'Hindu Astrologer Gave Muslim Name': When AR Rahman Felt His Hindu Name Dilip Kumar Didn’t Match His Image

AR Rahman has been vocal about his faith and beliefs, not everyone is aware that a Hindu astrologer actually came up with the moniker Allahrakha Rahman for him. The Oscar-winning composer described how the death of his father was a major turning point in his life and led to his spiritual rebirth. AR Rahman, who was born Dilip Kumar, converted to Islam with his family following the passing of his father. The musician revealed that he never felt fully attached to his own name.

AR Rahman said in a rare interview with Dawn, "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."

ALSO READ - Do You Know AR Rahman Faced Severe Poverty In Childhood? Legendary Singer Left Studies And Converted To Islam 

AR Rahman recalled the occasion that resulted in his renaming: his mother wanted to speak with him about his sister's marriage, so he went to an astrologer. "Sometime before we started on our journey on the path of Sufism, we went to an astrologer to show him my younger sister’s horoscope because my mother wanted to get her married. This was around the same time when I was keen to change my name. The astrologer looked at me and said, ‘This chap is very interesting.'"

ALSO READ - AR Rahman Net Worth: Oscar-Winning Singer Beats Diljit Dosanjh? Check His Income, Properties And Assets

The well-known singer disclosed that the astrologer instructed him to choose between two names: Abdul Rahman and Abdul Rahim. "I instantly loved the name Rahman. It was a Hindu astrologer who gave me my Muslim name. Then my mother had this intuition that I should add Allahrakha [Protected by God], and that’s how I became AR Rahman," he shared.