AR Rahman recalls a childhood marked by trauma, poverty and survival; says, ‘My father and mother were thrown onto the street’

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has offered a deeply personal look into his difficult childhood, reflecting on the trauma, poverty and resilience that shaped his early years. In a recent conversation with Nikhil Kamath on his YouTube channel, the music maestro revisited memories of growing up amid emotional loss and financial instability, which left a lifelong impact on him.

Rahman explained that he witnessed struggle from an early age, especially after the deaths of his father and grandmother. Losing his father at just nine years old left the family in a vulnerable situation, his mother became the sole provider. Recalling those years, Rahman said, “I think when I was growing up, I went through a lot of things, like my father’s and grandmother’s deaths. I was just nine years old when this happened, and I was seeing trauma every day. My mother was a single mother, and she was a very confident lady. She took all the pain, and she had to go through so much to protect us. She was such a strong woman who withstood all kinds of humiliations and single-handedly brought us up.”

His father, composer RK Shekhar, had already endured years of hardship in an industry that offered little stability. Rahman recalled how his parents were forced out of their home by family members, pushing them into a life of rented accommodation and relentless work.

Describing that phase, he added, “Yes, I have spent most of my life in Chennai. I was born there, and my father used to work in the studios. We used to live in the belly of the beast, near Kodambakkam, where all the studios used to exist. My father and mother were thrown onto the street by his family members. He started living in a rented house and worked day and night to get us that house. Working three jobs at the same time, and then because of that, his health went berserk. That’s the dark side of my childhood, and it took a lot of time to get over that trauma.”