Music maestro AR Rahman performed at the Etihad Arena in the UAE on January 23, and left fans spellbound with his mesmerizing music. Several videos from the concert have surfaced on social media. Apart
from his hit songs, Rahman also performed ‘Vande Mataram’ towards the end of the concert, with the entire audience singing along in unison. The video is going viral, amid a controversy over AR Rahman’s comment about alleged communal bias in the film industry. Meanwhile, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur also took to his social media to praise AR Rahman’s ‘exhilarating’ Abu Dhabi concert.
AR Rahman Sings Vande Mataram At Abu Dhabi Concert
An X user who attended AR Rahman’s concert at Etihad Arena, UAE, shared a 4-minute long video of the music maestro performing Vande Mataram/Maa Tujhe Salaam on stage towards the end of the concert. The audience also sang along with him. “I was hoping AR Rahman would answer his critics tonight and he did. His 2024 Abu Dhabi concert ended with Chaiyya Chaiyya and when he performed that after nearly 4 hours tonight I thought surely this is the finale. But he said wait, one last song. And then he — and the whole arena — sang Vande Mataram,” wrote the social media user. The video has now gone viral on social media.
I was hoping AR Rahman would answer his critics tonight and he did.
His 2024 Abu Dhabi concert ended with Chaiyya Chaiyya and when he performed that after nearly 4 hours tonight I thought surely this is the finale. But he said wait, one last song.
And then he — and the whole… https://t.co/swLhsxJW7x pic.twitter.com/UQilaNwEsf
— Maddy Ravi (@missmaddenstein) January 23, 2026
Shekhar Kapur Lauds AR Rahman’s ‘Exhilarating’ Concert
Meanwhile, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur wrote, “What an exhilarating concert by AR Raham at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi last night, packed to capacity. 20,000 people cheering, singing, dancing and even crying to Rahman’s beautiful soulful songs.”
What an exhilarating concert by AR Raham at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi last night, packed to capacity
20,000 people cheering, singing , dancing and even crying to Rahman’s beautiful soulful songs .. #ARRahman #EtihadArena #concert #AbuDhabi
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) January 24, 2026
Another netizen shared that AR Rahman opened the concert with his famous song Jana Gana Mana from Mani Ratnam’s Aayutha Ezhuthu. He also performed numerous South Indian songs apart from his Hindi hit songs.
Why Is AR Rahman Facing Backlash?
AR Rahman has been facing backlash for his comments in an interview with BBC Asian Network. The Oscar-winning music composer said that people who are not creative, now have the power to decide things. He also said it “might be a communal thing”, which led to strong reactions from social media users and sections of the film industry.
He said, “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.”
After facing criticism for his remark about communal bias, AR Rahman issued a clarification through a video message stating that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood, but his purpose has always been to uplift, honour, and serve through music. “I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices,” he added.
