India’s most well-known composer, Allah Rakha Rahman, is unquestionably the most well-known in India. He has won some of the world’s most coveted musical awards – including Oscars, Grammys and a Golden Globe. His song, Jai Ho (May You Win), became a well-known anthem after earning him an Oscar. For his contributions to music, the 59-year-old “Mozart of Madras” received Padma Vibhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, in addition to his honor.
But last week, when Rahman, a man of few words, shared in a TV interview that he potentially has lost work due to “communal” bias in Bollywood, India’s Hindi film industry, he was subjected to a massive online backlash from Hindu right-wing voices.
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“People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also but not in my face”, Rahman told the BBC Asian Network in the interview aired on Friday.
“The music company hired its five composers, but they whispered to me that they had booked you.” Oh, that’s great, take some rest, I said. I can chill out with my family, ‘” he said in the 90-minute interview.
Rahman’s patriotism and talent were questioned by right-wing activists and commentators, who claimed he had played the “victim card.”
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a far-right organization, demanded an apology from Rahman for “defaming” the nation.
“We are proud of him and whatever he has done for the country. However, he claimed that the way he is trying to defame India is highly objectionable for someone who has made his living from it.
Industry insiders have remained silent and distazoned themselves from the remarks, avoiding a few outspoken voices.
Within a day, the composer was forced to tender an explanation amid an unrelenting stream of social media trolling. Rahman stated in a video that was posted to his Instagram account that: “I realize that intentions can occasionally be misunderstood, but my goal has always been to uplift, honor, and serve through music.
He praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support for India’s young creatives and the entertainment sector, and he said he was still giving thanks to the country. He also worked with Hans Zimmer to create the score for the upcoming film Ramayana, a film based on the Hindu epic.
Indian religious intolerance is growing.
But the backlash on social media continued for days, bringing into the spotlight the struggle of being a Muslim amid rising religious intolerance in India.
Indian journalist Fatima Khan wrote on X, “Incredible to see Rahman being shifted from the good Muslim category to the bad Muslim category overnight.
“Almost every Muslim public figure in India has experienced or will experience a penny drop.” No matter how many patriotic songs, movies or tweets. They will all endure the suffering it causes.
According to To Kill a Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism coauthor Debasish Roy Chowdhury, online trolling aids in the production of majoritarian consent.
He argued that when enough noise is generated on social media, it seeps into mainstream coverage and starts to look like the dominant social mood.
According to Roy Chowdhury, who has written about Bollywood being used as a propaganda tool, “the loudest voices drown out tolerance and reason until hate is all that is heard and can be falsely claimed as representative of society.”
Hindu right’s influence on art and cinema
Rahman is not well known for speaking out about his Muslim heritage or for politics. Roja, one of his many nationalist films, was released in 1992 and is renowned for its patriotic themes and depiction of the armed uprising in India-administered Kashmir in the 1990s.
Rahman’s 1997 song Maa Tujhe Salam (Salute to You, Mother) on his album Vande Mataram was seen as unifying the diverse nation of 1.4 billion people.
The composer’s career began in the Tamil film industry in southern India. He is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu’s state capital.
The Oscar winner’s comments last week raised questions about the Hindu right’s influence on art and cinema in India, particularly in Bollywood.
The Hindi film industry has received criticism for producing movies that disparage Hindu leaders and secular leaders or even glorify Hindu extremists.
Some claim that this is the result of a persistent cultural conflict involving Bollywood, which has led to a shift away from its pluralist, liberal, and Hindu majoritarian narratives, which aligns film closely with the ruling party’s ideology.
The Kashmir Files (2022) triggered anti-Muslim hate across India while the Kerala Story (2023) was accused of spreading Islamophobia by portraying Muslims as potential “terrorists”.
Rahman’s music was recently used in Rahman’s music to the controversial Muslim-mongering movie Chhaava. Aurangzeb, the film depicted the brutal and violent ruler of the Mughal Empire. Rahman, in his BBC interview, admitted the film was “divisive”.
“Muslim vilification”
Screenwriter and critic Raja Sen said, “We’re seeing a kind of vilification of Muslims on our screens.”
“Earlier, it was just like an anti-Pakistan narrative. He told Al Jazeera, “There is now a different kind of narrative.”
Pakistan has traditionally been depicted as the enemy in Hindi films that deal with war, “terror,” and espionage, themes that have been the subject of decades of hostility. The two neighbouring countries have fought several wars over the disputed Kashmir region. After 26 tourists were killed by gunmen in India-administered Kashmir, they were briefly engaged in a four-day war in May.
Indian Muslims are now being increasingly portrayed as a threat by movies that once focused on foreign foes.
Sen claimed that a major filmmaker changed an upcoming film’s Muslim protagonist’s name to a Hindu name, fearing controversy.
“They must have thought, why make the Muslim protagonist a good, heroic figure. According to Sen, it’s “perhaps similar” to what used to happen in post-9/11 America in terms of how stereotyping was carried out,” Sen continued.
Bollywood’s once largely secular ethos presented Muslim characters as positive, even if stereotypical. In films like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Coolie (1983), they were devoted friends, brothers, or benevolent poets and singers.
Muslims have appeared in recent years as violent (Kalank), regressive (Haq), or debauched (Animal), a “terrorist” (A Wednesday), a “terrorist,” or violent (Kalank), a development that echoes post-9/11 Hollywood movies, where Muslim identity has evolved as a synonym for danger or moral deficiency.
Muslim stars are targeted
From the beginning of Hindi cinema, Muslim actors, filmmakers, and other artists have had a significant influence.
The prominence of stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan has often been cited as evidence of Bollywood’s secular credentials and broad appeal.
The country’s biggest Muslim stars, however, have increasingly become targets in recent years. This is not just apparent in their movies, but also in the way that their views on religious intolerance have been publicly expressed.
Aamir Khan’s films have repeatedly faced boycott calls from right-wing Hindu groups, including his 2014 film PK for critiquing organised religion, including Hinduism and Islam, and 2022’s Laal Singh Chaddha for his past remarks on intolerance.
Aamir Khan had to reassure the public that he “really loved his country.” A televised interview with news anchor Rajat Sharma, who questioned him about marrying Hindu women, also raised the accusation of promoting love jihad, a conspiracy theory that claims Muslim men are engaged in union to convert Hindu women.
Shah Rukh Khan has been targeted on multiple occasions for remarks and professional choices. He was called “anti-national” in 2015 because of his mention of intolerance. When his son, Aryan Khan, was detained in a 2021 drug case despite the charges being later dropped, he also faced campaigns that questioned his patriotism.
More recently, he was labelled a traitor by a ruling party member after his Indian Premier League cricket team signed a Bangladeshi player. In response to the conflict between the two nations, the Kolkata Knight Riders, which is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, dropped the Bangladeshi player.
Rights organizations and independent observers have documented what they believe to be a systematic campaign of hate and discrimination against Muslims in India, which account for 1.4 billion people there, over the past few years.
According to the India Hate Lab Report 2025, there has been a sharp rise in antiminority hate speech – from 668 reported incidents in 2023 to more than 1, 300 in 2025 – much of it voiced at political rallies, processions and public events that is then amplified online into mainstream discourse.
In a number of states, human rights organizations like Amnesty International have documented demolitions of Muslim-owned businesses and homes.
Beyond studies, lived accounts and news coverage highlight a systematic exclusion from daily life, including difficulties finding rental housing, practicing religion, and being lynched over accusations of transporting cows, which some Hindus consider to be sacred.
‘ A chilling effect ‘
Such a chilling effect is produced by the backlash. In recent years, according to artists, the scope of creative freedom in Hindi films has slowed significantly, largely as a result of the anticipation of a backlash. Silence and self-censorship, some feel, have become critical for survival in the film industry today.
Avinash Das, a filmmaker, said, “There has been a group within the film industry that works within the influence of the government and benefits from it, that boldly and aggressively underlines and creates many of these controversies.”
After learning about Das’s criticism of the government, producers repeatedly turned down his services.
He pointed out that a 1983 satirical film, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, which depicted a Hindu religious performance, cannot be made now.
Filmmakers and producers are cautious of anything that might be perceived as controversial because, in his opinion, film is not just an art form but a business driven by risk. The same applies to those who declare their opinions.
Indian celebrities seem to be bound by the same code of silence, which explains why so few, regardless of whether they are Hindu or Muslim, speak publicly about the country’s current direction.
Bollywood contrasts sharply with Hollywood, where celebrities frequently express out against one another, or even make disparaging remarks about US President Donald Trump.
Source: Aljazeera
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