By: Entertainment DeskChennai | January 20, 2026 10:00 AM IST 4 min readAR Rahman’s recent comment about getting less work in the past eight years in the Hindi film industry, which he attributed to a power shift in the industry while hinting that it “might be a communal thing also,” led to a massive contrversy. The composer even issued a clarification on his statement. While some members of the film industry reacted strongly against Rahman’s remarks, several others came out in his support. Recently, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who has worked extensively with Rahman, supported the composer and shared how his statement has been “misconstrued.”Imtiaz Ali comes out in AR Rahman’s supportSpeaking to India Today, Imtiaz said that he himself has not come across any communal bias in the industry. He said, “No, I don’t think there is a communal bias in the film industry. I’ve been here for a long time, and I’ve never seen it, and AR Rahman is one of the brightest figures that I’ve met in the film industry.”Explaining how Rahman’s comments may have been wrongly perceived, he added, “I do not actually believe that he made all the comments that are being attributed to him, or maybe it’s been misconstrued. In fact, I know that he did not say exactly what is being perceived. Also, I don’t remember of a single incident where there was any communal bias or animosity.”Rahman has composed music for several of Imtiaz Ali’s films, including Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014), Tamasha (2015) and his last release Amar Singh Chamkila (2024).ALSO READ | ‘I can write Ram aartis’: Why Javed Akhtar is clashing with AR Rahman over Bollywood’s ‘communal’ shiftWhat did AR Rahman say?In a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, Rahman was asked if a prejudice exists in the Hindi film industry, particularly against people who are not from Maharashtra. Responding to the question, Rahman admitted that while nobody has said anything to his face, he is witnessing a power shift in the industry, driven by non-creative people. He said, “Maybe I never get to know of this, maybe it was concealed but I didn’t feel any of this. Maybe in the past eight years 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. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you but the music company went ahead and hired their 5 composers. I say good, I have more time to chill with my family. I am not in search for work. I don’t want to go in search for work. I want work to come to me; my sincerity to earn work. Whatever I deserve, I get.”Like Imtiaz, several celebrities including Paresh Rawal, Varun Grover, Chinmayi Sripaada, and filmmaker Rahul Dholakia have come out in his support. Meanwhile, Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut have disagreed with Rahman’s comments.Story continues below this adAlso Read | ‘Ikkis and Dhurandhar should co-exist in a democracy’: Ikkis writers on facing trolls, working with Dharmendra View this post on Instagram A post shared by AR Rahman: Official Updates (@arrofficialupdates)AR Rahman issued clarificationAfter his remarks were widely discussed, Rahman released a video where he spoke about leading music initiatives across the country and credited India as his inspiration. He also reiterated his commitment to music that “honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future.” He said, “India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood. But my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I have never wished to cause pain and I hope my sincerity is felt. I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables to create a space which always allows freedom of expression and celebrates multicultural voices.”Rahman concluded the video with visuals of a stadium full of people singing his rendition of Vande Mataram at a cricket match.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:AR RahmanImtiaz Ali