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AR Rahman's Chhaava & Communal discrimination controversy - Why is India mad?

PUBLISHED DATE | 21/Jan/2026

On January 14, 2026 (Wednesday), UK based BBC Network dropped an exclusive sit down interview with AR Rahman on BBC Asian Network's YouTube channel. The exclusive interview was conducted one-on-one by Pakistani-Brit host Haroon Rashid at the Birmingham Symphony Hall.

 

The 1 hour 26 minute interview has since snowballed into a AR-Rahman-slander-fest on X, and even after 8 days the social media bashings have refused to die down. So why is India so mad? Explainer:  

 

At the 41-minute mark of the 1 hour 26 minute interview, AR Rahman was questioned about his work on Hindi films like Chhaava (2025) and the upcoming Ramayan, and how he views it as a Muslim man. Here's what AR Rahman had to say:

 

Q: "You've said you are very proud of the soundtrack of Chhaava, and it is a really good sountrack. But it is a divisive film."

AR Rahman: "It is. It is divisive. I think it cashed on the divisiveness but I think the core of it (Chhaava) is to show the bravery, because I told the director, 'Why do you need me?', he said, 'We need only you for this'..It (the film) has a very enjoyable finish but definitely I think people are smarter than that. Do you think people are going to get influenced by movies? They have something called the inner conscience which shows what the truth is and what manipulation is."

 

Q: The films being made isn't the problem. Its certain imagery within those films that can be problematic, right?"

AR Rahman: "Chhaava's the most celebrated character (Sambhaji, the second ruler of the Maratha empire). It's like the blood of every Maratha. Once the movie finished, you see the girls saying the beautiful poetry and everything, it's very moving to see. And I'm so honoured to have scored that movie which is the pulse and soul of every Maratha person there."

 

Q: My problem with a film like that is when everytime a negative act is taking place on screen, and the character is chanting Subhan Allah, Masha Allah, Allamdhulliah..

AR Rahman smiling: "That's such a cliché know?"

 

Q: But it exists in that film (Chhavaa), and in other films

AR Rahman: "I have great respect for people, people are not that foolish to get influenced by false information. So I have great faith in humanity."

 

Q: "But does it mean that you have to be more conscious of those choices (choosing to work on films like Chhaava)?

AR Rahman: "I do. And I feel like people are so smart, internal (ly) they have a conscience, they have a heart, they have love. They have compassion. Would I get up in the morning and say, 'how many people should I hate today?'. No! It's like acid in your heart. It going to you know, destroy your heart. A heart is a place, it's a divine shrine of God. Whichever God you think but the real truth is in the heart. That's what our instincts are."

 

Q: It's so good that you can look at life like that. It is. And it takes a lot of re-centering yourself every so often to know what your purpose is in life, to know what your perspective is in life..You're a man with a very Muslim name. I wonder if in any way it even comprehends in your mind that there are people out there that probably don't want you involved with a film like Ramayan

AR Rahman: "I studied in a Brahmin school. And every year there was Ramayana and Mahabharatam. So I know the story. And the story is about how virtuous a person is, higher ideals,..people may argue but I value all those good things...Knowledge is something very valuable, you can learn from everything, from everyday life from a beggar to a King to a politician, from negative acts to positive acts...You can't shun 'I don't want to learn something, I don't want to pick good things from here'.

I think we need to elevate ourselves from small mindedness and selfishness. When we become elevated, we become radiant, we shine that (elevation)..I'm proud of the whole (Ramayan) project because it's from India to the world..Hans Zimmer is Jewish, I'm Muslim, Ramayan is Hindu, we are giving to humanity."

 

Despite the professional tone of this interview, Indians, especially the communal fanatics across India took to social media to bash AR Rahman for calling Chhaava a divisive film. On January 18, 2026 (Sunday), AR Rahman took time out of his packed schedule to acknowledge the backlash with a video statement where he said, "I understand that sometimes intentions can be misunderstood, but my purpose is to always uplift". 

 

Another reason for the backlash was AR Rahman's answer to a question about facing discrimination as a Tamil person in the Maharasthra-based Hindi film industry aka Bollywood. "Maybe I didn't get to know all this stuff (in the 90s). Maybe God concealed all this (discriminatory) stuff. But I never felt any of those (back in the 90s). Past 8 years, maybe. Because the power-shift has happened. You know people who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also", said AR Rahman.  

 

The two-time Grammy winning music producer added, "Not in my face, but I hear Chinese whispers that 'this happened', 'they booked you but the music company funded the movie and got five composers', and I say 'Oh that's great, rest for me'". Slander of every hue and colour from Hindu-core right wing allies have floated against AR Rahman because he said Bollywood work politics may have a communal angle, on accord of him being a Muslim man. 

 


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