A R Rahman responds to Ramayana music backlash: ‘Go sell ice cream’
Criticism of Ramayana music dismissed by Rahman with Steve Jobs quote
Dubai: Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman has responded to criticism of the music in Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, saying he does not expect everyone to appreciate his compositions.
Quoting Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Rahman offered a blunt response to those questioning his musical choices: "If you want to satisfy everyone, go sell ice cream."
In an interview with Screen, the composer explained that creating music involves a lengthy thought process and that some compositions need time before listeners fully appreciate them.
"I am my first critic. I don't love everything I do. We don’t decide something in a day. We live with it for months sometimes. There’s a thought process," he said.
Comparing certain compositions to pickle, Rahman suggested that music can become more meaningful with time.
"Sometimes you need to consider anthropology. Sometimes, you let something be, like pickle: for certain tunes, the older it is, the better it becomes," he said.
He added that audiences sometimes judge individual elements without understanding the larger creative vision behind a composition. Listeners, he suggested, should be patient and allow the music to grow on them.
The comments come amid debate over Mangal Rang, featuring Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, with lyrics by Kumar Vishwas. The song, which portrays the wedding of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita, drew criticism from some listeners over its perceived qawwali influences and musical arrangement.
The electronic treatment of Ravana Tandav also attracted mixed reactions, with some questioning whether it captured the energy expected from the sequence. Others debated whether the music was sufficiently rooted in traditional religious influences.
Rahman is composing the music alongside Oscar-winning German composer Hans Zimmer. He believes Zimmer's involvement could introduce the film to a wider international audience.
"His name coming in Ramayana would bring a whole set of new audience curiosity," Rahman said.
Describing the scale of the production, he said the project involved an enormous amount of musical work, including the background score and songs.
"It's probably like 10 movies' worth of work," he said, explaining that the project involved five languages and two versions – one for Indian audiences and another for Hollywood.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman.
The first instalment is scheduled to release in cinemas worldwide on November 5, 2026, with the second part reportedly planned for 2027.
