AR Rahman converted to Islam and changed his name from Dileep Kumar: 'A Hindu astrologer gave me Muslim name'

Not many know that the legendary music composer AR Rahman was actually born as Dileep Kumar Rajagopala in Madras. His father RK Shekhar was also a film score composer but he passed away just when Rahman was a little boy of 9 years. The family survived by renting out his father's musical equipments. While he was going through a tough time, Rahman had lost his hopes. That's when he met a renowned peer Qadri Saaheb and was impressed by him. He then converted to Islam when he was 23 along with his mother and sisters.
Rahman had opened up on it during an interview with Karan Thapar. He had said, "There was a Sufi who was treating him towards the end days before he died. We later met him after 7-8 years and that’s when we led another spiritual path which gave us peace.”
He had shared details about it in his biography. In a book by Nasreen Munni Kabir titled, 'AR. Rahman: The Spirit of Music', he said, "The truth is I never liked my name. No disrespect to the great actor Dilip Kumar! However, somehow my name didn’t match the image I had of myself. He suggested the names: Abdul Rahman and Abdul Rahim and said that either name would be good for me. I instantly loved the name, Rahman. It was a Hindu astrologer who gave me my Muslim name.”
The composer had also spoken about his life and how he had thoughts of suicide after his father passed away. He had said during an interview with Hindustan Times, "Up until 25, I used to think about suicide. Most of us feel they are not good enough. Because I lost my father, there was this void... There were so many things happening. (But) that in a way made me more fearless. Death is a permanent thing for everyone. Since everything created has an expiry date, so why be afraid of anything?"
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Rahman was in the news this weekend after he was briefly hospitalised owing to dehydration. The musician was admitted for medical evaluation but was discharged within a few hours after doctors confirmed he was in stable condition.
Amid speculation regarding his health, Rahman’s sister, Reihana, dismissed rumours that he had been hospitalised due to chest pain. Speaking to PTI Videos, she clarified, “Nothing happened. He had dehydration and gastric problems.”
Recently, Director-cinematographer and a good friend of Rahman, Rajiv Menon remembered working with a young Dileep Kumar (A.R. Rahman) in adverts before his breakthrough with Roja. In an interview with O2 India, he shared that Rahman was once very shy, speaking little, but now writes long emails and gives many interviews. Rajiv said Rahman’s deep devotion to his mother inspired his dream of creating a world-class music school in India. He praised Rahman’s immense contribution to Western music in India, highlighting that his school focuses on more than just profit. He also admired Rahman’s willingness to experiment with VR and his bold choices as a film producer.
Read more: Rajiv Menon opens up about AR Rahman's conversion to Islam and facing a lot of pressure from family: 'They didn’t know Hindi, I became the translator'