Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill, best known for Bulla Ki Jana and Tere Bin, shared his views on music composer AR Rahman’s recent comments hinting at communal bias in the entertainment industry, saying it is difficult to ignore the larger socio-political reality.Speaking in an interview with The Life Savers Show, the rabbi said he was not aware of the exact context. Rahman made the statement but believes that concerns cannot be dismissed.“I don’t know in what context he said it, but how do you deny that right now? How do you deny the sectarian angle?” Rabbi Dr.He clarified that as he is not based in Mumbai, he cannot comment specifically on whether such bias exists within the music industry.“I can’t say for sure if it’s in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai or interact with those people every day. But a lot of film financing has gone into what many call propaganda cinema.”Referring to films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, Rabbi added, “These are political films and they don’t necessarily present an unbiased view of things. So if Rahman is saying it, I think you have to take him at his word. It probably exists, and it’s one of the biggest problems of our time. It’s not just in India; it’s happening all over the world.”
‘No One Is Immune To These Global Currents’
Asked if he sees this as part of a larger global political shift, the rabbi said there is an ideological shift happening around the world.“Absolutely. If you look back to the 1960s, left-wing politics were dominant in many parts 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 at the moment no one is immune to these global currents.”He added that the phenomenon extends beyond India.“Not at all. Just look around our neighbours. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the decades. China is deeply ideological. Sri Lanka is also increasingly driven by ideology. It’s hard to say that politics everywhere is going in this direction.”
‘We have become a very centralized republic’
Sharing his views on India’s political landscape, Rabbi said power has increasingly concentrated around party leaders.“We have become a very 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, 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 helped build the party, were eventually pushed out. That is the political reality today.”
