AR Rahman brought his Wonderment Tour to India with a sold-out concert at Mumbai’s Jio World Garden on Sunday, November 1. The singer-composer performed in front of 10,000 people, bringing them some of his greatest hits. During the three-hour concert, Rahman also spoke about composing the music for the upcoming film Ramayana , while taking a jibe at the criticism of its soundtrack.
Part One releases worldwide on November 5, ahead of Diwali. The second part is slated for release around Diwali 2027. In the middle of the concert, Rahman had his team perform Mangal Rang, the track from Ramayana released last month.
Because it changes the narrative, talking about collaborating with the legendary composer, Rahman had told Hindustan Times: “Him coming onto the project is such a blessing. Speaking to the audience from the stage, Rahman added, “With whatever little talent I have, I’ll use that to bring beauty into the music and the soundtrack. They say now, if everybody likes your work, get out from that place. The music for Ramayana is composed by Rahman alongside Hans Zimmer, who is making his Indian film debut. If someone in New Zealand or Europe sees Hans Zimmer’s name, they will watch. If they just see Indian names, they might think it’s just another Indian movie, but they’ll be curious to see what he has done collaborating on this. It’s a great move by the producer. Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is a two-part film starring Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana, and Sai Pallavi as Sita.
“The biggest Indian film is set to come out, Ramayana,” he said, adding, “It’s an honour to serve my country, to serve such belief in India.
Before the song was performed, the composer spoke about the film. On Sunday evening, Rahman played some of his biggest hits in a three-hour show in Mumbai, the first of his India leg of the Wonderment Tour.
Rahman’s comment came after mixed responses to Mangal Rang and other songs in the Ramayana soundtrack. Many have even compared Mangal Rang to Kun Faaya, Rahman’s composition from Rockstar, saying a Sufi-esque track looked out of place in Ramayana. Last week, while speaking with Hindustan Times, Rahman had addressed the reactions. “We do so much work, filtration, ideation, and iteration that there’s no energy left to look at feedback!
Because it’s been tried and tested so much, we just put it out.
Many have said the songs are similar to Rahman’s earlier compositions, while others have said that the upbeat vocals and beats in Jai Jai Ram evoke a sports track. I say fine, I’ve done my work sincerely and hope people celebrate it,” he had said. My son keeps telling me, ‘This is what they said yesterday, now they’re apologising…
