AR Rahman’s slip of the tongue and explanation

“Ma Tujhe Salaam” was a masterpiece and a commemoration of 50 years of India’s independence in 1997. The patriotism of AR Rahman who composed the music for the legendary song should be beyond doubt. He need not explain it. But thanks to the intolerance that is growing in the country by the day, he had to make amends for the comments he made in his BBC Asian Network interview. Whatever he had to say he said cheerfully without any rancour. He said less work is coming his way due to the power shift in Mumbai film industry. While talking about the divisive tone of recent films, he mentioned Chhaava (2025) for which film he was the music director. Oscar-winning and Tamil Nadu born Rahman said in his interview,

“I am not in search of work. I want the work to come to me … I feel it’s a jinx when I go in search of things …People who are not creative have the power now to decide things and there 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 is great, rest for me. I can chill out with my family.” Rahman’s reference to communal thing led to widespread debate in and outside the film industry. The problem for Rahman is complicated because he gave that interview on January 17 to Pakistani journalist Haroon Rashid.

The Precedent of Backlash: From Aamir to Deepika

The Hindu sentiment is very much there in India. After Deepika Padukone supported JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh who was assaulted by ABVP members during anti-CAA protests, her film Chhaapak (2020) was embroiled in deep controversy. Aamir Khan commented on growing intolerance and he had to pay the price for saying so with his 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha which faced boycott campaign and losses at the box office. In November 2015, Aamir Khan stated that his then-wife Kiran Rao suggested they consider moving out of India due to a sense of insecurity and growing intolerance, fearing for their child’s safety. This comment ignited a huge debate. In the same year another Bollywood hero Shah Rukh Khan on his 50th birthday said there was extreme intolerance in India. That created another round of controversy. In January 2020, Saif Ali Khan stirred controversy by questioning the historical accuracy of ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ after collecting a fat pay cheque for playing the antagonist Udaybhan Singh Rathod in the same film. There were propaganda films like The Kashmir Files (2022), Kerala Story (2023) which distinctly portray Hindutva line. Films of this nature were blessed by the BJP government with tax concessions and vocal support.

Artistic Contradictions: Scoring the ‘Hindu Epic’

Rahman was branded as ungrateful since he criticized the movie for which he scored the music. His attitude is difficult to explain towards the community which he accuses of affecting his career while composing the music to upcoming Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Hindu epic, Ramayana in collaboration with Oscar-winning Hans Zimmer. He proudly says in the same BBC interview that he is a Muslim and Zimmer is a jew and they don’t have any problem in jointly working for a Hindu film.

Industry Reactions: A House Divided

However, Javed Akhtar commented, “I have never felt that way. I meet people in Mumbai. They have great respect for him (Rahman). Rahman is such a big man even a small producer is afraid of going to him. But I don’t think there is any communal element.” The BJP supporter and famous actress Kangana Ranaut had something bitter to say about Rahman. Actor Jaaved Jaafery, whose Mayasabha is about to be released, carefully said, without pointing out his figure at anyone, “over the years the film industry has changed as the world has undergone change. Lyricist and poet Manoj Muntashir expressed his disagreement with Rahman. Ram Gopal Varma whose comments against Rahman went viral earlier has clarified his stand now and said Rahman is a great person and greatest music composer. He told an interviewer in Telugu that Rahman charged three crore of rupees for lending his name and getting the composing done by someone else.

The Retraction and the Reality of Being a Minority Icon

Ultimately Rahman reacted to the debate around his BBC interview. He said in a video released separately in this contest, “Indian music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring our culture. India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that the intentions can sometimes be misunderstood, but my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I have never wished to cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt. I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables me to create a space which always allows freedom of expression, and celebrates multi-cultural voices.”

This is the problem with every Indian Muslim today, more so with Indian Muslim celebrities. It is a fact that the political party ruling at the centre and about twenty Indian states is using divisive politics to remain in power. The BJP banks on Muslim bashing for consolidating the Hindu votes. It has succeeded in three successive elections. Right from the prime minister in Delhi to the Municipal corporator in Mumbai, all the BJP leaders are aware of this political tactics. Not that all Hindus hate Muslims.

And the Muslim celebrities like Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and others are aware of this fact. They sometimes feel bold to ventilate their feelings. They get caught when they are a bit careless in their expression. They cannot afford to hurt the sentiments of the Hindus who comprise 80 percent of the country’s population. They have no other home to go. Their producers and audiences are here. They have to perform, live and die here. They cannot stick to their statements like actor Prakash Raj does. They are as patriotic as any one of us. They should not complain because they are Muslims. They should learn from celebrities like Javed Akhtar.

Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy

Prominent Journalist

Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy is a versatile journalist with a distinguished career. Dr. Murthy began his extensive career with Andhra Prabha of The Indian Express group in Bengaluru. He was editor of Udayam, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothy. Dr. Murthy founded and edited HMTV news channel and The Hans India, an English newspaper. He was also editorial director of the Telugu newspaper, Saakshi. He was awarded Ph. D for his research work in rural reporting. Dr. Murthy’s five decades in journalism showcases his influential roles across both print and electronic media. He wrote the political biography of NTR published by Harper Collins.