AR Rahman brushes off Ramayana song trolling: ‘I can’t stay on old glory like Rockstar or Slumdog Millionaire’

AR Rahman says he doesn’t have the bandwidth to read what the internet thinks of his Ramayana songs.

With Namit Malhotra’s mythological epic days away from its November 5 release, the film’s soundtrack has become one of its most argued-over elements. Viewers have already found fault with the visual effects and costumes. The music is now the target. The two-time Oscar winner, however, says the noise isn’t reaching his studio.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Rahman explained, "We do so much work, filtration, ideation, and iteration that there’s no energy left to look at feedback! We just put it out because it’s been tried and tested so much. My son keeps telling me, ‘This is what they said yesterday, now they’re apologising…’ I say fine, I’ve done my work sincerely and hope people celebrate it.”

Two songs, two controversies

The backlash began with Ravana Tandav, which drew a wave of negative comments soon after it dropped. The second release, Mangal Rang, started a different debate. Some listeners said its arrangement leaned towards qawwali and asked whether that sound belonged in a retelling of a Hindu epic. The film’s producers have not addressed the criticism publicly.

Whatever the online verdict, people are listening. Ravana Tandav has crossed 21 million views, and Mangal Rang reached 19 million within 24 hours of release.

Rahman said this is not the first time audiences have measured him against his past. A decade into his career, he recalled, fans were already asking him to recreate his early sound. He said he refuses to coast on hits like Rockstar or Slumdog Millionaire. “You can’t stagnate yourself — you have to be like a flowing river. Now Ramayana has come, and these songs are in five different languages. It’s an epic story almost every Indian knows. It’s such a great honour to do those songs and be part of that celebration with India and the world,” he said.

The Zimmer factor

The project is also an unusual collaboration for Rahman, who typically works alone. He is sharing composing duties with Hollywood heavyweight Hans Zimmer.

Rahman described the partnership as a blessing and gave the producer credit for the strategy behind it. In his view, global audiences might otherwise dismiss even a lavish Indian production as one more film from the subcontinent. Zimmer’s name, he suggested, gives international viewers a reason to look more closely.

What’s ahead

Ramayana is planned as a two-part saga. Part one opens during Diwali week, and the concluding chapter is due next year. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi plays Sita. The cast also includes Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, and Arun Govil, among others.