Musician and composer AR Rahman landed in hot water after an interview with BBC Asian Network on January 14, 2026 that aired recently. The celebrated hit-maker touched upon various issues he felt were plaguing the Hindi film industry and suggested that there was a “power shift” in the dynamics of Bollywood; remarking that creatives weren’t in charge of decision making anymore. He also mused upon whether he had lost work due to “communal reasons”, saying that he had heard whispers of being targeted and replaced in projects.
Tensions ran high in the industry as several celebrities rose to defend Bollywood against Rahman’s claims of communal bias with Javed Akhtar even saying: “I don’t agree with that, and I also doubt that he would ever say something like this. I have never felt this way. I meet people here in Mumbai. They have great respect for him.”
Singer Shaan and author Shobha De also spoke up with De warning that Rahman’s comments were “dangerous” while Shaan pointed to the success of the three Khans – Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir – to refute his claims. Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut posted a scathing criticism of Rahman on her Instagram page as well, calling his grievances “crocodile tears” and himself a “hateful and prejudiced man.”
‘My intentions are sometimes misunderstood’
Rahman, who had stayed silent as outrage built over his remarks finally put out a statement through his official Instagram account on January 18, 2026. The post has since gathered 75.7k views, over 3k likes and 163 comments. Captioning the post “Music, culture, gratitude. Always in service of the art and the land that shaped me. 🇮🇳” The musician took to the camera and delivered a heartfelt speech about honouring, uplifting and serving the country through music. He also spoke about how his words were misconstrued and that he never intended to hurt any sentiments.
“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. I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices,” he stated.
Watch the video here:
He then spoke about his recent initiatives in music and how multicultural the experience has been for him. Rahman also touched upon working with legendary composer Hans Zimmer on the Ramayana score, as well as working with young Naga musicians to form a string orchestra – reiterating that music and it’s creation were his ultimate purpose. He ended the video with a heartfelt, “Jai Hind and Jai Bharat. Jai Hind!”
Reactions to the post
As fans and followers of the musician viewed the video, interactions on the post started booming. With over 160 comments, the median sentiment urged Rahman to not apologize for his words and to stand by them.
One user commented, “All my life, I’ve had a choice of hate and love. I chose love, and I’m here.” referring to Rahman’s composure and thoughtful response in the face of massive backlash. The comment received 99 likes. Another user commented, “Stand Behind Your Views!! You said the absolute Truth that no one dared to Speak! No explanation needed Sir! ❤️🙌”
One user, pointing out the state of expressing one’s thoughts in the country, commented, “Is this because of just one reference of “communal” in the latest BBC interview, which might get inflated for a backlash by the right wing? We all know ARR is great at music and even better at cultivating talent in India. The ONLY person at his status who is actually doing something for the music industry here. There isn’t any need for him to say it out loud to justify. Has the politics of today made it so difficult that even a legend has to mention modi now to be on the safe side? It’s really unfortunate if that is what this is.”
Despite the intense criticism from industry peers, the online response suggested that Rahman’s core fan base remained firmly in his corner. Many viewers felt his clarification was a graceful way to de-escalate a volatile situation without fully retracting his observations on the industry’s inner workings.