'AR Rahman doesn’t understand Hindi': Rabbi Shergill says poetry took a backseat in Rahman’s compositions

Singer Rabbi Shergill, best known for Bulla Ki Jaana and Tere Bin, has shared a candid view on working with Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman. While praising Rahman’s musical brilliance, Shergill said that lyrics often become “secondary” in Rahman’s compositions, largely because Hindi is not the composer’s primary language.

Speaking on Divas Gupta’s podcast, Shergill said, “I admire Rahman for his creative genius. He is a genius. There is no doubt about it.” However, he added that “Rahman phase is not pro poetry or pro lyrics phase in Hindi film industry.”




Explaining his concern further, Shergill said Rahman’s arrival marked a shift in how Hindi film music treated lyrics. “I feel after Rahman came, the lyrics in the Hindi film industry became secondary, and if lyrics become secondary, that means expression becomes secondary, it means that somewhere your humanity and existence become secondary, this is my issue with Rahman,” he said.

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‘It is not his fault, he doesn’t understand the language’

Shergill was quick to clarify that he does not blame Rahman personally. “It is not his fault because it is not his language. He doesn’t understand it,” he said. At the same time, he praised Rahman’s work in the Tamil industry, calling it “another ball game.”

The 52-year-old singer stressed that his larger concern is with the industry’s approach rather than with Rahman himself. “If somebody doesn’t understand your language, I think it was your call. You need to explain all of that to him,” he added.

AR Rahman on learning Hindi and other languages

AR Rahman has earlier spoken about learning new languages later in his career. He had revealed that he began learning Hindi, Urdu and Arabic nearly a decade after establishing himself in the Hindi film industry, following advice from filmmaker Subhash Ghai.

“I thought it was beautiful advice. I took it seriously and learned Hindi and Urdu,” Rahman had said.



He had also shared that he started learning Punjabi after being introduced to singer Sukhwinder Singh, highlighting his effort to connect more deeply with different musical traditions.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”