AR Rahman reveals mother kept his Oscar awards wrapped in towel: She thought it was of gold

AR Rahman has revealed that his mother wouldn't keep his Oscar awards out on display. Instead, his late mother Kareema Begum used tostore all his international awards wrapped in towels in her Dubai home, because she thought they were made of gold.

In a candid chat with the Film Companion, Rahman revealed that all his International awards are kept in Dubai.

“I have kept the international awards in Dubai because it was wrapped in a towel… my mom wrapped it in a towel. She thought it was gold. So after she passed away, I went to her room, took them out and I gave it to the Dubai Firdaus studio. It’s in the Firdaus studio in a nice showcase," Rahman revealed.

Rahman has won two Oscars, two Grammys, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for Danny Boyle's 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire,for the track Jai Ho, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and written by Gulzar.

Rahman has also won six National Awards and over 32 Filmfare Awards. He said that he keeps his Indian awards in a special room in his Chennai home.

"Some of them haven’t come to me. I think some of the directors have kept them like a souvenir," he added.

Rahman on mom's contribution in shaping his career

In a recent chat with Netflix India, Rahman revealed how his mother helped him during his struggling days. “When I built my studio, I didn’t have money to buy an amplifier or equaliser. There was just an AC with a shelf and carpet. I used to be sitting there not having money to buy anything. I built this and was sitting inside with no equipment. My first recorder came after my mom gave her jewels to be pledged. That is when I felt empowered. I could see my future, that one moment I changed," he said.

Rahman's motherKareema Begum died in 2020.

Rahman's music in the recently released Amar Singh Chamkila has been topping all music charts.

His music will be next heard in the film Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam andstarring Kamal Hassan.