Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill, known for Bulla Ki Jaana and Tere Bin, has shared his thoughts on music composer AR Rahman’s recent remarks suggesting group bias in the entertainment industry, saying it is difficult to ignore the larger socio-political reality.In an interview with “The Lifeguard Show,” Rabi said he did not know the specific circumstances of the incident. Rahman issued a statement, but I believe it cannot allay this concern.“I don’t know in what context he said it, but how can you deny that now? How can you deny the public perspective?” the rabbi said.He clarified that he could not comment specifically on whether such bias existed in the music industry as he was not based in Mumbai.“I can’t specifically say it exists in the music industry because I don’t live in Mumbai and don’t interact with those people on a daily basis. But a lot of film financing goes into what many would call promotional films.”When it comes to films like “Kashmir Files” and “Kerala Story,” Rabi added, “These are political films and they don’t necessarily present an unbiased view of things. So if Rehman says that, I think you have to take his word for it. It may be true that this is one of the biggest problems of our time. It’s not just an Indian problem; it’s happening all over the world.”
“No one is immune to these global trends”
Asked if he thought this was part of a broader global political shift, Rabie said there were ideological changes taking place around the world.“Absolutely. If you look back to the 1960s, left-leaning politics were influential in much of the world. Today, if you look around, you’ll see that right-wing governments and ideologies have become more dominant in many countries. Maybe this is cyclical and things will change again, but right now no one is immune to these global trends. “This phenomenon is not limited to India, he added.“Not at all. Look at our neighbours. Pakistan has changed dramatically over the decades. China is very ideological. Sri Lanka is increasingly ideologically driven. It’s hard not to conclude that politics around the world is moving in this direction.”
“We have become a very centralized republic”
Sharing his views on India’s political landscape, Rabi said power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of individual leaders of various parties.“We have become a very centralized republic, with each party revolving around a dominant figure. Whether it’s the Gandhi family’s Congress, the central leadership’s Bharatiya Janata Party, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, even regional parties – there is a clear center of power everywhere.”He continued, “You cannot truly oppose the central leadership and still remain in the party. The same thing happened with the Aam Aadmi Party. People like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav who helped build the party ended up being kicked out of the party. This is the political reality today.”
