Ram Gopal Varma claims AR Rahman didn't compose Oscar-winning song Jai Ho, “Sukhwinder Singh told me that Rahman gave him Rs 5 lakhs and...”

Ram Gopal Varma talks about A R Rahman

• Ram Gopal Varma recalls challenging yet rewarding work with A. R. Rahman
• Rahman's unpredictability birthed "Jai Ho" for Slumdog Millionaire.
• Rahman faces public discussion after recent controversy and daughter's gratitude

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Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been looking back on his long, complicated and memorable working relationship with Oscar-winning composer A. R. Rahman, sharing stories that reveal just how challenging and rewarding that collaboration could be.

While his respect for Rahman’s musical genius is clear, Ram Gopal Varma has admitted that working with the composer often pushed him to the edge of his patience.

In a recent interview, Ram Gopal Varma spoke openly about how A. R. Rahman operates very much on his own terms. He described the composer as a rare creative force whose brilliance does not follow fixed schedules or predictable routines.

For filmmakers waiting on music deadlines, this unpredictability can be nerve-racking, even as it ultimately produces extraordinary results.

To explain this mindset, Ram Gopal Varma shared an incident involving director Subhash Ghai and singer Sukhwinder Singh, which he feels perfectly captures Rahman’s approach to his work.

Recounting the episode, he said, "Rahman was doing a film called Yuvraj for Subhash Ghai and Rahman is always late, it frustrates you not being on time. On this day, Rahman was arriving from airport and Sukhwinder was there, doing something, Rahman came and said hi hi and asked Sukhwinder right in front of Suubhash Ghai, "did you compose?" Sukhwinder said yes, played a song and Rahman said he liked it and asked if Subhash liked it. Subhash got angry and started shoutimg at Rahman sayoing' I'm paying you 3 crores for you to do it... i also can get Sukhwinder to do it, why do i need you?"

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According to Ram Gopal Varma, A. R. Rahman did not flinch. He calmly asserted the value of his name, reputation and artistic vision rather than immediate output. Elaborating further, Ram Gopal Varma added, "Rahman said in reply, 'mind you tongue Mr Ghai, you are paying for my name, not my work, don't get confused' I only said, did you like it I did not say accept it if you don't like it, I''ll do another song. Rahman said this and then left for Chennai. Sukhwinder told me that Rahman later called him and asked him to complete the song and email it to him. That was it, then one year later Rahman's manager sent a cheque for 5 lakhs to Sukhwinder and then Sukhwinder sked why? the manager said, "you made a song a song for Rahman and Rahman sold it to a party and this 5 lakhs is your share" Who did Rahman sell the song to? Slumdog Millionaire. and the song Jai ho. "

Also Read: When AR Rahman spoke about his 'painful' childhood, "my parents were thrown onto the street, was seeing trauma every day.."

These reflections come as A. R. Rahman continues to be discussed publicly following recent controversy around his remarks on alleged “communal” bias in Bollywood and comments related to the film Chhaava.

During the backlash, his daughter Khatija Rahman publicly expressed gratitude to those who stood by the family.