{"id":531706,"date":"2026-01-21T07:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/531706\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T07:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:43:18","slug":"imtiaz-ali-defends-ar-rahman-amid-controversy-i-dont-think-theres-communal-bias-bollywood-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/531706\/","title":{"rendered":"Imtiaz Ali Defends AR Rahman Amid Controversy: &#8216;I Don\u2019t Think There\u2019s Communal Bias&#8217; | Bollywood News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 04:02 IST<\/p>\n<p>Imtiaz Ali supports AR Rahman amid controversy, stating his comments may have been misconstrued and there\u2019s no communal bias in the film industry.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 lazyload\"\/><a href=\"https:\/\/web.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Imtiaz%20Ali%20Defends%20AR%20Rahman%20Amid%20Controversy%3A%20&#039;I%20Don%E2%80%99t%20Think%20There%E2%80%99s%20Communal%20Bias&#039; - %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/bollywood\/imtiaz-ali-defends-ar-rahman-amid-controversy-i-dont-think-theres-communal-bias-9842896.html%3Futm_source%3Dwhatsapp%26utm_medium%3Dsocial_share%26utm_campaign%3Dnw18english%0D%0A %0D%0A Get the latest news anytime, anywhere. Install News18 app for free! %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/onelink.to\/website-share-eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 sclrnd wapp social_share\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_share_icon.svg\" alt=\"new share icon\" title=\"new share icon\" width=\"8\" height=\"9\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_whatsapp_icon.svg\" alt=\"new whatsapp icon\" title=\"new whatsapp icon\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Director Imtiaz Ali backs AR Rahman, calling his controversial comments \u201cmisconstrued\u201d.\" title=\"Director Imtiaz Ali backs AR Rahman, calling his controversial comments \u201cmisconstrued\u201d.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768981398_698_1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3327581032\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Director Imtiaz Ali backs AR Rahman, calling his controversial comments \u201cmisconstrued\u201d.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">Director Imtiaz Ali, who has collaborated with AR Rahman on several films including their latest, Amar Singh Chamkila, spoke out in support of the composer amid recent controversy. In a conversation with India Today, Ali suggested that Rahman\u2019s remarks might have been \u201cmisconstrued&#8221; and urged the public to consider the context of his words.<\/p>\n<p>Imtiaz Ali Backs Rahman<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\">Addressing questions about the perceived communal angle, Imtiaz Ali said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think there is a communal bias in the film industry. I\u2019ve been here for a long time, and I\u2019ve never seen it, and AR Rahman is one of the brightest figures that I\u2019ve met in the film industry. I do not actually believe that he made all the comments that are being attributed to him, or maybe it\u2019s been misconstrued. In fact, I know that he did not say exactly what is being perceived. Also, I don\u2019t remember a single incident where there was any communal bias or animosity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">Ali\u2019s remarks come as Rahman faces criticism over comments he made in a recent interview. The acclaimed composer responded by clarifying his intentions, affirming his devotion to India, and sharing examples of his work celebrating the country\u2019s diversity. He accompanied his statement with footage of his iconic rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam\/Vande Mataram performed at a cricket match, highlighting his cultural contributions and national pride.<\/p>\n<p>Rahman Highlights Cultural Contributions<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">Rahman outlined several initiatives showcasing his efforts to foster inclusivity through music. These include nurturing the project Jhalaa at the WAVES summit, participating in Rooh-e-Noor, collaborating with young Naga musicians, and mentoring the Sunshine Orchestra. He also developed Secret Mountain, India\u2019s first multicultural virtual band, and contributed to the score for Ramayana alongside Hans Zimmer. Through these projects, Rahman continues to emphasize cultural diversity and celebrate India\u2019s artistic heritage.<\/p>\n<p>First Published:<\/p>\n<p>January 20, 2026, 04:02 IST<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">movies<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/movies\/bollywood\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bollywood<\/a>   Imtiaz Ali Defends AR Rahman Amid Controversy: &#8216;I Don\u2019t Think There\u2019s Communal Bias&#8217;Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 04:02 IST Imtiaz Ali supports AR Rahman amid controversy, stating his comments may have&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":531707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[235647,18308,185,171,171465,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-531706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-ar-rahman","tag-bollywood","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-imtiaz-ali","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115931972159129989","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}