'India is my inspiration': A R Rahman responds after backlash over industry power shift remark

Music composer A R Rahman on Sunday (January 18) addressed the criticism surrounding remarks he made in a recent interview, saying that his intentions may have been misunderstood but stressing that he never meant to hurt anyone.

In a video shared on his Instagram account, the Oscar-winning composer reflected on his journey and reiterated that music has always been his way of engaging with and celebrating India’s cultural diversity. Rahman, whose body of work includes films such as 'Roja', 'Bombay' and 'Dil Se..', said India continues to be central to his creative life.

"India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood. But my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I have never wished to cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt," he said in the video.

Describing the country as a space that allows artistic freedom, the 59-year-old composer added, "I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables me to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices." He went on to cite several of his recent projects, saying, "From nurturing Jhalaa, presented at the WAVES summit in front of the honourable Prime Minister and Rooh-e-Noor, to collaborating with the young Naga musicians, to creating a string orchestra, to mentoring the Sunshine orchestra, also building Secret Mountain, India’s first multicultural virtual band and the honour of scoring Ramayana, alongside Hans Zimmer. Each journey has strengthened my purpose."

Rahman's post follows his interview with the BBC Asian Network, which drew backlash after he spoke about changes within the Hindi film industry and the reduced amount of work coming his way in recent years. In that interview, he pointed to a shift in power dynamics and suggested it could also be linked to "the communal thing".

"I’m not in search of work. I want work to come to me; the sincerity of my work to earn things. I feel it’s a jinx when I go on in search of things... 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,'" Rahman had said.