Author and columnist Shobhaa De, singer Shaan and veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar have reacted to music maestro AR Rahman's recent remarks suggesting a possible "communal" angle behind the slowdown in his work in Bollywood.
What's Happening
- Shobhaa De said, "This is a very dangerous comment. I don't know why he has made it, you should ask him."
- Drawing from her decades-long association with the Hindi film industry, De shared that Bollywood has largely remained free of communal bias.
- "I have been watching Bollywood for 50 years. And if I have seen any place which is free of any kind of communal tension, it is Bollywood. If you have talent, you will get a chance. If you don't have talent, there is no question of religion being a factor that you are not getting a chance."
- She concluded, "So, what he is saying, he is such a successful man, he is such a mature man. He should not have said it, maybe he has his reasons, you will have to ask him."
- Shaan also denied any notion of a "communal or minority" bias in Rahman's recent comments.
- He told IANS, "I have been singing for so many years and I am also not getting much work. But I don't go into it much because I feel it is a personal thing. Everyone has their own thoughts and likes. And how much work we should get is not in our hands."
- He added, "Whatever work you get, do it well. Whatever work Mr. Rahman gets, it is his signature style. It is amazing that he is a composer and his fans have not decreased, they are increasing. So if there was any such thing."
- He concluded, "I don't think there is any communal minority angle. Whatever you are saying, it doesn't happen in music. If there was such a thing, then all our three superstars, who have been in the minority for 30 years, but their fans are less than anyone else, are increasing. So it doesn't happen. Do good work, do good music and don't think about all this."
- Javed Akhtar also shared his views and told IANS, "I have never felt this way. I meet people here in Mumbai. They have great respect for him. Rahman is such a big man. Even a small producer is afraid to go to him. But I don't think there is any communal element in this. Why don't you see him? He will definitely come."
Background
In a recent interview with BBC Network, Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman said that work from the Hindi film industry has slowed for him in recent years, attributing this change to "shifting power dynamics" over the last eight years and, possibly, to what he described as "a communal thing.
Rahman said the reasons often reach him indirectly. "It comes to me as Chinese whispers," he noted.
Elaborating on that shift, the composer added, "People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, 'Oh, that's great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family."
Also Read: AR Rahman Opens Up On The 'Power Shift In Bollywood': "Could Be A Communal Thing"
