Noted novelist and columnist Shobhaa De criticised A R Rahman’s statement linking religion to opportunities in Bollywood, as she termed it dangerous and said the composer should not have made such a remark, since, according to her, the Hindi film industry remains largely free of communal tensions and is one where talent alone determines opportunity.
Her response followed Rahman’s recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, in which the Oscar-winning composer observed that he had received significantly less work in Bollywood over the past eight years, while suggesting that the industry may have become increasingly communal, even though he did not claim to have faced discrimination directly.
Rahman, who has been a defining musical force across Tamil cinema and Hindi films for decades, attributed the perceived decline in work to a shift in power structures, stating that creative authority may no longer rest with artistes, while adding that such biases were never explicit and often reached him indirectly.
Reacting to these remarks, De argued that Bollywood has historically remained inclusive, asserting that she had not witnessed communal considerations influencing professional opportunities over her five decades of observing the industry, and maintained that sustained success depends on talent rather than religious identity. She further suggested that Rahman, given his stature and maturity, ought to have exercised greater restraint while making such an assessment, even while acknowledging that he may have had personal reasons for his view.
In the same conversation, Rahman also reflected on his work for Chhaava, a film criticised for its divisive undertones, while stating that although the narrative leaned on polarising themes, it also attempted to foreground bravery, and that audiences possessed the discernment to separate artistic intent from manipulation.
Despite the debate surrounding his comments, Rahman continues to remain professionally active, with several high-profile projects scheduled for release in 2026, including Ramayana, which he is co-composing with Hans Zimmer, as well as Lahore 1947 and Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi, reinforcing his enduring relevance within Indian cinema.