Ram Gopal Varma’s Claim About AR Rahman’s ‘Jai Ho’ Debunked by Sukhwinder Singh

Amid ongoing controversies surrounding AR Rahman’s comments on communal bias in the Hindi film industry, an old claim by filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has resurfaced, targeting the Slumdog Millionaire hit song Jai Ho. RGV had previously claimed that singer Sukhwinder Singh had composed the track, not Rahman. However, Sukhwinder himself clarified the matter at the time, confirming that he only lent his voice to the song, while AR Rahman was the composer.

In 2024, RGV had alleged that Sukhwinder composed Jai Ho while working on Subhash Ghai’s film Yuvraj and that Rahman later bought the song, paying Sukhwinder ₹5 lakh. The claim was widely shared, fueling criticism of Rahman once again.

Responding to the rumor, Sukhwinder told HT City, “This song was composed by AR Rahman. I only sang it. Ram Gopal Varma is not a small figure, so perhaps he received incorrect information. Gulzar wrote the lyrics, Rahman liked it, and then he composed it in my studio in Juhu, Mumbai. I had not sung the song at that time.”

Jai Ho went on to win global acclaim, with AR Rahman receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. Despite RGV’s claims gaining traction online, the truth remains that AR Rahman composed the song, while Sukhwinder was the vocalist.

This controversy comes amid Rahman’s recent statements to BBC Hindi, where he revealed that he has been receiving less work in the Hindi film industry over the past eight years, potentially due to communal factors—sparking wide discussion and debate across media platforms.