AR Rahman draws 9,000 fans and debuts Ramayana piece in Mumbai

AR Rahman turned Mumbai’s Jio World Garden into a 9,000-strong chorus on Sunday evening, closing a sold-out, three-hour stop of The Wonderment Tour with the crowd singing “Maa Tujhe Salaam” back to him. The set reached across Rahman’s career, from his biggest film hits to music that has not reached cinema screens yet.

Ramayana’s new song gets an early audience

The evening’s headline moment came when Rahman performed “Mangal Rang,” his latest composition for the upcoming two-part epic Ramayana. Before the song, he spoke about the place of criticism in creative work. As he put it:

“If everybody likes your work, get out from the place.”

Rahman added that work should be reviewed and criticised, and that time ultimately decides whether it is good or bad. For Hindi film fans, that is a rare early signal of the sound world the Ramayana team is building.

The remark lands at an interesting moment. A two-part Ramayana carries enormous expectations, and every pre-release song will be judged against both the epic’s legacy and Rahman’s own catalogue. By introducing “Mangal Rang” in concert, Rahman is letting listeners respond long before the film’s promotion dictates the conversation.

Who shared the stage

The concert featured Jonita Gandhi, AR Ameen, Raghav Kaushik, Nakul Abhyankar, Heer and Rakshita, along with several emerging singers introduced by Rahman. The band Rooh-e-Noor also performed.

Two newer names got a spotlight as well: Deepali Sahay, known for “Tere Paas Main,” and Nilanjana Ghosh, associated with “Mascara” from Main Vaapas Aaunga.

What the evening delivered

• Nearly 9,000 fans filled Jio World Garden for a sold-out, three-hour set.
• “Mangal Rang” from the two-part Ramayana had its live unveiling.
• The finale was “Maa Tujhe Salaam,” with the audience joining in.

Why the tour format matters

The Mumbai date follows The Wonderment Tour’s 2025 launch at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Its format combines a full orchestra, multiple vocalists and visual production, which lets Rahman’s older hits and newer film work share the same scale. Rahman’s live shows have long doubled as a survey of his work rather than a simple hit parade. For Bollywood music lovers, a sold-out concert is becoming an early listening room: songs tied to an unreleased film can meet a real audience before the trailer cycle even peaks.

Source: Filmfare