Overview
- In an Instagram video, the Oscar-winning composer says he "never wished to cause pain" and calls India his "inspiration, teacher and home."
- He cites initiatives including JHALAA, the all-women Rooh-e-Noor, collaborations with Naga musicians, the Sunshine Orchestra and Secret Mountain, and his Ramayana score with Hans Zimmer.
- The message follows his BBC Asian Network interview in which he linked fewer recent Hindi film offers to a power shift and said it "might be a communal thing."
- He also labelled the 2025 film Chhaava "divisive" and criticised negative uses of phrases such as "subhanallah" and "mashallah."
- Industry veterans like Javed Akhtar, Shaan and Hariharan have rejected a communal-bias explanation, while right‑wing voices, including Kangana Ranaut, continue to attack his remarks.