‘Very Difficult For A Tamil Person To…’ AR Rahman’s Communal Bias Remark Sparks Debate As Musician Opens Up About Prejudice In Bollywood

A R Rahman’s recent comments about bias in the Hindi film industry have really stirred things up. The Grammy-winning composer, famous for his music in both Hindi and Tamil films, opened up in a BBC interview about losing out on work he thinks maybe communal reasons played a part.

AR Rahman Sparks Debate With Remarks on Bias in Hindi Film Industry

Rahman, who was born a Hindu and later converted to Islam, explained why he hasn’t done more Bollywood projects, even though he’s such a big name.

As a Tamil-speaking music director, he talked about just how tough it was breaking into what he calls “North Indian” homes.

He’s always felt like an outsider. When he talked about finally working with Subhash Ghai, people online picked up on it right away. “Honestly, even after Roja, Bombay, and Dil Se, I was still an outsider,” Rahman told the BBC.

“Taal changed that. Suddenly, everyone had that album in their house. North Indians it’s like they grew up with it because it had a bit of everything: Punjabi, Hindi, mountain music.”

Why was AR Rahman told to learn Hindi by THIS director? 

He went on, “For a Tamil person, speaking Hindi can be really hard. We’re attached to our language. But then Subhash Ghai told me, ‘If you want to stick around, you need to learn Hindi.’

So I did, but I went further and picked up Urdu too, because that’s the heart of Hindi music from the old days. And then I got into Punjabi, thanks to Sukhwinder Singh. I actually asked around, ‘Does anyone know a singer who can write and sing in Punjabi?’ That’s how my friend Brij Bhushan introduced me to Sukhwinder.”

Then there’s the question of bias in Bollywood. Rahman said, “Maybe I’m not supposed to know about it maybe God shielded me from all that. But I didn’t really feel it directly. Maybe in the last eight years things have changed, now that non-creative people hold the power. Maybe it’s communal too, but it’s not out in the open. It’s more like whispers someone will tell me, ‘You were booked, but then the music company hired their five usual composers instead.’ I just think, fine, that gives me more time with my family. I’m not desperate for work. I want the work to come to me, because I’ve earned it. I get what I deserve.”

AR Rahman’s Remark on Bollywood Bias Triggers Online Debate

His comments about Tamilians not always being welcomed in the Hindi film scene set off a political firestorm.

Politicians from different parties jumped in; some backed Rahman, others didn’t see it the same way.

Besides alluding to group prejudice in the industry, Rahman also shared the story of how he wrote music on the movie Ramayana: The Introduction of Ranbir Kapoor and Yash. I replied, I attended a Brahmin school, and we had Ramayana and Mahabharata annually, and I am familiar with the tale. It is a tale of what a good man is like, greater principles, and all of that. People can argue but I treasure all those good things – any good things you can learn. The prophet has also mentioned that knowledge is something invaluable, regardless of where it comes into possession a king or a beggar, a good deed or a bad one. You can’t shy away from things.”

He said, too, I believe we must get above petty-mindedness and self-doubt. This is because, when we rise and we are glorious – we are a glorious of that, and that is a great thing. It is such love that I am proud of the entire project, since it is India to the rest of the world. Hans Zimmer is a Jew, I am a Muslim and Ramayana is a Hindu text (text).

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