AR Rahman's iconic collaborations with actor Arvind Swamy in the 90s; see list

AR Rahman has composed songs for a wide range of films of different languages. He has also collaborated with various artists from several film industries. His collaboration with actor Arvind Swamy was one of the most noted actor-music director collabs of the 90s, as they churned out hits like Roja and Bombay. Here are their most memorable films:

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Best Tamil collaborations of AR Rahman and Arvind Swamy

Roja (1992)

One of the most iconic collaborations of AR Rahman and Arvind Swamy happened with the 1992 film Roja. Roja is a Tamil romantic thriller film. The film was helmed by director Mani Ratnam. It starred Arvind Swamy and Madhoo in the lead roles. The plot of the film revolves around Madhoo's character Roja who is in search of her husband, Rishikumar who is kidnapped by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir when he is undercover on a secret mission. The entire soundtrack of Arvind Swamy's movie is composed by AR Rahman. 

Late singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam has given voice to Arvind. Popular tracks from the film include Kadhal Rojave, Pudhu Vellai Mazhai also popularly known as Yeh Haseen Wadiyan from the Hindi Roja, Chinna Chinna Asaii, Rukkumani Rukkumani, and Paruvam Vanaga. This was AR Rahman's debut album and he received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction, Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil, and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for this soundtrack.

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Indira (1995)

Indira is yet another Arvind Swamy movie where he collaborated with AR Rahman. The film features Arvind along with Anu Hasan, Radharavi, and Nassar. It is directed and co-written by Suhasini Manirathnam. The film revolves around the caste system in 2 villages and depicts how the young adults in the village overcome it. AR Rahman had composed songs for this film as well and was critically acclaimed for the same. Rahman's songs from the film like Munnerudhan, Nila Kaikiradhu and Odakara Marimuthu had become immensely popular at the time in the Tamil film industry. 

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Bombay (1995)

AR Rahman's songs in Bombay garnered him a huge fan following across the country. The film starred Arvind Swami and Manisha Koirala in lead roles. The film is directed by Mani Ratnam. AR Rahman composed the music of the film and he received the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director for the fourth consecutive time. Songs like Kannanule, Humma Humma, and Uyire Uyire gained popularity. The film was also dubbed in Hindi and the Hindi version of Uyire Uyire became famous globally. 

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