AR Rahman wakes Resul Pookutty at 3:30 am to introduce him to Hans Zimmer, makes an unexpected video call

When you get a call before dawn break, your immediate response could be panic, but for Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, the same cannot be said. The call was from his dear friend, Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman. Pookutty didn’t find anything unusual about the video call. AR Rahman was beaming, and Pookutty thought, perhaps his dear friend had completed scoring or had a great day post-performance. But when he panned the camera towards a ‘gentleman’ sitting next to him, the sound designer couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Hans Zimmer!

An unexpected call and one hell of a surprise

On Wednesday, February 4, morning, Resul Pookutty took to his social media handle and recounted how an unexpected early-morning video call from AR Rahman turned into a once-in-a-lifetime introduction to Hollywood legend Hans Zimmer!




“Woke up early, probably haven't slept after what happened in the wee hours of the morning. Got a call from @arrahman at 3.30 am, beaming with energy, jubilant-probably he just finished scoring something or finished a performance, I’m not sure from the setting. As usual, he teased me, ‘You sleeping (?!?!)’. I sat up and said: ‘Ya, Sir!” he recalled.

But what followed was something Resul Pookutty could have never expected. AR Rahman turned his camera towards iconic composer Hans Zimmer and said, “Ok, meet @hanszimmer.”

“And there he was, the towering, gigantic creative force of Hollywood in a white T-shirt, saying ‘Hi’ and waved at me! I couldn’t believe that's how my introduction to the real Hans Zimmer was!!! I could not control myself I kept screaming ‘omg, omg, omg!!!’” he added.

The fanboy moment was surreal, but it was still an ‘embarrassing’ introduction, according to Pookutty. Why? “It was so embarrassing for me and for him to be introduced to each other in a half-naked me and in half-sleep and daze mode.”

But Hans Zimmer quickly eased the moment and said, “AR has this habit of waking up people at night and introducing people!”

The introduction wasn’t like one would imagine, but it surely was a ‘lifetime memory for the sound designer. Resul Pookutty concluded the note, thanking AR Rahman, “I hear his laughter at the back, the childlike laughter, ever curious! Now I made a** of myself in front of the real Hanszi, and I’m sorry! I didn’t sleep after that and still wondering-was that all a dream?! Thank you, AR, for giving me this lifetime memory, but this was not how you were supposed to introduce me to Hanszi!”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Resul Pookutty’s next outing is ‘Aazhi’ starring Sarathkumar. The film is slated for release on February 27. On the other hand, AR Rahman’s recent release was ‘Gandhi Talks’ starring Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Siddharth Jadhav.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”