New Delhi, A R Rahman's daughter Raheema and Khatija have a shared a post in support of their music composer father after he courted controversy for his comments about declining work from Bollywood.
The Oscar-winning composer told BBC Asian Network in a recent interview that the volume of his work in the Hindi film industry had declined over the past eight years and hinted that it could be linked to a “communal thing”. He also said there have been changes in industry power structures where creative control has shifted away from creative people.
The remarks sparked a debate online and across entertainment circles, with critics questioning the basis of Rahman’s observation, following which the composer issued a clarification, saying his comments were misunderstood and that he never intended to “cause pain”.
Raheema and Khatija on Monday shared a post by music composer Kailas who said that people can disagree with Rahman "but you cannot deny him the freedom to express his experience".
"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," Kailas said.
{{/usCountry}}"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," Kailas said.
{{/usCountry}}He praised Rahman as a person who carried Indian music to the world, represented the country with dignity, and shaped generations through his work.
"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.
"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," Kailas added.
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