AR Rahman Posts Clarification Video After Outrage: 'Never Wished To Cause Pain'

Music composer and Oscar winner AR Rahman posted a 95-second video on his social media handles on Sunday morning, after clips from a recent interview of his started to go viral.

In the recent video, he begins by calling India, his “inspiration, my teacher and my home.” He went on to add that his intentions may have been misunderstood and that his purpose has always been to “uplift, honour and serve through music.” 

“I have never wished to cause pain,” he said, adding, “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 multi-cultural voices.” 

He also went on to add how he presented Jhaala, which he presented at the Waves Summit in from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RoHiNoor, in which he collaborated with Naga musicians to create a string orchestra. Rahman also spoke about Secret Mountain, India’s first multi-cultural virtual band, apart from scoring music for Ramayana, along with Hans Zimmer. “I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future,” he said by concluding with his signature, “Jai Hind and Jai Ho!” 

Rahman has been the subject of outrage online after a clip from a recent interview he gave to BBC News Asian Network, began to go viral. In the 90-minute interview, he spoke of how opportunities had begun to reduce for him in the north, in the past eight years. When the interviewer asked him about feeling alienated in the 90s as a Tamil composer working in Bollywood, Rahman replied, “(In the 90s) Maybe I didn’t get to know about all that stuff (discrimination), maybe God concealed all that from me. But in the past eight years... because the power shift has happened. People who are not creative have the power now to decide things. It might have been a communal thing also, but (nothing has happened) to my face. But I hear through Chinese whispers that this happens. I’ve heard people say, 'They booked you, but then the music company funded the movie and got their five composers.' So I said, 'That’s great! Now I get to spend time with my family.'"

On Sunday, Kangana Ranaut too had posted a story on Instagram about how Rahman had disagreed to listen to a narration of her film Emergency, calling it divisive. She wrote, “Dear AR Rahman, I face so much prejudice and partiality in the film industry because I support a saffron party, yet I must say I have not come across a man more prejudiced and hateful than you, I desperately wanted to narrate my directorial Emergency to you, forget narration, you even refused to meet me. I was told you don't want to be a part of a propaganda film.”