After his recent “communal” remark triggered a controversy, AR Rahman has now said, “I understand that 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.”
AR Rahman on ‘communal’ remark
Music maestro A R Rahman has been facing a lot of backlash for his remark on ‘communal’ bias in the Hindi film industry. The legendary Oscar-winning composer has stated that India is not only his home, but also his inspiration and his teacher. He also shared that he never wanted to hurt anyone’s sentiments. Rahman took to his social media handles, shared a video in which he can be heard, “Dear friends, music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring a culture. India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that 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.”
He added that he feels blessed to be an Indian, which enables him to work in a space that allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices. Reflecting on his journey, which according to him has also strenghened his purpose, the singer and composer added, “From nurturing Jhaala presented at the Wave Summit in front of the honourable Prime Minister and Ruhi Noor, to collaborating with the young Naga musicians, to create a string orchestra, to mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra, also building Secret Mountain, India’s first multicultural virtual band and the honour of scoring Ramayana alongside Hans Zimmer, each journey has strengthened my purpose.”
Concluding his statement, Rahman said, “I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future. Jai Hind. Jai Ho”, and added a footage of people singing his patriotic track Maa Tujhe Salaam Vande Mataram in a stadium at the end.
A.R.Rahman speaks out & responds with clarity.#ARRahman pic.twitter.com/0YiFOJMA2v
— A.R.Rahman News (@ARRahman_News) January 18, 2026
During a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, Rahman spoke about getting limited work offers in Bollywood in the last eight years. He said, “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.” He also called Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava “divisive” and said that it “cashed on the divisiveness.”
