A.R. Rahman: The Genius Who Took Indian Music Global | Nikhil Kamath | People by WTF | Ep 15
A.R. Rahman talks with Nikhil Kamath about creative independence, musical influences, practice, artistic education and AI. He reflects on working across traditions, making space to experiment and what human participation brings to performance. Personal recollections and predictions are presented as his views from November 2025.
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Rahman recounts how a home studio gave him room to experiment without immediate judgment, and how varied musical influences shaped his work. He discusses resisting industry pressure, continuing practice, early artistic education and learning with collaborators. His ideas about AI and the value of live human performance are personal expectations from November 2025, not established limits or promised outcomes.
Key Takeaways
A private working space changed how he experimented
Rahman describes building a home studio as empowering because he could test work and judge a result before presenting it to others. He contrasts that with the scrutiny of larger studio sessions. The takeaway is about reducing friction around experiments, not a directive to buy expensive equipment or a claim that a studio alone produces great work.