The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Saturday mounted a strong verbal attack on Oscar-winning music composer A R Rahman following his recent remarks suggesting that he may have lost work in Bollywood due to what he described as “maybe a communal thing.” The criticism was led by VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal, who made a series of sharp comments questioning Rahman’s statements and personal choices.
Responding to Rahman’s observation that he had received fewer opportunities in the Hindi film industry over the past eight years, Bansal alleged that the composer had positioned himself alongside what he described as a particular ideological faction. Drawing a controversial parallel, Bansal claimed that Rahman appeared to have aligned himself with a group previously associated with former Vice President Hamid Ansari. He further alleged that Ansari had benefited from holding constitutional positions for a decade and accused him of acting against India’s interests after retirement.
Escalating his criticism, Bansal said that Rahman, who was once widely admired across communities, including by Hindu audiences, was now engaging in what he described as unfair criticism of the system and the film industry. According to him, instead of reflecting on professional factors behind the decline in Bollywood assignments, the composer was choosing to make allegations that cast aspersions on the entire industry.
In a particularly contentious remark, the VHP spokesperson referred to Rahman’s religious conversion, saying that the composer had once been a Hindu and questioning his decision to embrace Islam. Bansal went on to suggest that Rahman should undertake “gharwapsi,” implying a return to his earlier faith, claiming that such a step might help him regain work opportunities. He also asserted that comments about communal bias might be expected from politicians, but were inappropriate coming from an artist of Rahman’s stature.
Rahman had earlier made the remarks during an interview with BBC Asian Network, where he spoke candidly about feeling like an outsider in Bollywood for several years. Reflecting on the decline in projects over the past eight years, he said that while he could not definitively pinpoint the reason, it could possibly be linked to communal factors, though he clarified that such bias was not openly expressed to him.
The composer also emphasised that he was not actively seeking work or chasing projects. He said that the slowdown had given him more time to spend with his family and that he preferred to let work come to him organically. Rahman added that he believed sincerity and merit would eventually bring the opportunities he deserved, and that he was content with whatever work came his way without actively pursuing assignments.
