'Disagree, Don't Disgrace': AR Rahman's Daughter Khatija Rahman Reacts To 'Communal Thing' Remark Controversy

Recently, in an interview, AR Rahman spoke about 'power play' in the Hindi film industry, and also hinted that due to the 'communal thing' he has not been getting enough work in Bollywood for the past eight years. His statements landed him into controversy, and many people on social media started slamming him.

Malayalam music composer Kailas Menon shared a note supporting Rahman, and the Dil Se music composer's daughter, Khatija Rahman has reacted to it. She shared the post on her Instagram story and also commented emojis like claps, fire, 100% and heart on his post.

Kailas Menon's Note For AR Rahman

Menon in his note wrote, "Disagree, don't disgrace. People blaming A. R. Rahman for speaking his mind are missing a basic point. He spoke about how he felt. That is his right. You may disagree with him, but you cannot deny him the freedom to express his experience. What followed, however, has gone far beyond disagreement and entered the space of abuse and character assassination. Calling a globally respected artist a 'disgrace', questioning his faith, mocking his recent works, and reducing his lived experience to a 'victim card' is not criticism. It's hate speech presented as opinion (sic)."

He further wrote, "This is not a random voice. This is a man who carried Indian music to the world, represented the country with dignity, and shaped generations through his work. Decades of contribution to Tamil culture, Indian cinema, and global music do not disappear because an artist expresses a personal view. You may debate his opinion on a film. You may disagree with his interpretation. That's fair. What is not fair is public humiliation or attacking his integrity to silence what he said. Freedom of speech applies to Rahman as much as it applies to his critics. Criticism is fine, but outrage without respect says more about us than about him (sic)."

AR Rahman's Clarification On Controversy

On Sunday, AR Rahman had shared a clarification about the controversy. He posted a video on Instagram and stated that India has been his inspiration, his teacher, and his home. In the video, he said that sometimes intentions can be misunderstood.

Meanwhile, we will get to hear Rahman's music in many upcoming Hindi and South films like Peddi, Ramayana, Lahore 1947, and more.