'No more old players, today it's corporate': Hariharan, Leslie Lewis react to AR Rahman's comment on getting less work in Bollywood and the 'communal' remark

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman recently spoke about how the amount of work coming his way has reduced and hinted that it could be due to a 'communal thing'. Though, he clarified that nothing of the sort has ever been directly expressed to him. His comments have now drawn reactions from several celebs and now veteran musicians Hariharan and Leslie Lewis, popularly known as the duo Colonial Cousins have also reacted.

Sharing his perspective, Hariharan underlined the need for artistic sensibility in decision-making positions. “I really wish there were more creative people, or at least people who genuinely understand music, taking these calls,” he said, before adding, “You have to think about creativity first and money later. If you only think of money when it comes to art, then who knows what the future will be.”


Hariharan, who famously sang Rahman’s timeless romantic number 'Tu Hi Re' from Mani Ratnam’s 'Bombay' (1995), described the situation as a “grey area.” Echoing his views, Leslie Lewis agreed that the industry’s internal structure has changed significantly in recent years. “It’s not just the old players anymore. New people with new thoughts have come in, and digital platforms have changed the parameters completely,” he told NDTV.

Lewis further pointed out how corporate thinking has overtaken creative judgment. “Earlier, the people judging us had experience and creative instinct. Today, it’s very corporate. The person taking the call is often making sure their job is secure. They may love music, but they don’t always have the experience to decide who the right artist is,” he explained.

For those not in the know, Rahman had said on BBC Asian Network, "Maybe I didn’t get to know all this stuff. Maybe God concealed all this stuff. But for me, I never felt any of those, but the past eight years, maybe, because the power shift has happened,” he said. Elaborating further, Rahman added, “People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers.”
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