MUMBAI, Maharashtra — Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Tuesday clarified his remarks regarding the Oscar-winning song “Jai Ho,” saying he was misquoted and stressing that music composer AR Rahman is “the greatest composer” and “the nicest human being” he has ever met.
Varma addressed the issue in a post on X amid renewed debate sparked by a resurfaced interview in which he appeared to suggest that Rahman had taken credit for the song from singer Sukhwinder Singh.
“To all concerned… I am being misquoted and misread out of context in the matter of the Jai Ho song… in my view. @arrahman is the greatest composer and the nicest human being I ever met and he’s the last person to take away anybody’s credit… I hope this puts an end to the negativism surrounding the issue,” Varma wrote.
The controversy resurfaced after an old interview clip featuring Varma went viral online. In the clip, Varma was heard claiming that Rahman was not the original creative force behind “Jai Ho,” which featured in the film “Slumdog Millionaire,” and that the tune was originally composed by singer Sukhwinder Singh.
In the interview, Varma narrated an incident allegedly linked to the Salman Khan-starrer “Yuvvraaj,” claiming that Rahman had picked up the tune during a studio session with Sukhwinder Singh and later developed it into “Jai Ho.” Varma further alleged that Sukhwinder Singh was later paid Rs. 5 lakh as compensation through Rahman’s management.
Rahman has been in the headlines recently after stating that his work in the Hindi film industry has slowed over the past eight years, attributing it to a “power shift” and what he described as “communal” politics within the entertainment industry.
Following criticism over the remark, Rahman released a video message on social media clarifying that he never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments and expressed regret if his words had caused pain.
Varma’s clarification sought to distance himself from allegations against Rahman and to quell what he described as unnecessary negativity surrounding the iconic song and its creator. (Source: IANS)
