Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman has elicited different responses after he spoke about his recent experiences in the Hindi film industry. He said that work for him has slowed down in the past eight years, attributing it to changing power dynamics over the past few years and hinting at a possible “communal thing”. However, veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar has firmly ruled out any such angle.

Javed Akhtar on Rahman`s communal bias comment

Sharing his perspective, Akhtar said he has never experienced this sentiment in Mumbai and stressed that Rahman continues to command immense respect across the industry. “I have never felt this way. I meet people here in Mumbai. They have great respect for him,” Akhtar told IANS.