The first piece of music, revealed in the title announcement, was praised. Many felt it was a match made in heaven when AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer were brought on board as the composers for Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana . The songs have evoked mixed reactions, with many first criticising and then praising them. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Rahman opens up on composing the music for Rahman, why he broke his ‘no collab’ rule for Hans Zimmer, and his reaction to the public reactions.
Three songs from Ramayana have been released so far. The loudest chatter was around the Ravana Tandav, which first received criticism, but later had social media users apologising to Rahman. “We do so much work, filtration, ideation, and iteration that there’s no energy left to look at feedback! I say fine, I’ve done my work sincerely and hope people celebrate it.”
Because it’s been tried and tested so much, we just put it out.
The composer says he had no energy to check the reactions but was aware of the discourse. My son keeps telling me, ‘This is what they said yesterday, now they’re apologising…
Part One releases worldwide on November 5, ahead of Diwali. The second part is slated for release around Diwali 2027. Rahman, meanwhile, will perform at Jio World Garden, Mumbai on November 1 and Backyard Sports Club, Delhi on November 21, as part of his Wonderment Tour.
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 three hour musical experience brings together some of his most iconic 90s compositions alongside his contemporary work, with a large scale live production and international ensemble.
Ramayana came to Rahman three decades into his career, and the composer knew he had to do something different for a story of this epic proportions. But I can’t stay on old glory like Rockstar or Slumdog Millionaire . You can’t stagnate yourself—you have to be like a flowing river. Now Ramayana has come, and these songs are in five different languages. It’s an epic story almost every Indian knows. It’s such a great honour to do those songs and be part of that celebration with India and the world. It’s a huge honour and a big responsibility. Rahman has always composed music solo, opting for no collaborators. But with Ramayana, that changed. The two-time Oscar winner is working with Hans Zimmer, arguably one of the most celebrated and acclaimed composers of all time. I’d just say, ‘You do everything and I’ll watch! 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.”
He explains, “After the first 10 years, people said, ‘Oh, you should do what you did in those first 10 years. Because i’m bad at being precious about my work, talking about the collaboration, he says, “Usually I prefer solo work. Because it changes the narrative, but in this case, him coming onto the project is such a blessing.
