3 min readNew DelhiJan 30, 2026 09:15 PM IST AR Rahman’s recent remark about “communal bias” in the Hindi film industry has sparked widespread debate, with several members of the entertainment fraternity weighing in on the issue. The latest to react is singer-composer Amaal Malik, who said that while he understands the larger point Rahman was trying to make, he does not agree with the communal angle attached to it. In a conversation with Faridoon Shahryar, Amaal explained, “From an industry perspective, what he has said is largely correct. However, I do not agree with the communal aspect of it. Forget nepotism and groupism — today, every label is comfortable working with its own set of artistes. They promote those artistes because they bring revenue. In today’s time, labels have become the real decision-makers.” Elaborating further, Amaal added, “This is the era of management and agencies. There is groupism, both in good and bad ways. You can see how Mani Ratnam sir works almost exclusively with Rahman sir, or how Anurag Basu mostly collaborates with …