AR Rahman’s remark about ‘communal bias’ in Bollywood has opened up a larger conversation within the industry. While adding his voice to the debate, singer-composer Amaal Mallik said he understands the concern Rahman was raising, he disagreed with framing it as a communal issue. Several prominent industry figures, including Rani Mukerji, Kangana Ranaut, Javed Akhtar, and Manoj Muntashir, have also publicly opposed Rahman’s remark.
‘From an industry perspective, what he said is largely correct’
In a recent interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Amaal explained that Rahman’s observation about power structures in the industry holds weight, but the reasoning, according to him, lies elsewhere.“From an industry perspective, what he has said is largely correct. However, I do not agree with the communal aspect of it. Forget nepotism and groupism — today, every label is comfortable working with its own set of artistes. They promote those artistes because they bring revenue. In today’s time, labels have become the real decision-makers,” Amaal said.
‘Creative groupism exists — and it’s not always wrong’
Elaborating on how collaborations work in the current ecosystem, Amaal pointed out that creative groupism has long existed in the industry and often stems from artistic compatibility rather than exclusion. “This is the era of management and agencies. There is groupism, both in good and bad ways. You can see how Mani Ratnam sir works almost exclusively with Rahman sir, or how Anurag Basu mostly collaborates with Pritam da. I once told Anurag Basu sir that I love his work, and he said he only thinks in Pritam’s musical language. These creative synergies naturally form,” he said.He added, “Labels are comfortable with their artistes — and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if someone is making better music, they should be given priority, whether it’s AR Rahman or a newcomer.”
‘Even AR Rahman can’t challenge this system’
Amaal further addressed the changing power dynamics in the music industry, noting that even the biggest composers are constrained by how labels function today.“The industry wants to work with big names like AR Rahman and Pritam da. There are only a few such composers, yet none of them are working as much as Pritam da. There are several big composers and many newcomers too. It’s not about targeting anyone,” he said.“Over the last 15 years, a new system has come into place where labels prefer to stick to their own artistes and won’t wait for anyone to say yes — not even me or AR Rahman. That’s just how things work today. And if AR Rahman can’t challenge this system, how can someone like me?” Amaal added.
‘This is not AR Rahman’s insecurity’
Clarifying that Rahman’s comment should not be misread as insecurity, Amaal stressed that the composer was merely highlighting a deeper issue.“The only way forward is to focus on making good music. I don’t run behind doing 15 films at a time. I understand what he is trying to say. This is not AR Rahman’s insecurity — he is far too big for that. He is only showing the tip of the iceberg. He is pointing out that even someone of his stature can be sidelined. The bigger players today have a bigger say and are overpowering the system,” he said.
What AR Rahman had said
For context, AR Rahman sparked the controversy during a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, where he spoke about receiving fewer work offers in Bollywood.“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,’” Rahman said.The Oscar-winning composer faced significant backlash online following the remark and later issued an apology through a video statement on social media, clarifying that he did not intend to hurt sentiments. Go to Source