AR Rahman's Mom Believed His Oscar and Golden Globe Statuettes Were Gold: 'She Wrapped Them In Towel'

AR Rahman has won two Oscars, two Grammys, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for Danny Boyle’s 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for the track Jai Ho, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and written by Gulzar. Meanwhile, Rahman has won six National Awards, among others to his credit. In an interview, he shared that his late mother, Kareema Begum, kept all his international awards in her Dubai home, wrapped in a towel, thinking they were made of gold.

The maestro shared, “I have kept the international awards in Dubai because it was wrapped in a towel… my mom wrapped it in a towel. She thought it was gold. So after she passed away, I went to her room, took them out and I gave it to the Dubai Firdaus studio. It’s in the Firdaus studio in a nice showcase.” He also revealed that some of the awards didn’t reach him. “Some of them haven’t come to me. I think some of the directors have kept them like a souvenir,” he added.

In a recent chat with Netflix India, Rahman shared how his mother supported him during tough times. “When I built my studio, I didn’t have money to buy an amplifier or equaliser. There was just an AC with a shelf and carpet. I used to be sitting there not having money to buy anything. I built this and was sitting inside with no equipment. My first recorder came after my mom gave her jewels to be pledged. That is when I felt empowered. I could see my future, that one moment I changed,” he said.

Imtiaz and Rahman recently collaborated on Amar Singh Chamkila and the music received rave reviews. The film was released on Netflix and stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles. Imtiaz and Rahman frequently collaborate with lyricist Irshad Kamil to weave cinematic magic.