Indian music maestro A R Rahman has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) here. The Oscar-winner is the youngest and the first musician to get the honour, which was presented to him last night by his highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

Previous recipients of the honour are Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover, Terry Gilliam, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai. Rahman's soulful compositions blend the intricacies of Western and Indian classical with folk sounds, Qawwali and symphonic orchestral themes. The 45-year-old composer, who has made a distinct print in Indian and world cinema music, said he is a sort of multicultural person, having been exposed to both the Indian and Western culture through his music. "A R Rahman is an inspiration for countless musicians and composers, and has brought a fresh infusion of talent to the Indian film industry. Through his international foray, working with some of the world's most accomplished musicians, he demonstrated the power of music to cross all barriers and connect with a global audience," said festival chairman Abdulhamid Juma. "We are honoured to present Rahman with the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award." Rahman will also kick off his world tour with a concert in Dubai on December 9; the concert is supported by the Festival.

Winner of two Academy Awards and two Grammys, Rahman is among the youngest recipients of DIFF's Lifetime Achievement Award, which singles out cinema and industry legends from Arab cinema, Asia and Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. His work for 'Slumdog' Millionaire, which was screened at DIFF 2008, won two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song. Most recently, he joined forces with Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger on 'SuperHeavy', a supergroup also featuring Joss Stone, Dave Stewart and Damian Marley. He also composed music for the Mandarin film, 'Warriors of Heaven & Earth'. Other international film credits include '127 Hours', 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' with Craig Armstrong and 'Couples Retreat'.