AR Rahman performs Jana Gana Mana, Vande Mataram at concert amid controversy; Shekhar Kapur calls it ‘exhilarating’

Numerous fans took to social media to share videos from AR Rahman's concert at Etihad Arena in UAE. He performed several of his hits.

Music composer AR Rahman performed at the Etihad Arena in the UAE on January 23. Amid controversy over the musician calling Chhaava ‘divisive’ and suggesting he might not have been getting enough work in Bollywood for ‘communal’ reasons, fans shared videos from his concert. Some even mentioned that he performed Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram there.

Music composer AR Rahman performed numerous hits at Etihad Arena in the UAE.

Shekhar Kapur attends AR Rahman's concert in UAE

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur took to his X (formerly Twitter) account after attending the concert, writing, “What an exhilarating concert by AR Raham at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi last night, packed to capacity. 20,000 people cheering, singing , dancing and even crying to Rahman’s beautiful soulful songs.”

Fans share videos of AR Rahman performing Vande Mataram

An X user posted a video of Rahman performing Vande Mataram/Maa Tujhe Salaam on stage, writing, “I was hoping AR Rahman would answer his critics tonight and he did.” They also added, “His 2024 Abu Dhabi concert ended with Chaiyya Chaiyya and when he performed that after nearly 4 hours tonight I thought surely this is the finale. But he said wait, one last song. And then he — and the whole arena — sang Vande Mataram.”

Another fan also posted a video of Rahman’s performance taken from another angle, revealing that he opened the concert with his famous song, Jana Gana Mana from Mani Ratnam’s Aayutha Ezhuthu.

A lifestyle influencer named Prince also posted a video on his Instagram account after watching the concert. He stated that Rahman performed numerous South Indian songs at the beginning of the concert, before singing his Hindi masterpieces. Apart from Vande Mataram/Maa Tujhe Salaam and Jana Gana Mana, Rahman also performed his Oscar-winning Jai Ho from Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire at the 4-hour-long concert, said the influencer.

What did AR Rahman say?

In an interview with BBC Asian Network, Rahman was asked whether he ever felt prejudice in Bollywood as a Tamil composer. He said, “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’.

Chinmayi came to his defence when a reporter claimed that Rahman had once refused to sing Vande Mataram/Maa Tujhe Salaam. His children, Khatija, Raheema and Ameen, have also been posting in his support. Amid backlash, Rahman released a video in which he reiterated his love for India and said, “India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood.” UAE’s first female filmmaker, Naya Al Khaja, also spoke up on his behalf.