Music connoisseur A. R. Rahman is set to be honoured with the Lakshminarayana International Award at the curtain raiser of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival 2025. Presented annually to legendary artists who have created an everlasting impact in the world of arts, this year the honour will recognise the Oscar-winning composer and singer A. R. Rahman for his remarkable contribution to global music.
The award will be presented in a special ceremony that marks the beginning of the 35th year of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival. The event will take place on Monday, 15 December 2025, at Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Chennai at 2 pm, as mentioned in an official press release. The moment also becomes significant as the festival continues to uphold the legacy of celebrating icons who push artistic boundaries across cultures and demographics.
The everlasting brilliance of A. R. Rahman’s musical industry
A. R. Rahman, a two-time Academy Award winner and one of the most influential composers in the world, has been instrumental in transforming the sound of Indian cinema. With more than one hundred film albums and over one hundred fifty million records sold globally, his landmark works include Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours.
The legendary musician was trained in Western classical music in his earlier days at Trinity College. He later founded the pioneering Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai and made a historic entry into films. He entered the industry with Roja, which earned him the National Award. He has since won six more National Awards, which is the highest number of national awards for any Indian composer, along with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
Beyond musical boundaries
Rahman continues to expand his magic of music beyond cinema through projects like his VR film Le Musk and by nurturing new talent through the KM Music Conservatory, the Sunshine Orchestra, the Firdaus Orchestra and his recent ensembles Rooh e Noor and Jhalaa. Through the A. R. Rahman Foundation, he remains committed to education and philanthropy while continuing to bridge tradition, technology and culture on the world stage.
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A timeless tribute through generations
In January 2023, Dr. L Subramaniam and A. R. Rahman came together with three generations of musicians to create a new version of Don't Leave Me, the soulful piece Dr Subramaniam originally composed in 1985 for his father. The latest version was made as a tribute to Professor V Lakshminarayana for his one hundred and eleventh birth anniversary, marking yet another beautiful chapter between the two icons.
