Chinmayi Sripada defends AR Rahman amid ‘Vande Mataram’ row, says "He sings Maa Tujhe Salaam at almost every concert”

Chinmayi Sripada defends AR Rahman

• AR Rahman criticized for allegedly refusing to sing Vande Mataram in interview
• Chinmayi Sripada defended Rahman, noting his frequent performances of the song.
• Rahman clarified Bollywood comments and discussed industry changes in interviews.

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Music composer AR Rahman has recently landed in controversy after he allegedly refused to perform Vande Mataram or Maa Tujhe Salaam during an interview. This has sparked public outrage and a heated debate on social media.

However, singer Chinmayi Sripada has recently chimed in to defend AR Rahman, recalling the moment he had sung Vande Mataram.

Chinmayi took to her X (formerly Twitter) and addressed AR Rahman's willingness to perform the song publicly. She also suggested that his refusal on a previous occasion may have been due to other reasons.

She wrote, “A R Rahman and all us sang Vande Mataram to a crowd that chanted with us on November 23, 2025 in Pune at the R K Laxman memorial award concert."

A R Rahman and all us sang Vande Mataram to a crowd that chanted with us on November 23 2025 in Pune at the R K Laxman memorial award concert. He sings Maa Tujhe Salaam at almost every concert @bainjal - everyone who has attended the concerts knows this. Maybe he felt his voice… https://t.co/lmbnLObVlh

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— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) January 17, 2026

Chinmayi further claimed that AR Rahman’s concerts frequently included patriotic music.

She added, "He sings Maa Tujhe Salaam at almost every concert @bainjal - everyone who has attended the concerts knows this. Maybe he felt his voice was not at its best or just didn’t feel like singing that day when you interviewed him. And that’s OK.”

She further noted that there should have been a potential explanation for the singer’s comment. She also encouraged the public to understand his side. Chinmayi also called out the criticism directed at him while also questioning the assumptions being made about his actions.

She concluded her post, "The responses under this tweet ‘OH THAT EXPLAINS IT’ shows exactly what’s gone wrong in the recent past."

Rahman's interview with BBC Asian Network, where he talked about his experiences in the Hindi music industry over the previous eight years, was followed by the recent social media exchanges. He implied that changes in the industry had caused him to lose his job during this time.

He said, "It might be a communal thing also but it is not in my face. He also addressed trends he found concerning in recent film music.

Also Read: AR Rahman clarifies remarks on Bollywood, says his comments were misunderstood

AR Rahman's remarks regarding the song selections and depictions in specific movies sparked additional discussion as he shared his opinions on religious allusions and division in movies.

He specifically mentioned the movie Chhaava, claiming that it relied on divisive clichés and calling the pattern in which characters would say "Subhanallah" and "Alhamdulillah" in response to unfavourable events "cliché and cringe"