Oscar-winning music director A. R. Rahman’s recent comments in an interview have gone viral and sparked a major controversy on social media. His remarks led to heated discussions online, with many users revisiting past statements made by veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma (RGV).
The Controversy around the Oscar-Winning Song “Jai Ho”
A. R. Rahman brought immense pride to India by winning an Oscar for the song Jai Ho from the Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire. However, Ram Gopal Varma had earlier made a surprising claim that the song was not originally composed by Rahman.
According to RGV, the tune of Jai Ho was originally composed by popular singer and music director Sukhwinder Singh for a different film. He revealed that during the making of Salman Khan’s 2009 film Yuvvraaj, Rahman was signed as the music director. But when Rahman reportedly did not deliver songs on time, the makers asked Sukhwinder Singh to play a tune he had already composed.
Was “Jai Ho” Not Composed by A.R. Rahman?
The producers liked the tune and when the music composer told them to use it in the film, it reportedly upset them, as they were already paying Rahman a huge remuneration of around ₹3 crore. RGV stated that the producers questioned why they should pay such a high amount if another composer’s tune was being used.
Later, Rahman reportedly asked Sukhwinder Singh to complete the song and email it to him. That same tune eventually became Jai Ho and was used in Slumdog Millionaire. This revelation by RGV has resurfaced and is now going viral on social media, shocking many fans.
In the midst of the debate, RGV came out in support of A. R. Rahman. He took to his official X (Twitter) account and said, “To all concerned .. I am being misquoted and misread out of context in the matter of the Jai ho song . .. in my view, AR Rahman is the greatest composer and the nicest human being I ever met and he’s the last person to take away anybody’s credit ..I hope this puts an end to the negativism surrounding the issue.”
What did A. R. Rahman said in the interview?
In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, Rahman made a statement that triggered the controversy. He said, “People who are not creative now have the power to decide things. This might have been a communal thing also, but not directly in my face.”
Following this comment, debates intensified online, with many supporting Rahman while others questioned his remarks. The discussion continues to trend across social media platforms.