AR Rahman’s children respond after composer labels criticism against him as 'hate speech'

After AR Rahman faced backlash for his remarks on ‘communal’ sentiments in Bollywood and the film Chhaava’s handling of divisiveness, his daughters Khatija and Raheema spoke out in his support. They aligned with Malayalam music composer Kailas Menon, who called for respectful disagreement rather than personal attacks on Rahman.

Kailas shared a screengrab of a comment labelling Rahman a “disgrace to Tamil Nadu and India.” Writing on Instagram, he said, “Disagree, don’t disgrace. People blaming A. R. Rahman for speaking his mind are missing a basic point. He spoke about how he felt. That is his right.”

He added that Rahman has the freedom to share his experiences. “You may disagree with him, but you cannot deny him the freedom to express his experience. What followed, however, has gone far beyond disagreement and entered the space of abuse and character assassination,” Kailas wrote. He criticised those who attacked Rahman under the guise of criticism, saying, “Calling a globally respected artist a ‘disgrace’, questioning his faith, mocking his recent works, and reducing his lived experience to a ‘victim card’ is not criticism. It’s hate speech presented as opinion.”

Kailas reminded followers that Rahman is “not a random voice” but someone “who carried Indian music to the world, represented the country with dignity, and shaped generations through his work.” He added, “Decades of contribution to Tamil culture, Indian cinema, and global music do not disappear because an artist expresses a personal view. You may debate his opinion on a film. You may disagree with his interpretation. That’s fair. What is not fair is public humiliation or attacking his integrity to silence what he said. Freedom of speech applies to Rahman as much as it applies to his critics.”

Kailas concluded, “Criticism is fine, but outrage without respect says more about us than about him.”

Rahman’s daughter Khatija reacted to Kailas’ post with emojis, including clapping, fire, hundred, and heart, and re-shared his note on her Instagram story. She also posted a personal message reading, “Dear God, bless my friends who checked in on me without wanting anything in return. Return that love to them multiplied and bless everything they touch.”

Singer Raheema also re-shared Kailas’ post in support of her father. AR Rahman’s son, Ameen, has not publicly commented on the controversy.