After AR Rahman stirred controversy with his comments on his experience working in the Hindi film industry, his son Ameen has yet again come out in support of his Oscar- and Grammy-winning music composer father, calling him “a legend for life”.
Ameen took to his Instagram stories, where he shared a throwback video of his father with Ed Sheeran on stage, accompanied by the words, “A legend for life – written forever in the books.”
Ameen further reinforced the sentiment by adding visuals from Marvel superhero Iron Man, featuring the iconic quote, “You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys, but one thing you can’t take away—I am Iron Man.”
It was during his interaction with BBC Asian Network that Rahman spoke about getting limited work offers in Bollywood. He stated that over the past eight years, a shift in power dynamics and “communal” factors, meaning issues tied to religion, regional identity, and industry politics, may have influenced the types of opportunities he received in Bollywood.
His comments sparked a strong public and media backlash, with many interpreting his words as implying discrimination or bias within the industry.
Following the commotion, Rahman issued a video clarification, stressing that his intentions had been misunderstood and that he “never meant to hurt anyone.” He went on to describe India as his inspiration and reaffirmed that his music is rooted in unity and cultural celebration.
He said in a clarification video: "Dear friends, music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating, and honouring a culture. India is my inspiration, my teacher, and my home. I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood, but my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music.”
He stressed that he never wished to “cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt.”
“From nurturing Jhalaa, presented at the Wave Summit in front of the Honourable Prime Minister and Ruhi Noor, to collaborating with the young Naga musicians to create a string orchestra, to mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra, to building Secret Mountain, India's first multicultural virtual band, and the honour of scoring Ramayana alongside Hans Zimmer, each journey has strengthened my purpose,” he added.