AR Rahman gets support from singer Chinmayi Sripaada as backlash against Indian composer intensifies

Dubai: Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has found support from fellow artists after facing online criticism over comments made in a recent interview.

In an in-depth interview with BBC Asian Network's Haroon Rashid, the Slumdog Millionaire composer spoke about a decline in Hindi film offers over the past eight years. He suggested that changing power dynamics in the industry could be responsible and added that communal bias might be a factor, though not something he had encountered directly.

During the same conversation, Rahman also criticised films that, in his view, profit from “divisiveness.”

But he has found sturdy support among his peers. Tamil singer Chinmayi Sripaada has now publicly defended the musician and pushed back against what she described as misrepresented claims.

The controversy also snowballed after a journalist posted on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that Rahman had refused to sing patriotic songs such as Vande Mataram and Maa Tujhe Salaam during an interview, despite repeated requests. The journalist said they were “hurt” by the experience, and the post quickly went viral, triggering widespread reactions online.

Responding to the claim, Chinmayi cited her own experiences performing with Rahman to counter the narrative. She said the composer had sung Vande Mataram publicly at the RK Laxman Memorial Award concert in Pune on November 23, 2025, alongside several artists, with the audience chanting along.

She also pointed out that Maa Tujhe Salaam is a staple at Rahman’s concerts. According to Chinmayi, anyone who has attended his live performances would know this. She added that there could have been simple, personal reasons why Rahman chose not to sing during that particular interview.

“He may not have felt vocally prepared that day, or just didn’t feel like singing—and that’s okay,” she wrote.

Chinmayi further criticised the rush to judgement on social media, calling out how quickly assumptions were drawn from a single allegation. She noted that many responses treated the claim as confirmation of long-held biases.

She has also urged audiences to approach the conversation with context and nuance rather than outrage-driven conclusions.