28 October,2026 07:43 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Manoj Muntashir on Ramayana music (Pics/X)
As the songs of Ramayana receive mixed reactions, lyricist Manoj Muntashir has responded to comparisons with his work on Adipurush. Reacting to a report suggesting that the latest track, Mangal Rang, has a qawwali-like feel, he defended the music he wrote for the Prabhas-starrer. Manoj acknowledged the film's flaws but maintained that its songs were rooted in devotion.
On Wednesday, Manoj Muntashir took to Twitter, slamming a news report that said, "Is Ramayana repeating Manoj Muntashir's stunt?" The report claimed Ramayana's latest song, Mangal Rang, has the feel of a qawwali.
Strongly reacting to this report, Manoj Muntashir wrote on X, "Manoj Muntashir-style stunt? The country's self-proclaimed best news channel has said something that is completely ignorant. My brother, I wish my stunt had been repeated in the songs of the Ramayana. Adipurush was a very bad film, the dialogues were even worse, but the songs, every child in the country sings them. Go to Shri Ayodhya sometime, and you'll hear nothing but Adipurush songs playing in every alley."
He shared that there was no lack of devotion in the songs that were created for Adipurush and said, "The mistake I made, I've apologized to the Ram devotees for it countless times, and forgiveness was granted, but don't challenge the songs. There was no lack of devotion, dedication, or poetry in them. I didn't write nursery rhymes for Ram, nor qawwalis. People ahead are wise; they know who's worth what. Jai Shri Ram."
Adipurush starred Prabhas as Lord Rama, Kriti Sanon as Sita, and Saif Ali Khan as Ravana. Its music was composed by Ajay-Atul. The film was mounted on a massive budget of Rs 550 crore but was mired in controversies over its dialogue and depictions of Ravana and Lord Rama.
Talking about Ramayana, the film is mounted on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore, and the first part is all set to release on November 5. The film's songs are out and are garnering mixed reviews. Oscar-winning singer-composer AR Rahman has addressed the trolling and mixed public response to the songs of the film. The composer said he had no energy to check the feedback but was aware of the chatter. "We do so much work, filtration, ideation, and iteration that there's no energy left to look at feedback! We just put it out because it's been tried and tested so much."
