Qawwali tune in 'Ramayan' song 'Mangal Rang' sparks row, A R Rahman faces criticism
Composer A R Rahman has faced intense criticism from a section of music lovers and social media users immediately after the release of 'Mangal Rang', a new song from Bollywood's much-awaited film 'Ramayan'. Many have expressed displeasure, alleging the use of a Sufi-style qawwali tune in a film based on an Indian epic.
The makers officially released the song last Sunday. Oscar-winning music director A R Rahman composed it, and Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal sang it jointly. The song was made to celebrate the union of Ramchandra and Sita in the Ramayana and their journey of life together.
But as soon as the song came out, a storm of criticism rose on social media platform X over the nature of its tune. Many have questioned how fitting a qawwali-genre song is for creating the atmosphere of the story of an ancient and sacred religious epic.
One angry user wrote on social media: bringing the feel of Sufi qawwali into Valmiki's Ramayana indicates the extreme incoherence of the Bollywood mentality; there is no presence of cultural roots or research here, only an old tune template placed on a huge budget; and sacred history should stop being treated like an ordinary romantic comedy film released on a Friday.
Another user, expressing disappointment, wrote: "Qawwali in Ramayan! A R Rahman never fails to disappoint." Directly questioning Rahman's choice of tune, another mocked: "A R Rahman, have you lost your mind?"
The originality of the song's tune also did not escape criticism. Many have also accused Rahman of reusing or 'recycling' his own old work. One user wrote, thanking A R Rahman for gifting an old Tamil film qawwali tune for the Ramayan film.
Many others believe that, instead of a qawwali or Bollywood-style tune, the use of pure Sanskrit hymns or classical music in this film's song would have multiplied the gravity of the scenes.
One user also questioned the selection of A R Rahman as the film's main music director, writing that it was extremely disappointing and that Rahman was the worst choice for this film; the song sounds exactly like a qawwali and recalls his earlier songs from "Rockstar" or "Jodhaa Akbar", even the tune of "Kun Faya Kun"; he had done similar work in the film "Chhaava"; and the Ajay-Atul or Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy duo could have done more justice to this film's music.
In Nitesh Tiwari's directed 'Ramayan', Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi play Ram and Sita. Other important roles feature Ravi Dubey, Yash, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh and Lara Dutta. The film is scheduled to be released in cinemas worldwide on 5 November.
