AR Rahman’s ‘Communal Thing’ Remark Sparks Debate

Celebrated composer A R Rahman has sparked a heated debate after suggesting that a subtle “communal thing” may be one of the reasons he is receiving less work in Hindi cinema today. The Oscar-winning musician made the remarks during a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, attributing the shift to changing power dynamics within the industry. He described the situation as reaching him through “Chinese whispers”.

“People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, ‘Oh that’s great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family’,” he said.

In the same interview, Rahman also reflected on his early years in Hindi cinema and the linguistic barriers he felt. He recalled how filmmaker Subhash Ghai once advised him to learn Hindi if he wanted longevity in the industry.

Without referring to Rahman directly, lyricist and author Javed Akhtar dismissed the idea of a communal divide in Hindi cinema. “Dilip Kumar was Yusuf Khan and was more beloved than his contemporaries Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. Meena Kumari played Hindu characters without her faith ever being questioned. Today, Shah Rukh Khan is loved across religions, and Mohammed Rafi moved millions with his bhajans. The Hindi film industry is completely free of communal bias,” Akhtar said.

A prominent producer-director, speaking on condition of anonymity, was far more blunt. “This is a very cheap shot. I didn’t expect this from ARR. Has he noticed how much the quality of his work has dipped in recent years? His demands are enormous. He charges almost three times what other composers do, insists that every film be labelled ‘An A R Rahman Musical’, and delays are common because songs are not delivered on time. These are the real reasons for the drop in demand, not some imagined communal angle,” the filmmaker said.