Veteran playback singer, Abhijeet Bhattacharya has once again made headlines for his fiery remarks, but this time, it is not for his feud with any movie star. In his latest revelations, the singer took a dig at music maestro, AR Rahman, questioning his studio etiquette and slamming him for making respectable artists wait for hours. Abhijeet also held Rahman accountable for sidelining live musicians in favour of technology.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya questions AR Rahman’s studio etiquette
In a candid conversation with ANI, the Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge hitmaker revisited a recording session for the 1999 film, Dil Hi Dil Mein, which was also the only time that he collaborated with the musician. Even though his song, Ae Nazneen Suno Na, became a fan favourite, the singer’s memory of that day is anything but nice. Abhijeet questioned Rahman’s etiquette, claiming that he made music legends, including Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardees, wait in his Chennai studio for hours. Recalling his experience at AR Rahman’s studio, Abhijeet shared:
“Rahman saab ke andar kya hai ki… maine aise-aise Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri walo ko neeche bench pe baithe hue dekha hai… humare colleague, South ke writer-filmmaker… Rahman saab utar hi nahin rahe hain neeche do ghante, teen ghante. Sab ek doosre se gappe laga rahe hain. Maine apni ghadi dekha ki jaldi karo. Phir Rahman saab nahi utre.”
Abhijeet added that his own recording of Ae Nazneen Suno Na was handled by Rahman’s assistant without the maestro ever showing up during the session. Considering this a blatant disregard for the artists present in the studio, he recalled:
“Main gaana gaa ke nikal gaya, uske assistant ne record kar liya. Ae Nazneen Suno Na… ye gaana gaya. Aur gaa ke nikal gaya. You have to believe that ki ye ek Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan ki izzat wahan pe hai.”
Abhijeet Bhattacharya feels AR Rahman pushed musicians out of work
Abhijeet’s fiery dig at AR Rahman didn’t end there. While discussing the music industry’s growing reliance on technology, the singer slammed Rahman for leading the shift toward digital software, accusing him of normalising the replacement of live musicians and contributing to the decline of instrumental music in Bollywood. He said:
“It all started when Rahman saab came into the picture. “He told everyone that musicians are no longer needed, everything can be done on a laptop… The musicians who used to play in films are now jobless… Because of him, everyone’s making money—except the musicians. He basically said, ‘I’ll earn it all myself; we don’t need musicians anymore.’… Go out and look—try finding a sitar player in today’s market. You won’t. Everyone is making music on laptops now.”
Abhijeet Bhattacharya on his rift with Shah Rukh Khan
This isn’t the first time Abhijeet Bhattacharya has stirred controversy with his bold remarks about a celebrity. In an earlier interview with ANI, the singer opened up about his fallout with Shah Rukh Khan, revealing that he stopped singing for the actor because he felt his contributions weren’t adequately acknowledged. According to Abhijeet, this lack of recognition led him to decide he would no longer be SRK’s voice.
What do you think about Abhijeet Bhattacharya’s fiery remarks against AR Rahman?
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