AR Rahman's harmless response to Hindi blooper lands him in language row; fans defend him

A moment that seemed to be a light-hearted and playful did not receive the expected reaction unanimously at the launch of the movie 99 Songs. The ‘aversion’ of AR Rahman, who is the producer-music composer and writer of the film, towards Hindi did not go down well with a section of netizens. However, fans of the legend came out in his support and highlighted the ‘humour’ in his reaction.

AR Rahman’s reaction to Hindi leaves netizens divided

The scene was the audio launch of 99 Songs in Coimbatore recently. The anchor of the event was carrying out the proceedings in Tamil,  but welcomed the lead actor of the movie, Ehan Bhat in Hindi, saying, ‘Main aapka hardik swagat karti hoon’ (I warmly welcome you). Rahman's instantly said ‘Hindi’ in surprise, and laughingly walked off the stage, sparking cheers from the audience.   

He reportedly then asked the anchor, "Didn't I ask you already if you speak in Tamil or not?" to which the anchor stated that she was only welcoming the actor.

Numerous netizens were not pleased with Rahman's reaction, calling it ‘bad’ and that ‘hatred for a language’ was not a sign of a ‘good person’. One asked if ‘Chennai was not a part of Hindustan?’ while another shared that all languages were equal. 

However, some defended the Mozart of Madras, stating that he was just trolling the anchor and that  they could understand the humour behind it. 

The incident came after reactions of numerous Tamil stars like Suriya and Kamal Haasan in the past, where they questioned ‘Hindi imposition’ in non-Hindi-speaking rates. 

Meanwhile, Rahman has composed a 14-song score for 99 Songs. Apart from Ehan Bhat, 99 Songs also stars another newcomer Edilsy Vargas. The movie is directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy and hits the theatres on April 16.