Indian composer AR Rahman sparked controversy after claiming that he had received less work in the last eight years, as he suggested that the The film industry may be going communal. The comments started a nationwide debate, with people occupying both opposing sides. Director Ram Gopal Varma, who has previously worked with Rahmanrecently shared his opinion on the whole matter and whether he thinks Rahman’s accusations are valid.
While appearing on Faridoon Shahryar’s podcast, Varma was asked about Rahman’s comments and what he thinks about the entire debate. Satya’s director replied, “I don’t really want to comment on what he said about the community aspect. Because I don’t believe it. I feel like the film industry is just about making money. Whoever makes money for them, they will go after that. They don’t care about your caste, religion or where you are from. If South Indian film directors are making films that are blockbusters, they will go to them.”
He cited the example of SP Balasubrahmanyam and the songs he sang in Hindi cinema. He said, “When Sooraj Barjatya cast SP Balasubrahmanyam for Maine Pyaar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hai Koun, those songs were big hits, which is why they cast them. At the time when he was not there, the other songs didn’t work. It could be a Hindi guy or a Telugu or Tamil guy; it doesn’t make a difference.”
Still, the director clarified and said that Rahman may have had a personal experience that does not correspond to the general state of the industry. “That said, I can’t speak for Rahman because I don’t know the experiences he has had. Any of us could speak in general, but it is possible that someone has gone through something specific that made him speak like this. Is it something general or was it something that happened to him? Without knowing these things, I cannot comment on it,” Varma said.
Independent singer and musician Sona Mohapatra is one of the many who disagrees with Rahman. During a conversation with him indian expressshe talked about it Rahman remains the first choice for many in the industry. She said, “He scored Chhaava. He is scoring Ramayana. He continues to be linked to some of the country’s biggest and most high-profile projects, while also being active globally, traveling constantly and likely unavailable for many projects. From any objective point of view, that is not marginalization.”