Singer Rabbi Shergill defends Rahman's communal bias remark: How can anyone deny it?

Rabbi Shergill said AR Rahman's suggestion of a communal angle in entertainment cannot be dismissed. He linked the issue to propaganda cinema, film financing and a wider ideological shift.

In Short

• Rabbi Shergill supported AR Rahman’s concern about communal bias
• Shergill linked bias to film financing and the rise of propaganda cinema
• He cited films like The Kashmir Files as examples of political bias

Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill has commented on musician AR Rahman’s recent remark about possible communal bias in India’s entertainment industry. In an interview recently, he said the concern cannot be dismissed in the present climate. Speaking on The Life Savers Show, Shergill said he did not know the exact context of Rahman’s statement, but added that it was difficult to deny a communal angle at the moment.

Shergill also linked Rahman’s comment to what he described as a wider shift in film financing and politics. While saying he could not specifically comment on the music industry because he does not live in Mumbai or interact daily with people in that space, he said a large amount of film financing had gone into what many would call propaganda cinema, and argued that the issue was part of a broader global trend.

Responding to Rahman’s remarks, Shergill said, “I don’t know in what context he said, but how can you deny that right now? How can you deny the communal angle?” He then referred to the term propaganda cinema and said, “I can’t specifically say it’s there in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai or interact with those people daily. But a lot of film financing has gone into what many would call propaganda cinema.”

As examples, Shergill cited The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, films that drew major box office attention in recent years while also being debated for bias and political intent. “These are political films, and they don’t necessarily present an unbiased view of things. So if Rahman is saying this, I think you have to take him at his word. It probably does exist, and that’s one of the biggest problems of our times. It’s not just India; it’s happening across the world,” he said.

He went on to place the issue in a wider political context. Asked whether this reflected a broader global shift, Shergill said, “Absolutely. If you look back to the 1960s, left-leaning politics was influential across much of the world. Today, if you look around, you see right-wing governments and ideologies becoming more dominant in many countries. Maybe it’s cyclical and things will change again, but right now nobody is immune to these global currents.”

He added, “Just look around our neighbourhood. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the decades. China is deeply ideological. Sri Lanka too has become increasingly driven by ideology. It’s difficult not to conclude that politics everywhere is moving in this direction.”

Rabbi Shergill on AR Rahman's vast resume of work

In an earlier conversation shared on Divas Gupta’s YouTube channel, Shergill had also spoken about Rahman’s work in Hindi films, saying that the lyrics became secondary after the composer entered that space. “I admire Rahman for his creative genius. He is a genius. There is no doubt about it. But the Rahman phase is not the pro poetry or pro lyrics phase in the Hindi film industry. It means that the words in his songs are just ornaments and not the whole thing,” he said.

He added, “I feel after Rahman came, the lyrics in the Hindi film industry became secondary and if lyrics become secondary, that means expression becomes secondary, it means that somewhere your humanity and existence become secondary. This is my issue with Rahman.” Shergill also said, “It is not his fault because it is not his language. He doesn’t understand it. The stuff that he does in Tamil music is really representative of him. It is another ball game, at least that’s what I hear.”

What did Rahman say that led to the controversy?

Rahman, in an earlier interview with the BBC, had been asked whether he had faced any "prejudice within the Hindi film landscape." While he said he had never faced it directly, he suggested that changing power dynamics in Bollywood may have altered the way opportunities reached him.

He replied, “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.”

Shergill’s remarks kept the focus on Rahman’s statement, while also widening the discussion to film financing, political cinema and shifting ideological currents. At the same time, his earlier comments on Rahman’s Hindi film work added another layer to the conversation around the composer’s place in the industry.

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