AR Rahman has clarified the intentions behind his recent remarks suggesting that the Hindi film industry may have become more “communal” in the last eight years. The Oscar-winning composer made this insinuation while confessing that he’s been getting less work due to a “power shift” in the Hindi music industry. On Sunday, Rahman took to Instagram to share a video statement, clarifying his stance.
“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. I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices,” said Rahman in the video.
He added, “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 create a string orchestra to mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra, and 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.”
“I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future. Jai Hind and Jai Ho,” Rahman concluded. The video ended with a cricket stadium singing in unison his 1997 seminal patriotic song “Vande Matram”.
In the video, AR Rahman also listed recent efforts undertaken for the progress of India’s music landscape, including JHALAA, a raga-based music ensemble, and the all-women ensemble Rooh-E-Noor, led by his daughter Khatija Rahman. He mentioned the Sunshine Orchestra, which provides free Western classical music education to underprivileged children, and Secret Mountain, a digital band powered by Artificial Intelligence.
Rahman is co-composing the score for Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana, collaborating with Hans Zimmer on the project.
