'I still love Abhijeet'; AR Rahman Reacts to Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya's Criticisms; Read More

Oscar-winning Bollywood composer AR Rahman has reacted to comments made by singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya in which he accused Rahman of playing a part in the reduction of live instrumentation in music and of encouraging musicians to depend too much on technology.

In an interview, Abhijeet criticised Rahman for marginalizing other artists and instrumentalists due to his technology-focused method of music production. He also held Rahman responsible for the increase of technology in the industry, which has resulted in a lack of opportunities for traditional musicians.

Finally, A.R Rahman has reacted to these allegations, he said, “It's nice to blame me for everything. I still love Abhijeet, and I would send cakes to him. Also, it's his opinion, and there's nothing wrong with having one."

He further said, "I recently set up an orchestra with 60 women in Dubai. They are being employed every month and are being paid insurance, health, and everything. In every movie that I do, be it Chhaava or Ponniyin Selvan, there are close to 200-300 musicians involved, and some songs have more than 100 people working on them. I don't show off or post photos with them, and thus no one gets to know about it."

He also talked about the use of technology in music making, “Computers are used as a tool to design extraordinary harmonies, but I can't afford to get musicians to play and reject them later. The producers I work with can vouch for how many musicians are involved in the process.”