A social media user has launched a series of tweets to "expose" legendary music director AR Rahman. The post aims to portray Rahman as a copycat composer who allegedly borrowed melodies from other movies/albums, primarily Western ones.
The social media Twitter thread claims that Rahman copied Western musical notes for songs in the movies of Shankar and Mani Ratnam. The tragic love song featuring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala in 'Bombay' was lifted from a devotional song in an old Tamil movie, according to the thread.
An analysis of the thread suggests that Rahman employed sampling in most cases. The musical heights achieved by the songs surpass the original version. Indian songs possess a unique structure, making it impossible for someone like Rahman to steal entire tunes. A few songs from films like 'Pokiri' owe their tunes to old works in totality. However, Rahman has rarely produced such a song, except for one or two in movies like 'Gentleman'.
Defending Rahman, a music enthusiast says, "People must understand that sampling/taking inspiration is not copying. Movie music composers don't always create music from scratch. They combine elements and produce a final product. This applies to both Hans Zimmer and Anirudh Ravichander."
