Singer-composer Rabbi Shergill, best known for Bulla Ki Jaana and Tere Bin, has shared his views on music composer AR Rahman’s recent comments hinting at a communal bias in the entertainment industry, saying it is difficult to ignore the larger socio-political reality.In an interview on The Life Savers Show, the rabbi said he did not know the exact context in which Rahman made the statement, but believed the concern could not be dismissed.“I don’t know in what context he said it, but how can you deny that right now? How can you deny the communal angle?” said the rabbi.He clarified that he could not comment specifically on whether such a bias exists in the music industry because it is not based in Mumbai.“I can’t say specifically that it’s in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai or interact with these people on a daily basis. But a lot of film funding has gone into what many would call propaganda cinema.”Referring to films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, the rabbi added: “These are political films and they don’t necessarily present an unbiased view of things. So if Rahman says this, I think you have to take him at his word. It probably exists, and this is one of the biggest problems of our time. It’s not just happening in India; it’s not just happening in India.”
“No one is immune to these global currents”
Asked if he sees this as part of a broader global political shift, the rabbi said ideological shifts are taking place around the world.“Absolutely. If you look back to the 1960s, left-wing politics was influential in much of the world. Today, if you look around, you see right-wing governments and ideologies becoming more dominant in many countries. Maybe it’s cyclical and things will change again, but right now nobody is immune to these global currents.”He added that the phenomenon extends beyond India.“Not at all. Just look around our neighborhood. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the decades. China is deeply ideological. Sri Lanka has also become increasingly ideological. It’s hard not to conclude that politics everywhere is moving in that direction.”
“We have become a very centralized republic”
Sharing his views on India’s political landscape, the rabbi said that power has become increasingly concentrated around individual party leaders.“We have become a highly centralized republic where every political party revolves around a dominant figure. Be it the Congress with the Gandhi family, the BJP with its central leadership, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party or even the regional parties, everywhere there is a clearly defined center of power.”He continued: “You cannot really oppose the central leadership and still remain within the party. The same happened in the Aam Aadmi Party. People like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, who were among those who helped build the party, were eventually thrown out. That is the political reality today.”