- AR Rahman faced backlash for remarks on communal bias in Hindi film industry
- Amaal Mallik disagrees with communal aspect but sees a larger issue raised
- Music labels now prefer working with their own artists for revenue reasons
Music composer AR Rahman recently found himself in the eye of the storm for his remarks on the alleged “communal” bias in the Hindi film industry. After facing significant backlash, the Oscar-winning musician posted a video on Instagram, clarifying his statement.
Now, singer-composer Amaal Mallik has reacted to AR Rahman's comments. The 35-year-old revealed that although he disagrees with the communal stance, he believes that AR Rahman was attempting to highlight a larger issue.
Amaal Mallik, in an interaction with Faridoon Shahryar, said, “From an industry perspective, what he has said is largely correct. However, I don't agree with the communal aspect. Forget nepotism and groupism. Today, every label is comfortable working with its own set of artists. They promote those artists because they bring revenue. Labels have become the real decision-makers.”
“This is the era of management and agencies. There's groupism, both in good and bad ways. You can see how Mani Ratnam sir works almost exclusively with Rahman sir, or how Anurag Basu mostly collaborates with Pritam da… Labels are comfortable with their artists and there's nothing wrong with that. But if someone is making better music, they should be given priority, whether it is AR Rahman or a newcomer,” added the musician.
The Bigg Boss 19 contestant also reflected on the shifting dynamics of the music industry.
“Over the last 15 years, a new system has come into place where labels prefer to stick to their own artists, won't wait for anyone to say yes, not even me or AR Rahman. That's just how things work today. And if AR Rahman can't challenge this system, how can someone like me?” he asked.
Amaal Mallik further clarified that AR Rahman's comments did not stem from insecurity.
“This isn't AR Rahman's insecurity — he's far too big for that. He's only showing the tip of the iceberg. He's pointing out that even someone of his stature can be sidelined. The bigger players today have a bigger say and are overpowering the system,” shared the singer.
For the unversed, AR Rahman, in an interview with the BBC Network, disclosed that the “shifting power dynamics” in the Hindi film industry have resulted in a slowdown of work for him. Read all about it here.