AR Rahman tells Ramayana music critics: go sell ice cream

AR Rahman has heard the noise around Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, and he is not trying to win every argument. In an interview with Screen, the composer answered criticism of the film’s music with an old Steve Jobs line: “If you want to satisfy everyone, go sell ice cream.”

The comment follows the debate over Mangal Rang, the Ram-Sita wedding track sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal with lyrics by Kumar Vishwas. Some listeners questioned the qawwali-style touches, while others felt the electronic treatment of the Ravana tandav was less explosive than they wanted. The lyrics also came under scrutiny from those expecting more emotional depth.

Not every song is meant to land on day one

Rahman gave a rare look at how he edits his own work. “I am my first critic,” he said. He added that a composition is not decided in a day; the team may live with a tune for months before committing to it.

His bigger ask is patience. Some pieces, he says, behave like pickle: they reveal themselves over time. “For certain tunes, the older it is, the better it becomes,” Rahman said. Listeners, in his view, sometimes judge one detail and miss the thought process holding the composition together. It is a slower way of listening, but Rahman believes the soundtrack earns that attention.

Why the pushback matters for filmi fans

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravie Dubey as Lakshman and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman.

Ramayana is not an ordinary album. Rahman described the project as probably ten movies’ worth of work, with songs and score across five languages and two versions: a Hollywood version and an Indian version. That scale makes early criticism feel louder, but it also means one single cannot represent the whole soundtrack.

• Mangal Rang: Debate over qawwali influences and whether the arrangement suits the wedding setting.
• Ravana tandav: Questions over the electronic energy of the piece.
• Lyrics: Some listeners wanted more depth and fluidity from Kumar Vishwas’s words.

The first part of Nitesh Tiwari’s cinematic adaptation releases worldwide on November 5, 2026. The second part is scheduled for Diwali 2027. With that runway, Rahman’s argument is simple: let the album breathe before reaching for a verdict.

What to do before you judge the soundtrack

If a song feels unusual, give it a few plays and see whether it sits better within the fuller score. When both versions become available, compare the Indian and Hollywood treatments rather than judging a single mix. Early singles are only one piece of a much larger musical design.

That may not satisfy every critic, which is exactly the point. Rahman appears comfortable letting the music make its own case over time.

Source: India Today