Mumbai: Music maestro A R Rahman has addressed the backlash over his comments regarding perceived ‘communal’ bias in the Hindi film industry, using social media to clarify his stance and reaffirm his love for India.

Taking to twitter, the Oscar-winning composer uploaded a video message in which he described India as his “teacher and home” and stressed that it was never his intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments.
 

In the video, he said, “Dear friends, music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring a culture. 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.”

Rahman reflected on the privilege of being Indian, noting that the country provides a space for freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices. Highlighting his musical journey, he said, “From nurturing Jala, presented at the WAVES Summit in front of the Honourable Prime Minister and Ruhi Noor, to collaborating with the young Naga musicians, to create a string orchestra, to mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra, also building Secret Mountain, India’s first multicultural virtual band and the honour of scoring Ramayana alongside Hans Zimmer, each journey has strengthened my purpose.”

The composer further emphasised that music has always been his way of celebrating and honouring Indian culture, saying: “Music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring our culture. 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.”

Rahman concluded the video with footage of a stadium full of fans singing along to his iconic song Maa Tujhe Salaam/Vande Mataram, reiterating his gratitude to India and his commitment to music that “honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future”.

Rahman had earlier opened up about his professional experiences in Bollywood during a conversation with BBC Asian Network. He spoke candidly about facing limited opportunities in the industry and the influence of people he described as “not creative” in decision-making.

“People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, ‘Oh, that’s great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family’,” he had said.

The statement, however, sparked criticism from certain sections that questioned his remarks and interpreted them as controversial.