‘Hans Zimmer is Jewish, I am Muslim, and the Ramayana is Hindu’: A R Rahman

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has reflected on his collaboration with fellow Oscar winner Hans Zimmer for Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming project Ramayan, addressing whether his religious identity influenced the work. Speaking on BBC Asian’s YouTube channel, Rahman emphasised the importance of rising above “petty things.”

“I studied in a Brahmin school, and every year we had Ramayana and Mahabharata, so I know the story. The story is about how virtuous a person is, higher ideals, and all that stuff. People may argue, but I value all those good things – any good things that you can learn from. The prophet has said that knowledge is something invaluable, no matter where you get it from – a king, a beggar, a good act or a bad one. You can’t shy away from things,” Rahman said.

He added: “I think we need to elevate from small-mindedness and selfishness. Because when we elevate and we become radiant – we become a radiant of that, and that’s very important. I am proud of the whole project, because it’s from India to the whole world, with such love. Hans Zimmer is Jewish, I am Muslim, and the Ramayana is Hindu.”

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In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Rahman described the pressures of working on such a high-profile project: “It’s terrifying for both of us. We’re scoring something so iconic and so important to the world. So in the promo, I think he had a soundscape, then I took that and added the Sanskrit words at the end and everything. What’s complicated is that we’re taking something so epic, which every Indian knows, and we have to give them something new. We have to give something to the world – from India to the world.”

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Rahman also shared insight into his approach to the film’s music: “We have to unlearn certain things, like how our instincts demand, ‘Oh, this is how Ramayana should be done,’ but also imbibe the timeless quality that exists in the culture. It’s still a process. I’m working with Dr Kumar Vishwas, who is like a pro, almost at a professor level when it comes to Ramayana and the Hindi language. Every atom of his body speaks Ramayana. He comes up with lyrics like that, and he’s a very kind person. So we’re having fun, and it’s new.”

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayan features a star-studded cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Ravi Dubey, Sunny Deol, Kajal Aggarwal, Arun Govil, and Indira Krishnan.