Veteran cinematographer Baba Azmi has voiced his disagreement with AR Rahman’s recent remarks suggesting alleged communal bias in Bollywood. Rahman had implied that growing communal undercurrents may have affected his work over the past eight years, sparking widespread debate in the industry.
Speaking to Just Too Filmy, Baba Azmi, son of poet Kaifi Azmi and brother of Shabana Azmi, said such claims do not reflect the film industry as a whole. He noted that while isolated incidents may occur, they represent a small fraction and talent and storytelling remain the true measures of cinematic success.
Azmi emphasised that audiences engage with cinema instinctively, without considering the religious background of actors, writers, or musicians. Citing Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, which featured music by Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar, he said the film’s popularity was rooted purely in its storytelling and craft, not the creators’ identities.
He added, “You don’t see who wrote the songs in Lagaan, whether it was a Muslim or a Hindu. That doesn’t matter. You are listening to it, and you either like it, period, or you don’t, period… At least, for now, I think we are far away from anything like that, and that’s how it should be.”
Baba Azmi’s comments come amid continuing discussions about polarisation in the film industry and reinforce the view that cinema transcends religious and communal lines.