Mehbooba Mufti to Javed Akhtar: 'Dismissing AR Rahman ignores lived realities of Indian Muslims in Bollywood'

Peoples' Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti. (File photo/PTI)

• Mehbooba Mufti supports Rahman's concerns on communal bias in Bollywood
• Mufti cites Shabana Azmi's housing denial as proof of real discrimination
• Rahman and Chinmayi Sripada address controversy over Vande Mataram performance

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Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has weighed in on the ongoing debate around composer A R Rahman’s recent remarks, arguing that dismissing his concerns ignores the everyday experiences of many Indian Muslims.

In a post on X on Sunday, Mufti took issue with lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar’s comments, saying they ran counter to “lived and shared realities” within the community.

Referring to Akhtar’s reported assertion that there was no communal angle behind Rahman allegedly receiving fewer work opportunities, Mufti said such views gloss over uncomfortable truths.

She pointedly invoked Akhtar’s own family, noting that his wife, actor Shabana Azmi, has spoken publicly about being denied housing because of her religious identity in what is often described as a liberal, cosmopolitan city.

“When Javed Akhtar dismisses A R Rahman’s concerns about the growing communalisation of Bollywood, he contradicts lived and shared realities of Indian Muslims including those of his own wife Shabana Azmi, who has openly spoken about being denied housing for being a Muslim in a cosmopolitan city like Bombay,” Mufti wrote.

When Javed Akhtar dismisses A.R. Rahman’s concerns about the growing communalisation of Bollywood he contradicts lived & shared realities of Indian Muslims including those of his own wife Shabana Azmi, who has openly spoken about being denied housing for being Muslim in a…

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 18, 2026

She also reflected on the film industry’s broader social role, suggesting that cinema has historically mirrored the country itself. “Bollywood has always been a living mini-India mirroring the country’s social realities. Brushing aside such experiences does not change the truth about today’s India,” she added, drawing a link between personal testimonies and wider structural shifts.

Rahman’s comments, made during an interview with BBC Asian Network, triggered a wave of reactions online. Speaking about the last eight years of his career in Hindi cinema, the composer suggested that changes in the industry had affected him professionally. “It might be a communal thing also but it is not in my face,” he said, while also flagging trends in film music that he found troubling.

Around the same time, Rahman found himself at the centre of another controversy after claims circulated that he had declined to perform Vande Mataram or Maa Tujhe Salaam during an interview, prompting sharp criticism on social media. Singer Chinmayi Sripada later stepped in to defend him, offering context and recounting a recent performance.

“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,” Chinmayi wrote on X, pushing back against assumptions about his patriotism. She went on to say, “He sings Maa Tujhe Salaam at almost every concert @bainjal - everyone who has attended the concerts knows this.”

Chinmayi suggested that there could have been simple, non-political reasons for his earlier reluctance. “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 said, urging people to consider alternative explanations. Reflecting on the backlash, she concluded, “The responses under this tweet ‘OH THAT EXPLAINS IT’ shows exactly what’s gone wrong in the recent past.”

Rahman has also spoken critically about how religion is portrayed in some recent films, pointing to what he described as overused and divisive tropes. Citing the film Chhaava, he said recurring patterns where characters exclaim phrases like “Subhanallah” or “Alhamdulillah” in negative contexts felt “cliché and cringe,” further fuelling debate about representation and creative choices in contemporary cinema.