Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman issued a video statement on Sunday, expressing gratitude for his Indian identity. The statement comes in response to the debate that followed his recent interview with BBC Asian.

“Indian music has always been my way of connecting, celebrating and honouring our culture. India is my inspiration, my teacher and my home. I understand the intentions can sometimes be misunderstood, but my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I’ve never wished to cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt. I feel blessed to be Indian, which enables (me) to create a space which always allows freedom of expression, and celebrates multi-cultural voices,” Rahman said in the video.

Rahman added that being Indian has enabled him to create artistic spaces that encourage freedom of expression and celebrate multicultural voices. In the video, he also spoke about nurturing Zhaala, his new raga-based music ensemble unveiled at the WAVES Summit last year. He spoke of his efforts to support young Naga musicians and discussed his work on the upcoming Ramayana project alongside international composer Hans Zimmer.

Rahman shared that each journey strengthened his purpose, adding, “I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past, celebrates the present and inspires the future. Jai Hind, and Jai Ho.”

Rahman’s statement comes days after his interview with BBC Asian Network , during which he noted that less work has been coming to him due to a power shift within the Hindi film industry in recent years.

He said in the interview, “I’m not in search of work. I want work to come to me; the sincerity of my work to earn things. I feel it’s a jinx when I go on in search of things... 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. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, ‘Oh that’s great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family.” The reference to a communal angle has led to a lot of debate within the film industry and outside.

Responding to a question about working on the soundtrack for Ramayan (along with Hans Zimmer) as a Muslim man, Rahman said, “I studied in a Brahmin school. Every year, there was Ramayana and Mahabharat. So, I know the story. And the story is about how virtuous a person is, higher ideals. I value all the good things,” adding, “It is from India to the world. With Hans Zimmer, who is Jewish, I am Muslim and Ramayana is Hindu.”

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Days after receiving backlash over ‘communally divisive’ remarks, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman has broken his silence.

In a video posted on Instagram on Sunday, the 59-year-old described India as “my inspiration, my teacher and my home”. He added, “I understand that intentions can sometimes be misunderstood. But my purpose has always been to uplift, honour and serve through music. I have never wished to cause pain, and I hope my sincerity is felt.”

Rahman also cited his work with ensembles such as Jhalaa, Rooh-e-Noor, collaborations with young Naga musicians, mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra, creating Secret Mountain, India’s first multicultural virtual band, and scoring the Ramayana as examples of his efforts to celebrate diverse voices.

He ended his statement with, “I remain grateful to this nation and committed to music that honours the past,” and footage of a stadium full of people singing along to his song Maa Tujhe Salaam/Vande Mataram.

This comes after Rahman’s comments in an interview with the BBC Asian Network, where he was asked about feeling prejudice in Bollywood as a Tamil composer. He had said, “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.” He had also criticized Chhaava (2025) for cashing in on ‘divisiveness’.