AR Rahman Birthday Special: 15 Brilliant Soundtracks of the Oscar-Winning Composer Which Surpassed the Failures of the Film and Lived On!

AR Rahman, well, what can you say about the man who defined the music of our generation? Before he kinda lost some of his mojo post his twin Academy Award wins for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), nearly everything that AR Rahman composed was pure gold. The Mozart of Madras, as he is affectionately nicknamed, began his career in Tamil industry in 1992 with Mani Ratnam's Roja. The blockbuster success of the music made him one of the most in-demand composers. In 1995, Rahman made his Bollywood debut with Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela, whose score again went super-hit and brought Rahman lot of offers in the industry. In Bollywood itself, the composer gave awesome soundtracks that enhanced the film's image in the public. Like Lagaan, Taal, Indian, Saathiya, Range De Basanti, Raanjhanaa and more. U2, AR Rahman’s ‘Ahimsa’ Song Is a Beautiful Ode to Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Violence Principle (Watch Video).

At times, the films for which Rahman had scored the music flop at the box office, but its music score continues to enchant the listeners for years. In this special feature, we look at 15 such soundtracks by Rahman that survived the box office failures of the films and made a legacy for themselves in the musical world.

Dil Se...

Mani Ratnam's first foray into Bollywood is an underrated classic, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. The movie didn't work at the box office theme, as the audience didn't expect to see such a dark, slow-paced film. Well, you cannot blame them for their wrong expectations, as Dil Se... was promoted heavily on the infectious "Chaiyya Chaiyya" track. Rahman and Gulzar spelt magic with all the songs in the film. The title track, "Jiya Jale", "Satrangi Re" and "Ae Ajnabi" are all considered musical gems!

Listen to Dil Se... Jukebox:

Swades

Another Shah Rukh Khan film that is considered a classic these days, but couldn't hit the bulls' eye at the box office. One thing that worked then and now too was Rahman's sublime score. Some of our favourite tracks in the film are the title track, "Yeh Taara", "Yun Hi Chala", "Pal Pal Hai Bhari" and "Dekho Na".

Listen to Swades Song Dekho Na:

One 2 Ka Four

There is some curse associated when AR Rahman collaborates with Shah Rukh Khan. Three films that Rahman gave an awesome score for the Bollywood superstar, they failed to work at the box office. The one time that Rahman gave an average score for SRK, the movie, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, was a hit. Speaking of One 2 Ka Four, this Shashilal Nair family thriller was a disaster at the box office. But the soundtrack was a blockbuster with songs like "Khamoshiyan Gungune Lagi" and "Sona Nahi" still ruling our playlists.

Listen to One 2 Ka Four Song Khamoshiyan:

Ada... A Way of Life

Pretty sure that very few people have heard about this film. Stuck in the cans for years, this romantic gangster drama came out in 2010 and left the theatres without a whimper. Interestingly, Rahman had scored the music for the film in 2001 after Lagaan, and some of the tracks are pretty awesome. The songs that come to our mind are "Ishq Ada Hai", "Meherbaan", "Hawa Sun Hawa" and "Milo Wahan Wahan".

Listen to Ada Jukebox:

Daud

Ram Gopal Varma's second and last collaboration with AR Rahman for Daud was a flop at the box office. The black comic thriller, starring Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar, went on to be a cult hit in television. Cannot say the same about the soundtrack that used to rule the musical charts then and works well even now, like "O Bhanware", "Shabba Shabba" and "Yeh Jaan".

Listen to Daud Jukebox:

Doli Saja Ke Rakhna

Priyadarshan's remake of the Malayalam hit Aniyathipravu starred Akshaye Khanna and Jyothika. It had a wonderful track by AR Rahman. While the movie didn't draw in the crowds, the songs have been loved by the fans of the composer. Some of the big hits of the album are "Taram Pum", "Kissa Hum Likhenge", and "Bol Sajni Mori Sajni".

Listen to Doli Saja Ke Rakhna Jukebox:

1947 - Earth

Deepa Mehta's second film in her Elements trilogy (also featuring Fire and Water) is an under-appreciated film, The partition drama has one of Aamir Khan's finest performances, in his first negative role. The movie's offbeat treatment and dark themes didn't make it a mainstream release, but AR Rahman's score was very popular. Songs like "Ruth Aa Gayee Re",  "Dheemi Dheemi",  "Raat Ki Daldal Hain" and "Ishwar Allah" are popular even now.  "Ishwar Allah" was even recreated for PM Narendra Modi biopic.

Listen to 1947 - Earth Song Ruth Aa Gayee Re:

Thakshak

Govind Nihalani's gangster drama featured Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rahul Bose in the lead. While it received critical acclaim, the movie didn't work well in its theatrical run. The movie featured a really underappreciated Rahman score, though a couple of songs like "Jumbalika" (borrowed from Rahman's own Tamil film, En Swasakatre) and "Rang De" were big hits then. Over the years, songs like the serene "Khamosh Raat", "Dheem Ta Dare" and "Boondon Se Baatein" became popular with Rahman fans.

Listen to Thakshak Song Khamosh Raat:

Pukar

Anil Kapoor won his sole National Award as an actor for his brilliant performance in this Rajkumar Santoshi film. Ambitiously made (Anil himself had produced the film), Pukar had a great ensemble and awesome music from AR Rahman. Songs like "Kay Sera Sera",  "Sunta Hai Mera Khuda",  "Kismat Se Tum" and "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" are still loved by music lovers. Unfortunately, the movie failed to work its magic at the box office, despite getting good reviews.

Listen to Pukar Jukebox:

The Legend of Bhagat Singh

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is another Rajkumar Santoshi film where the lead actor, in this case, Ajay Devgn won a National award, and the movie didn't work at the box office. This film too, like Pukar, got good reviews from the critics and the people who did see the film. And like with Pukar, Rahman's score for TLOBS was brilliant, from the patriotic "Desh Mere", the rousing "Rang De Basanti Chola" to the heart-tugging but inspiring "Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna".

Listen to The Legend of Bhagat Singh Jukebox:

Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities

The late artist MF Hussain's second feature film wasn't exactly designed for the mainstream audience, despite its beautiful visuals and AR Rahman's score. Speaking of the score, who can not love the fantastic tracks in the film like "Yeh Rishta",  "Chinnamma Chilakkamma",  "Do Kadam" and the controversial "Noor-Un-Ala-Noor".

Listen to Meenaxi Jukebox:

Yuva

Mani Ratnam's experimental political thriller is known for reviving Abhishek Bachchan's career then. The movie did below-average business at the box office, but over the years, gained recognition as a cult classic. AR Rahman, who always gives his best to his mentor, serves another delectable soundtrack, with songs like "Kabhi Neem Neem", "Dol Dol", "Dhakka Laga Bukka", "Fanaa" and "Khuda Hafiz" being pretty much chartbusters.

Listen to Yuva Jukebox:

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero

Shyam Benegal's biopic on the freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose was critically acclaimed. Its box office performance wasn't impressive, but the underrated score is. Rahman's tracks feature from wonderful lyrics from Javed Akhtar. Some of our fave tracks are "Aazadi", "Ekla Cholo", "Desh Ki Mitti" and "Ghoomparani".

Listen to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero Jukebox:

Delhi-6

After the success of Rang De Basanti, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and AR Rahman collaborated again for this social drama, featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor in the lead. While the film didn't earn the RDB success, its soundtrack earned rave reviews from the critics. Noteworthy songs - "Masakali", "Arziyan",  "Rehna Tu", and "Genda Phool".

Listen to Delhi-6 song Masakali:

Tamasha

Imtiaz Ali's romantic drama featuring Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor is considered underrated for being loved by those who had seen the film, but it didn't become a hit at the box office. AR Rahman, who was (and still is) is going to a creatively lean phase of his career, pulls off a surprisingly great soundtrack for the film. Some of our favourite songs in the film are "Matargashti", "Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai",  "Safarnama" and "Agar Tum Saath Ho".

Listen to Tamasha Jukebox:

AR Rahman turns 53 on January 6, 2020. On behalf of the LatestLY desk, we wish the magician with the beats Many Many Happy Returns of the Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 06, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).