A R Rahman opens up about overcoming childhood struggles; credits mother’s support in difficult times

Music director A R Rahman opened up about entering a spiral of depression and experiencing harmful thoughts during his childhood. The musician said it was his mother who helped him overcome thoughts of death and said her advice helped him in his later years.

The Oscar-winning composer spoke to students at an event organised by the Oxford Union Debating Society. “My mother told me we would not get such thoughts if I lived for others. That is one of the most beautiful advice my mother gave me. I took that seriously. I realised that living for others keeps you going,” said the singer who shared a close bond with his mother.

He added that he followed the same advice when composing songs. “Things like composing music for others, writing for someone, buying food for those who can’t afford to do so, keeps people going,” he said. “Also, limited knowledge about the future keeps you going. We don’t know whether something extraordinary awaits us. Sometimes, I feel like I have done everything and am in a repetitive mode, but then something bigger happens,” he said. The musician, in 2018, had spoken about a dark phase in his life and said he had felt a void in his life after his father’s death.