"I want to do less work." That's AR Rahman, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India on 30 October, two days before a three-hour concert in Mumbai and three weeks before his first Wonderment show in Delhi. Rest, apparently, starts after the encore.
Tonight and 21 November
The Wonderment Tour plays Jio World Garden, Mumbai, on 1 November and Backyard Sports Club, Delhi, on 21 November. Delhi is the tour's first stop in the capital. EVA Live produces both shows, and tickets are sold only on District by Zomato, according to Variety India and ETV Bharat.
Both outlets describe a set of about three hours. Expect the 90s classics from Roja, Bombay and Dil Se, reworked versions of his recent film songs and international work, and a large ensemble of guest singers and musicians. "The wonderment continues with new wonders of songs, arrangements, and energy," Rahman said when the dates were announced.
Where the show came from
Wonderment opened in 2025 at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, in front of more than 50,000 people. The same year it went on a 16-city North American run, from Vancouver to Boston, per Rolling Stone India. It has since played Hyderabad and Bengaluru. "It's the same show, but it's not the same show!" Rahman told THR India. "The show keeps changing, it keeps evolving."
The 'less work' part
Thirty-four years after Roja, his debut score for Mani Ratnam, Rahman told THR India he wants "more time to study nature, be with family, all that stuff." On constant work: "You constantly work; you become like a slave to it, which you should not be." On why he keeps going anyway: "I get bored. That's the answer."
His schedule doesn't look like a man slowing down. According to the same interview, he is co-writing a biography, Rahman: A Renaissance, with Rupa Chakravarthi, and will score the songs for Mani Ratnam's Inji Vellam, which has finished shooting.
Ramayana, Zimmer and AI
He called Ramayana: Rise of a Legend the biggest film of his career. He is scoring it with Hans Zimmer, the two Oscar winners' first collaboration on an Indian feature film. T-Series took the music rights for both parts against a refundable advance of ₹75 crore, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter India and Deccan Chronicle. Part 1 is slated for Diwali 2026 and Part 2 for Diwali 2027.
On AI, he was frank: "The bigger challenge is the onset of AI." He also sees the upside: "Now, it's empowering to have tools that can surpass that."
Why it matters
India's concert winter is crowded with international debuts. Rahman's back catalogue, from Roja to Ramayana, may be the one setlist that spans three generations of the same family. If he really is cutting back, these could be the shows people later wish they hadn't skipped.
