AR Rahman on the 'Ramayana' Song Row: 'If You Want to Please Everyone, Go Sell Ice Cream'

Oscar-winning Indian composer AR Rahman has spoken out on the controversy surrounding 'Mangal Rang,' a recently released song from the upcoming mega-budget film 'Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.' Saying he does not feel the need to worry much about reactions or criticism of his work, he recalled a famous quote by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

AR Rahman said, 'If you want to make everyone happy, you should give up music and go sell ice cream.'

Sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal and written by poet Kumar Vishwas, 'Mangal Rang' is set against the backdrop of the wedding of Ram and Sita. But the song drew mixed reactions from listeners soon after its release.

Some listeners on social media complained that the song's tune and instrumentation carry an influence of the qawwali genre, which they felt does not fit the mythological setting; many had expected a traditional, devotional sound. Many also expressed disappointment over the electronic instruments used in the music for Ravan's tandav scene.

Responding to the criticism, AR Rahman said it is not right to judge a tune or a piece of work too quickly.

He said, 'I am the biggest critic of my own work. It is not that I blindly like everything I create. We do not reach a decision in a day. Months of work go into a single tune.'

Drawing on the example of pickles, he added, 'Some tunes or styles of song are like pickles — the older they get, the more their flavour opens up. People should understand that there may be ethnographic thinking behind this tune as well.'

AR Rahman believes listeners often criticise a work by picking on one particular part without seeing the whole picture. With a little patience, they would understand why a specific tune or instrument was chosen.

The first part of Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana' is set for a worldwide release on 5 November on the occasion of Diwali. Just a few days before that, Rahman spoke about his creative process and the controversy over the song in an exclusive interview with Screen magazine.

In the interview, Rahman also described working jointly with Oscar-winning world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer on the background score of 'Ramayana.' He said, 'Hans Zimmer's involvement in this film will create huge curiosity among international audiences. It will take the film to a new set of viewers on the world stage.'

Explaining the scale of the music production, AR Rahman noted, 'This film carried the workload of about ten films. Across the Hollywood and Indian versions, songs and background scores were created in five different languages in total.'

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the two-part epic stars Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and south Indian star Yash as Ravan. After the release of the first part, the second part will arrive in theatres on Diwali in 2027.