What struck me most in this conversation with AR Rahman was not his mastery but his humility. He talks openly about fear, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and why he constantly leaves comfort to evolve.
We got into everything, Bombay Dreams, London, Hollywood, Oscars, classical music’s future, AI composition, spiritual surrender, and why consistency matters more than lifestyle.
If you’ve ever wondered how someone stays grounded while being celebrated globally, you should watch this!
Timestamps:
00:00 – Early Life, Bangalore–Chennai Roots
03:17 – Childhood Trauma, Losing His Father & Growing Up in Studios
08:25 – Mother’s Strength, Family Survival & Entering Music Young
10:30 – Playing for Composers, Jingles & Early Experiments
13:30 – Building Panchathan Studio & Mani Ratnam Discovery
24:00 – The 90s Trend Change & Redefining Indian Music
26:36 – Classical Music, Gurus & The Spiritual Side of Art
31:00 – AI, Contrarian Thinking & Beating Predictive Models
34:29 – Talent, Practice, Singing & Evolving at Any Age
40:00 – Global Work: UN, KM Conservatory & Purpose-Driven Projects
43:18 – Fame, Privacy & The Price of Being Recognised
47:15 – Creativity, Tech & DM Collaborations
53:33 – Live Experiences, Theatre & Reinventing Entertainment
56:15 – Meta Glasses & His Passion Project
1:14:12 –His Personal Headspace, Altruism & Religious Beliefs
1:29:40 – Tu Hi Re: The Making, History & Magic Behind the Song
1:35:40 – The Future of Cinema: Immersive Screens, Haptics & Sound
1:43:54 – Final Thoughts: India, Scale, News & What’s On His Mind
#nikhilkamath : Co-founder of Zerodha and Gruhas
Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast
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#arrahman : Indian musical composer and record producer
Twitter - https://x.com/arrahman
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