Dubai International Film Festival to Honor Indian Music Composer A. R. Rahman with Lifetime Achievement Award

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LONDON - The eighth Dubai International Film Festival will honor Indian music composer A. R. Rahman with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Winner of two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards and a raft of laurels for his impressive body of work in Indian and international films and music, 45-year-old Rahman is the first musician to be feted by DIFF with its crowning honor.

Described as the ‘Mozart of Madras,’ the south Indian city he hails from, Rahman is among the youngest recipients of DIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which singles out cinema and industry legends from Arab cinema, Asia and Africa, and Europe, the Americas and Australasia, for their contribution to the film industry.

The Indian composer, singer, song-writer, record producer, musician and philanthropist has more than 100 film sound-tracks to his credit in several Indian languages as well as English and Mandarin. His work for Slumdog Millionaire, which was screened at DIFF 2008, won two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song, while his score for 127 Hours, which screened at DIFF 2010, won him Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations.

Festival chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “A. R. Rahman is an inspiration for countless musicians and composers, and has brought a fresh infusion of talent to the Indian film industry. Through his international foray, working with some of the world’s most accomplished musicians, he demonstrated the power of music to cross all barriers and connect with a global audience.

DIFF, this year, also presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran Egyptian actor Gamil Rateb. Rahman will receive the award during DIFF, to be held from Dec. 7 to 14.