Anup Jalota trolls AR Rahman with an advice to get more work: ‘Dobara Hindu ho jaayein’

A video of Anup Jalota addressing AR Rahman’s remark has surfaced on social media, in which he says that he does not agree with his views.

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman may have clarified his intentions after facing backlash for his alleged “communal” remark, but the reactions continue to pour in. Singer Anup Jalota has now taken a swipe at the musician, suggesting that if Rahman feels he is losing work due to his religion, he should consider converting back to Hinduism.

Recently, Rahman made headlines for his communal remark, which sparked widespread backlash.

Anup Jalota has a suggestion for Rahman

A video of Anup addressing AR Rahman’s communal remark has surfaced on social media, in which he is seen stating that he does not agree with Rahman’s views.

In the video, Anup is seen saying, “Music director AR Rahman pehle Hindu the. Uske baad unhone Islam dharm apna liya aur bahut kaam kiya, bahut naam kamaya, logon ke dilon mein bahut achchi jagah banayi. Lekin agar unhein is baat ka vishwas hai ki hamare desh mein Muslim hone ki wajah se unko filmein nahi mil rahi hain music dene ke liye, toh phir woh dobara Hindu ho jaayein.”

“Toh unko yeh vishwas hona chahiye ki Hindu hone ke baad, convert ho jaane ke baad, unko phir se filmein milna shuru ho jaayengi. Yahi toh unka matlab hai. Toh mera salah hai ki woh Hindu ho jaayein aur phir try karein ki unko dobara filmein milti hain ya nahi,” he added.

It translates to, “Music director AR Rahman was originally Hindu. Later, he embraced Islam and achieved a lot, gained much fame, and earned a special place in people’s hearts. But if he believes that, in our country, he is not getting film opportunities to compose music because he is Muslim, then he should convert back to Hinduism. So he should believe that after becoming Hindu again, after converting back, he will start getting films once more. That is what he means. So my advice is that he should become Hindu and then try to see if he gets films again or not."

Rahman stirs a row

Recently, Rahman made headlines for his remark, which sparked widespread backlash. In 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 also criticised Chhaava for cashing in on ‘divisiveness’.

The Oscar-winning music composer later shared a statement apologising for the ‘pain’ caused. In the video, Rahman said, “Music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring our culture. 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.”

At the moment, Rahman is busy working on Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. For the film, he has collaborated with Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer.