A.R. Rahman, the guy people call the “Mozart of Madras ” is making waves in the film industry again. This time it is not because of a song but because he said some things that are not very nice about the people in charge of Bollywood.
A.R. Rahman said that there is a group of people in the film business who are talking bad about him. He thinks they are trying to hurt his chances of working in movies made in North India. A.R. Rahman is a deal he has won two Oscars and what he said is all, over the internet now.
Rahman has talked about this before. What he said recently is really strong. This is happening at a time when the composer is focusing more on South international projects instead of big budget movies from Mumbai. Rahman is clearly choosing to work on South international projects, over the big budget Mumbai productions.
The “Smear Campaign” Allegations
The problem is that Rahman says some powerful people are spreading rumors that he’s hard to work with or that he is never available. Rahman thinks this is not about him it is a bigger problem that stops really good people from doing well if they are not friends with the right people. Rahman believes that the music industry has some groups of people who’re very influential and they do not like him so they say bad things, about Rahman. This makes it hard for Rahman to work with people because they think Rahman is difficult to work with.
I always say yes to work but there is a group of people who are working against me Rahman said when he talked to the press. This statement has caused a divide in the industry. Some people who support the -nepotism movement agree with Rahman. On the hand some experienced producers from Mumbai are upset with him. They think Rahman charges a lot of money and is very picky about the work he does. That is the real problem, with Rahman.
The industry is divided when it comes to this issue. Some people are very supportive of it. On the hand there are those who are skeptical, about the whole thing. The industry is really split between people who think it is an idea and those who do not think it is a good idea at all. This division is very clear when you look at the industry. The industry has people who support it and people who are skeptical of the industry.
The backlash against Rahman has been really fast from some people in the Bollywood establishment. These critics say that someone famous as Rahman should not be saying he is an outsider after being on top for thirty years.. On social media people think differently. A lot of independent musicians and actors are supporting Rahman. They say that what happened to him shows that really famous people like Rahman can be kept out by some people in charge which they call “gatekeeping”. Rahman and his fans are talking about this on media and they are all saying that this is not fair, to Rahman.
A.R. Rahman is sitting at his studio, in Chennai. He is thinking about the last 30 years of his life.
A Shift to the South?
Data from the last three years suggests a visible pivot in Rahman’s portfolio. With massive hits like Ponniyin Selvan and his growing involvement in the “Amaan” and “Firdaus” projects in Dubai, the composer seems to be outgrowing the traditional Bollywood playback model. Analysts believe his recent comments are a signal that he is no longer willing to “play the game” to secure Hindi film contracts.