Mumbai: Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman sparked a controversy after suggesting that he is not getting much work in Bollywood apparently due to communal bias and power shift in the industry.
Several celebrities weighed in with their opinions on Rahman’s comments, with the latest to join the debate being veteran actress Waheeda Rehman.
In an interview with SCREEN, Waheeda was asked about Rahman’s remarks on communal bias in the industry.
“Yes, I read about it, but I try to dig less into it. I prefer not to pay attention to it, when everything is going fine. These small things happen in every country,” the 87-year-old actress said.
“So, what to believe and how much to believe? If it’s even true or not. Why should we get involved? At least at my age, I don’t want to get involved with anything or anybody. Apni shaanti se raho, yeh mulk hai humaara, bas khush raho, that’s what I can say (Stay in peace, this is our country, everyone should stay happily),” she added.
The veteran suggested that Rahman might not be getting enou
gh work in the industry because of changing times, and not religion.
“Kaam toh upar neeche hota hi rehta hai (Such things happen in a workplace). Ek umar ke baad, log kehte hain ki (After a period of time, people say…) bring somebody new or different. All this can lead to a few people staying behind,” Waheeda opined.
“Agar vo bahut oonchaai par pahuche hain aur vo vahin rahenge, unhi ko lenge, aisa bhi toh nahi hota na. Upar neeche hota hi rehta hai, aisi koi nayi baat nahi hai (If he has achieved massive success and he always want to be at the top and want people to prefer him over other artists, then that cannot happen),” she elaborated.
For the unversed, in an interview with BBC Asian Network, Rahman while speaking about the challenges he faced as a Tamil composer in Bollywood had said: “Maybe I never get to know of this, maybe it was concealed but I didn’t feel any of this. Maybe in the past eight years because a power shift has happened and people who are not creative have the power now. It might be a communal thing also… but it is not in my face.”
After facing backlash, Rahman took to social media to clarify his comments.
In a video message, the music composer said, “India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood. But my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I have never wished to cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt.”