Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill, best known for Bulla Ki Jaana and Tere Bin, has shared his views on music composer AR Rahman’s recent remarks hinting at communal bias in the entertainment industry, saying it is difficult to ignore the larger socio-political reality.Speaking in an interview with The Life Savers Show, Rabbi said he was unaware of the exact context in which Rahman made the statement but believed the concern could not be dismissed.“I don’t know in what context he said it, but how can you deny that right now? How can you deny the communal angle?” Rabbi said.He clarified that he could not specifically comment on whether such bias exists within the music industry because he is not based in Mumbai.“I can’t specifically say it’s there in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai or interact with those people daily. But a lot of film financing has gone into what many would call propaganda cinema.”Referring to films such as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, Rabbi added, “These are political films and they don’t necessarily present an unbiased view of things. So if Rahman is saying this, I think you have to take him at his word. It probably does exist, and that’s one of the biggest problems of our times. It’s not just India; it’s happening across the world.”
‘Nobody is immune to these global currents’
Asked whether he sees this as part of a broader global political shift, Rabbi said ideological changes are taking place across the world.“Absolutely. If you look back to the 1960s, left-leaning politics was influential across much of the world. Today, if you look around, you see right-wing governments and ideologies becoming more dominant in many countries. Maybe it’s cyclical and things will change again, but right now nobody is immune to these global currents.”He added that the phenomenon extends beyond India.“Not at all. Just look around our neighbourhood. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the decades. China is deeply ideological. Sri Lanka too has become increasingly driven by ideology. It’s difficult not to conclude that politics everywhere is moving in this direction.”
‘We’ve become a very centralised republic’
Sharing his views on India’s political landscape, Rabbi said power has become increasingly concentrated around individual leaders across parties.“We’ve become a very centralised republic where every political party revolves around one dominant figure. Whether it’s the Congress with the Gandhi family, the BJP with its central leadership, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, or even regional parties—everywhere there’s a clearly defined centre of power.”He continued, “You can’t really oppose the central leadership and still remain 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 pushed out. That’s the political reality today.”
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