A.R. Rahman is no stranger to strong reactions, but the conversation around Ramayana has pushed his music back into the centre of public debate. As songs from Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious mythological epic continue to trigger sharply divided responses online, the Oscar-winning composer has made it clear that pleasing every listener was never going to be the goal.
Rahman Responds To The Backlash
Speaking about the mixed reception to the film’s music, Rahman said, “I am my first critic. It is not that I just love everything I do. We don’t decide something in a day. We live with it for months sometimes. There’s a thought process.”
He also suggested that not every composition reveals itself instantly. Using a striking analogy, he said, “Sometimes you need to take anthropology into consideration. Sometimes, you let something be, like pickle: for certain tunes, the older it is, the better it becomes.”
Rahman then summed up his approach to criticism with a line that has quickly grabbed attention: “If you want to satisfy everyone, go sell ice cream.”
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The remark arrives at a time when Ramayana‘s soundtrack is being dissected intensely on social media, with listeners split between admiration for its scale and discomfort over some of its stylistic choices.
Mangal Rang Sparks Debate
Much of the discussion has centred on Mangal Rang, a track composed by Rahman and sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal. Online criticism has focused on the song sounding closer to a Sufi qawwali than the kind of devotional treatment many expected from a film rooted in the Ramayana universe.
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Rahman has also spoken about why he refuses to remain trapped by nostalgia. Reflecting on how audience expectations have changed over the years, he said, “After the first 10 years, people said, ‘Oh, you should do what you did in those first 10 years.’ But I can’t stay on old glory like Rockstar or Slumdog Millionaire. You can’t stagnate yourself, you have to be like a flowing river. Now Ramayana has come, and these songs are in five different languages.”
That debate over sound and tradition has only intensified the attention on a film already carrying enormous expectations.
Ramayana Cast And Release Details
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Maa Sita, with Yash, Ravi Dubey, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh and Lara Dutta in key roles. The film is mounted as a large-scale mythological spectacle, with Rahman composing alongside Hans Zimmer for a score that aims to match the project’s global ambition.
The first instalment is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on November 5, 2026, placing even more scrutiny on every creative choice tied to the project, especially its music.
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A.R. Rahman’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Rahman’s recent work has continued to reflect the artistic restlessness he referenced in his latest remarks. In 2024, he composed for Ayalaan, the Tamil science-fiction film led by Sivakarthikeyan, a project that once again showed his instinct for building soundscapes that do not play it safe. That context makes his latest comments especially telling. For Rahman, reinvention is not a phase or a defense. It is the method. And with Ramayana under the microscope, he appears entirely prepared to let the music speak first and let time do the rest.
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