- Manoj Muntashir challenged AR Rahman's discrimination claims in the music industry
- Manoj questioned Rahman's decision to compose for Chhaava despite calling it propaganda
- He suggested Rahman's lack of work may stem from poor industry relationships, not religion
Lyricist Manoj Muntashir has challenged AR Rahman's claims of discrimination in the music industry. He took a dig at the Grammy winner's claims about Chhaava, saying he should not have done the music if he felt the film was "propaganda".
In a conversation with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube Channel, Manoj said, “It is not like you hadn't heard the script before agreeing to work in it. You suddenly started composing music for it? He must have read the script.
“Okay, so it was a propaganda film, and you didn't want to do it... but after doing the film and calling it a propaganda film, I do not understand this, sorry,” he said.
Asked about his views on Rahman's discrimination claims, the lyricist said the music director might not be getting work because he has not maintained good relationships with people in the industry, hinting it had nothing to do with the music director's religious identity.
Manoj claimed that the nation has seen many Muslim legends before Rahman. “When Mohd Azharuddin became captain of the Indian Cricket team, when a Muslim became the President of India, when a legend like A.R. Rahman...who despite his religious identity...there is no bigger name than him in this country. Why didn't he ask this question, 'Why me?' or 'Why a Muslim?',” Manoj stated.
Speaking about AR Rahman, he continued, “Today, because of some reason you feel that you are getting less work than why shouldn't we look for other reasons. It might be that we have not maintained good relations with people.
“Maybe the songs haven't worked in the last few years. There can be so many other reasons. I don't understand what the reason is behind hurting the social fabric of this nation suddenly. But whenever I meet him, I will ask him this. He does not mind an open dialogue,” he added.
Manoj Muntashir's reaction came after AR Rahman, in an earlier interaction with BBC, opened up about experiencing discrimination in the Hindi film industry due to his religious identity.
“Maybe in the past eight years, 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 told BBC host Haroon Rashid.