AR Rahman has been in the headlines after saying work has slowed down for him in the Hindi film industry over the last eight years, attributing it to a "power shift" and "communal" politics in the industry. Amid the chatter, an old interview of Ram Gopal Varma went viral, where he claimed AR Rahman didn't compose the Oscar-winning song Jai Ho and that Sukhwinder Singh composed the music apart from singing it.
Referring to the ongoing chatter, Ram Gopal Varma posted a statement on X today. He wrote: "To all concerned... I am being misquoted and misread out of context in the matter of the Jai Ho song... in my view. @arrahman is the greatest composer and the nicest human being I ever met and he's the last person to take away anybody's credit... I hope this puts an end to the negativism surrounding the issue."
What Ram Gopal Varma Said in His Old Interview
In an old interview, Ram Gopal Varma claimed that AR Rahman didn't compose the song Jai Ho for Slumdog Millionaire. He further claimed that singer Sukhwinder Singh composed it and later received Rs 5 lakh from Rahman.
He narrated an incident in detail, claiming Rahman robbed credit for the song from Sukhwinder Singh.
"Rahman was doing a film called Yuvraj for Subhash Ghai. Rahman is notorious for delays. Subhash Ghai messaged Rahman. He said, 'I have dates for Salman Khan [and] Katrina Kaif. I have a set. If you don't give me songs, what will happen?' He sent a very harsh email to Rahman, who was in London at the time. So Rahman called and said, 'I'll come to Bombay. Come to Sukhwinder Singh's studio in Bombay. I'll come there and sing your song.' He agreed and went to Sukhwinder's studio two days later," Ram Gopal Varma began the story.
"Rahman was still in Andhra at the airport. He was sitting [with] Sukhwinder and doing something. He asked him to sing a song. Subhash Ghai got angry. He thought he was making him sing for no reason. Rahman came and said, 'Hi hi,' [and] asked Sukhwinder right in front of Subhash Ghai, 'Did you compose [it]?' Sukhwinder said yes, played a song, and Rahman said he liked it and asked if Subhash liked it," Varma continued.
"Subhash got angry and started shouting at Rahman, saying, 'I'm paying you 3 crores for you to do it... I also can get Sukhwinder to do it, why do I need you?'" Varma added.
"Rahman replied to him, 'Mind your tongue. You're paying for my name, not for my work. Don't get confused. Do you know where I get the key parts? Do you know [where I get them for] your other films? My driver can do it, my maali can do it, I can buy it from someone, I can do anything. I'm giving you my name. Point no. 1: You're paying me to say, Music by AR Rahman. Point no. 2: Tell me if you like it or not. If you don't like it, I'll do another [one],'" Varma revealed in a shocking claim.
"Rahman said this and then left for Chennai. Sukhwinder told me that Rahman later called him and asked him to complete the song and email it to him. That was it. Then, one year later, Rahman's manager sent a cheque for 5 lakhs to Sukhwinder. Sukhwinder asked why. The manager said, 'You made a song for Rahman and Rahman sold it to a party, and this 5 lakhs is your share.' Who did Rahman sell the song to? Slumdog Millionaire. And the song [Jai Ho]," Varma concluded.
However, Sukhwinder didn't align with Varma's version later. When asked to comment on what RGV claimed, he told Hindustan Times, "I have only sung it. Ram Gopal Varma ji koi chhoti hasti toh nahi hain, shayad unhe kuchh galat pata chala hoga. (Ram Gopal Varma is not a novice. He must have misunderstood something)."
After the 'communal' remark, Rahman shared an Instagram video, saying he never intended to cause pain.