Rabbi Shergill says AR Rahman’s sectarian bias claim ‘likely exists’, points to The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story (Image credit: Instagram)
Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill, known for Bulla Ki Jaana and Tere Bin, shared his views on music composer AR Rahman’s recent statements pointing out sectarian bias in the entertainment industry, saying it is difficult to ignore the larger social and political reality.Speaking in an interview with The Life Savers Show, the rabbi said he was not aware of the exact context in which Rahman made the statement but believed the concern could not be ignored.“I don’t know in what context he said that, but how can you deny that now? How can you deny the sectarian angle?” The rabbi said.He explained that he cannot comment specifically on whether such bias exists within the music industry because he does not reside in Mumbai.“I can’t specifically say it exists in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai and don’t interact with these people on a daily basis. But a lot of film funding has gone into what many call prop cinema.”Referring to films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, Rabi added: “These are political films and they don’t necessarily give an unbiased view of things. So if Rahman is saying this, then I think you have to take him at his word.”
It probably already exists, and this is one of the biggest problems of our time. It’s not just India; “It’s happening all over the world.”
“No one is immune to these global trends.”
Asked whether he saw this as part of a broader global political shift, the rabbi said that ideological changes were occurring around the world.“Absolutely. If you look at the 1960s, left-leaning policies were influential in most parts of the world. Today, if you look around, you see right-wing governments and ideologies becoming more dominant in many countries.”
“Maybe it will be cyclical and things will change again, but for now no one is immune to these global trends.”He added that the phenomenon extends outside India.“Not at all. Just take a look around our neighbourhood. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the past decades. China is deeply ideological. Sri Lanka has also become increasingly driven by ideology. It is hard not to conclude that politics everywhere is moving in this direction.”
“We have become a very centralized republic.”
Expressing his views on India’s political landscape, Rabi said power has become increasingly concentrated around individual leaders across parties.“We have become a highly centralized republic where every political party revolves around one dominant figure. Be it the Congress with the Gandhi family, the BJP with its central leadership, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, or even the regional parties – everywhere there is a clearly defined center of power.”“You cannot really oppose the central leadership and stay within the party. The same thing happened in the Aam Aadmi Party. People like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, who were among those who helped build the party, were eventually expelled. This is the political reality today,” he continued.
