A R Rahman plucks the strings of a harp following a rehearsal at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Rahman's popularity and credibility as a music composer par excellence remains undisputed. He proved that at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), United Kingdom. 

Rahman conducted the orchestra, which featured his compositions for films like Bombay, Lagaan, Dil Se.., Meenaxi, Warriors of Heaven and Earth (the Chinese film) as well as the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams.

The music whiz has sold over 40 million recordings worldwide. Need we say more?

Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images