ISLAMABAD: Oscar-winning Indian musician AR Rahman has suggested that a “power shift” in Bollywood over the past eight years, coupled with possible communal considerations, may have contributed to a sharp decline in his work in the Hindi film industry, remarks that have reignited debate over discrimination and shrinking creative freedom in India’s cultural space.
Speaking to the BBC Asian Network, Rahman said he did not experience discrimination when he entered Bollywood in the 1990s, but indicated that the industry’s environment has changed significantly in recent years.
“People who are not creative have the power to decide things now,” Rahman said, pointing to what he described as a takeover of artistic decision-making by non-creative forces.
Communal factors
The composer went on to suggest that communal factors may now quietly influence professional opportunities in Bollywood. While stressing that such bias was never expressed openly, Rahman said he often learned about being sidelined through indirect channels.
“It might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face,” he said, explaining that he would hear, after the fact, that projects linked to him were reassigned or fragmented, with music companies bringing in multiple composers instead.
Rahman’s comments appear to challenge the image of Bollywood as an inclusive and merit-driven industry, raising questions about whether India’s film sector is increasingly reflecting the country’s broader political and ideological polarization.
The 59-year-old musician, one of the few south Indian composers to successfully break into mainstream Hindi cinema, recalled that his early success came at a time when creativity, not conformity, drove the industry. His work in films such as Roja, Bombay, and Dil Se.. reshaped Hindi film music, while Taal later cemented his national stature.
Rahman said he does not chase work and believes artistic integrity should determine opportunities, not political or communal alignment. He added that reduced assignments have at least allowed him to step back from an industry he suggested is no longer led by creative values.
‘Chhaava cashed divisiveness’
In the same interview, Rahman also addressed criticism surrounding his work for Chhaava, a 2025 blockbuster accused of exploiting divisive themes. He acknowledged that the film “cashed in on divisiveness”, a rare admission from a leading Bollywood figure amid growing concerns that mainstream cinema is increasingly normalizing polarizing narratives.
Rahman’s remarks have struck a raw nerve in India’s entertainment industry, exposing uncomfortable questions about power, prejudice, and shrinking space for dissenting voices in Bollywood.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)