its music video gained the same status.

Taal
The soundtrack of the Taal marked the beginning of a famed collaboration between A. R. Rahman and Subhash Ghai. Taal's album became a big critical and commercial success. At a press conference, Ghai remarked, "I credit the name of the movie to composer A. R. Rahman." The soundtrack also made to the list of ‘Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks of All Time’ and Rahman did a clean sweep at all the music awards that year.
Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle’s film Slumdog millionaire featured songs composed by our very own A R Rahman. Slumdog Millionaire got A R Rahman his first Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and won two out of three nominations for the Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song for Jai Ho. The song ‘Jai Ho’ also won the Oscars, which Rahman shared with lyricist Gulzar.
Jodhaa Akbar
The soothing score and soundtrack of the film Jodhaa Akbar was Rahman's third collaboration with Ashutosh Gowariker after Lagaan, and Swades. The album received positive reviews, with most of the reviewers hailing the album a magnum opus by Rahman. The film emerged out as the biggest winner at many music awards. The fine background score won the film many awards including Filmfare Best Background Score and IIFA Best Background Score. The soundtrack was also nominated in numerous categories.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
The soundtrack of Jaane tu…ya jaane na composed by A R Rahman held the number one spot on all the music charts. It was well received by the audiences and the critics, with "Pappu Can't Dance" becoming one of the major hits of 2008. Rahman, who won major international awards for his music in Slumdog Millionaire, was awarded with the Filmfare Best Music Director Award and the Star Screen Award for Best Music Director for this soundtrack.
Delhi 6
Like most A R Rahman compositions this one was also acclaimed all over. Considered to be one of the best works of Rahman, the highly acclaimed soundtrack won almost all awards for Best Music direction and playback singing that have been declared so far.
Rockstar
Musical romantic drama Rockstar was one of Rahman’s best work ever. Kun Fayakun, a qawwali composed by Rahman for the film, is dedicated to Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. The music video of Sadda Haq, another track, which has Ranbir Kapoor performing in front of a live audience, became close to being a youth anthem.
Rang De Basanti
The sound track of Rang De Basanti composed by A R Rahman bagged many prestigious awards in 2009. Aamir Khan, with his knowledge of Hindi and Urdu, worked with Rahman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi for the film's soundtrack. Song Luka Chuppi was sung by veteran Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman. He integrated traditional Punjabi cultural elements within his music for ‘Khalbali’.
Swades
A. R. Rahman's soundtrack in Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi starrer Swades was acclaimed by critics and audiences. His background score won him the Filmfare award. Lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar.