Over a career that has reshaped the soundscape of Indian cinema, Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has delivered countless timeless melodies across languages. Yet, despite his early successes in Hindi films, Rahman has now spoken about a period when he still felt like an outsider in Bollywood. In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, the composer reflected on how changing power equations within the industry eventually impacted the kind of work that came his way.
‘I still felt like an outsider until Taal’
Looking back on his initial Bollywood phase, Rahman admitted that widespread acceptance didn’t come overnight, even after landmark albums. He shared that despite working on Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.., it was Subhash Ghai’s Taal that truly made him a household name in the Hindi belt. “Actually, I was still an outsider with these three (Roja, Bombay, Dil Se..), but Taal became a household (album). It entered the kitchens of everybody, so to say. Even now, most North Indians still have it in their blood because it’s a little bit of Punjabi and a little bit of Hindi and a little bit of mountain music. It’s very difficult for a Tamil person to speak Hindi because we have such attachment.”
Rahman also recalled how Ghai encouraged him to learn Hindi, a suggestion that pushed the composer in an unexpected direction. Instead, Rahman chose to study Urdu, considering it the foundational language of Hindi film music in the 1960s and 70s. From there, he went on to learn Arabic, drawn by its phonetic similarities to Urdu, and later explored Punjabi under the influence of singer Sukhwinder Singh.
On power shifts and creative control
When asked if he had ever experienced bias in the Hindi film industry during the 1990s or discrimination against Tamil artistes, Rahman said he was largely shielded from it. However, he noted that things seemed to change in more recent years. “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. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I say good, I have more time to chill with my family. I am not in search of work. I don’t want to go in search of work. I want work to come to me; my sincerity to earn work. Whatever I deserve, I get.”
What’s next for AR Rahman
On the work front, Rahman has composed the music for Vijay Sethupathi’s upcoming silent drama Gandhi Talks. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar and produced by Zee Studios in collaboration with Kyoorius and Moviemill, the film also features Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth Jadhav. It is slated to release in theatres on January 30.
He is also attached to Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious Ramayana, where he is collaborating with Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol and Yash in pivotal roles and is scheduled for a grand theatrical release during Diwali 2026.