Mumbai, Feb 4 (IANS) Actress Zoya Afroz doesn’t agree with the Oscar and Grammy-winning music composer A. R. Rahman’s statement on industry discriminating against talents on the basis of their faith.
The actress recently attended the special screening of ‘Gandhi Talks’ for which Rahman has composed the music. The actress spoke with IANS at the screening, and said she hasn’t faced any discrimination in the industry despite belonging to the same faith as Rahman.
She told IANS, “My personal experience has not been like this till now, and I hope it will not be like this. Because in our country, we celebrate unity and diversity and I think that is the spirit that we should keep”.
She also spoke about how films reflect society, as she said, “I think movies are a mirror of society, they depict life. Of course, if there is no movie for kids, they should not be shown and that is why the certification is done. So I think we should keep it like that”.
The controversy around A. R. Rahman erupted after his statement in an interview about his experience working in the Hindi film industry. During a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, Rahman spoke about getting limited work offers in Bollywood.
He suggested that over the past eight years, a shift in power dynamics and “communal” factors, meaning issues tied to religion, regional identity, and industry politics, may have influenced the types of opportunities he received in Bollywood. His comments sparked a strong public and media backlash, with many interpreting his words as implying discrimination or bias within the industry.
Following the uproar, Rahman issued a video clarification, stressing that his intentions were misunderstood and that he “never meant to hurt anyone”. He described India as his inspiration and reaffirmed that his music is rooted in unity and cultural celebration.
–IANS
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