AR Rahman says his mother thought his Oscar statuettes were made of gold

In an interview with Film Companion, the music composer revealed that his late mother Kareema Begum stored all his international awards in her Dubai home, wrapped up in a towel because she thought they were made of gold.

"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.

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

Meanwhile, Rahman also has six National Awards and over 32 Filmfare Awards (Bollywood + South) among others to his credit. He revealed in the same interview that he keeps the Indian awards in a special room in his hometown, Chennai. "Some of them haven't come to me. I think some of the directors have kept them like a souvenir," he added.

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. Kareema Begum died in 2020.