“Rahman is a genius. We have grown up together and it’s a beautiful feeling to see him win the Oscars. What people dont know of him is that he has brought the limelight onto all his musicians and given them their due credit and recognition. I spoke to him in the morning and the first thing he said was “Thank you Siva.” That is how humble the man is. Every award is an Oscar and a Grammy for a musician but this win is definately a new bridge for the younger generation of musicians to follow. I plan a welcome percussion set that I’m going to play at the Chennai airport when he lands.”

— Sivamani, percussionist.

“His win has put Indian music on the global map. The best thing about Rahman winning is that this will lead to more collaborations between Indian and foreign artistes, apart from recognition of Indian talent in the international market. Rahman is a maverick musician who has an eye for talent. The amount of creative freedom he gives an artiste is something that I haven’t seen in many other music directors.”

—Suzanne D’Mello, singer.

“Rahman’s Oscar win is a moment of celebration for the entire country. It has been a pleasure knowing him and working with him. He is extremely shy and an introvert, but he is also like a child. Once he finds his comfort zone, then he opens up and can be full of surprises. I remember this instance when we were performing together the title track of Mangal Pandey on stage in Melbourne. Rahman is known to stand on one spot and sing into the microphone, but seeing the audience’s reaction Rahman actually danced during that performance. That was a first too!”

—Kailash Kher, singer.

“Thanks to Rahman this win has paved way for a lot of other deserving Indian musicians who will now be recognised at an international level. Rahman is one of the most spontaneous musicians whom I have come across. But he is an absolutely different person once he enters the studios. He transforms into somebody who loves to crack jokes and have fun, while bringing out the best in his artistes. He just gives a rough sketch of the song and tells us to improvise and from that he works wonders.”

— Mahalaxmi Iyer, singer.

“Resul (Pookutty) is a very hardworking man and he truly deserves the award. Winning the Oscar is great but also winning the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) award is an honour of a lifetime for any technician, which also Resul has won. So it’s a wonderful thing, without doubt.”