Rahman's CWG anthem under fire

Commonwealth Games 2010 theme song, composed by Oscar winning A R Rahman, has failed to impress many around. Let's see who's saying what.... (PTI)

AR Rahman is under fire for not delivering what was expected of him. Many feel with 5 crore rupees in the making, Rahman's track for Games is not as good as 'Waka Waka' by Shaikra performed during FIFA 2010. (PTI)

Palash Sen: The problem is people are expecting way too much from Rahman. Let the guy be! I like the song musically; it is well arranged and he has sung it well, but its lyrics – especially the Hindi ones – are ridiculous. How can we go wrong with our mother tongue in a song that’s going to represent our country? In this also, I guess Rahman was forced to include some things by the politicians. How can politicians interfere in the making of a song? Plus, as he has charged 5 crore; that is not going down well with people. One can compose about 50 songs in that much money!  (BCCL)

Kailash Kher: It is a bit slow, and I wonder how much it will connect with the audience. It is shocking to hear that the government has spent 5 crore on it. How can they spend so much on just a theme song? Chalo, Rahman ek badaa naam hai aur logon ki expectations bhi badi hain. Every artiste has to go through such comparisons. (BCCL)

Louis Banks: Rahman’s work has always been controversial. But if you are truly inspired, it takes ten minutes to compose a tune. Given that it took him six months to compose it, something must have gone wrong somewhere!  (BCCL)

Abhijeet: Why isn’t anyone enquiring about 5 crore being spent on the song? I think just because it has Rahman, it has been hyped up. I’m sure people have not even heard the song, but are still commenting. Moreover, there are so many talented singers in our country, and with 5 crore, we could have got some of the best 10-15 artistes to do the theme song. When they can yell in the Parliament for the quality of the games, why don’t people have a right to raise their voice if they don’t like the song? (BCCL)

Sivamani: Musicians can’t be great all the time. We can go wrong. But even the audience needs to hear not-so-great music at times. If they hear good always, they will not be able to tell the difference like they have now. It’s good to hear criticism, as that is how a singer grows. I personally like it, but whenever the masses don’t like it, they should come out and say so, we will improvise then.  (BCCL)

Shankar Mahadevan: I haven’t heard it yet as I have been travelling. I’d love to hear it, though. After all, it’s Rahman’s, and it ought to be great. But then, people will form their own opinion and will criticise or appreciate according to their wish.  (BCCL)

Oscar winning composer AR Rahman during the launch of CWG anthem 'Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto' in Gurgaon.  (PTI)