Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman recently found himself at the centre of a heated debate following remarks he made during an interview. While he has apologized, many celebs are still condemning his stance on the reason for the dearth of work in the industry. Now, Waheeda Rehman has come forward and weighed in on his statement.
Waheeda Rehman on AR Rahman’s remark
While speaking to The Indian Express, she said, “Yes, I read about it, but I try to dig less into it. I prefer not to pay attention to it when everything is going fine. These small things happen in every country.”
“So, what to believe and how much to believe? If it’s even true or not. Why should we get involved? At least at my age, I don’t want to get involved with anything or anybody. Apni shaanti se raho, yeh mulk hai humaara, bas khush raho, that’s what I can say (this is our country, live in peace and stay happy),” Waheeda Rehman went on.
“Kaam toh upar neeche hota hi rehta hai (work opportunities keep fluctuating). Ek umar ke baad, log kehte hain ki bring somebody new or different (your ability to get work changes after a certain age). All this can lead to a few people staying behind,” she highlighted.
“Agar vo bahut oonchaai par pahuche hain aur vo vahin rahenge, unhi ko lenge, aisa bhi toh nahi hota na. Upar neeche hota hi rehta hai, aisi koi nayi baat nahi hai (It is nothing new; this fluctuation keeps happening),” Waheeda added.
About AR Rahman’s communal remark
During an interview with BBC Asian Network, Rahman was asked whether he ever felt prejudice in Bollywood as a Tamil composer. He said, “Maybe I never got to know of this, maybe it was concealed by God, but I didn’t feel any of this. The past eight years, maybe, because a power shift has happened, and people who are not creative have the power now. It might be a communal thing also, but it is not in my face.”
He added, “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.`”
This statement has now gone down well with several actors and musicians. Javed Akhtar, Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Muntashir, and several others are slamming him.
