AR Rahman breaks silence on his 'communal' remark controversy following backlash: 'Never wished to cause pain

AR Rahman

Music composer AR Rahman recently made headlines and faced backlash for his recent comments made during an interview. The music maestro has now broken his silence on the criticism, reiterating his love for India. The musician also clarified that it was never his aim to cause pain with his statements.

AR Rahman clarifies his remarks

Rahman took to Instagram to share a video statement. He began by calling India his teacher and home, saying, "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 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 further cited examples of how he has strived to use music to uplift India, saying, "I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables me to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices. From nurturing Jhalaa, presented at the WAVES summit in front of the honourable Prime Minister and Rooh-e-Noor, to collaborating with the young Naga musicians, to creating 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."

He concluded his statement saying, "I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past," and ended the video with footage of his song Maa Tujhe Salaam/Vande Mataram being played during a cricket match with a stadium full of people singing along

AR Rahman's controversial remarks

During an interview with BBC Asian Network, Rahman was asked whether he ever felt prejudice in Bollywood as a Tamil composer. He said, "Maybe I never got to know of this, maybe it was concealed by God, but I didn't feel any of this. The past eight years, maybe, because a power shift has happened, and people who are not creative have the power now. It might be a communal thing also… but it is not in my face." He also criticised Chhaava for cashing in on ‘divisiveness'.

He added, "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."