Ramayana Song Mangal Rang Faces Backlash: Why Is AR Rahman Being Criticised?

The latest song from much-awaited film Ramayana has sparked a debate on social media, with music composer AR Rahman facing criticism over the musical style of Mangal Rang. Released on October 25, 2026, the song feature the voice of Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghosal and depicts the scared bond between Lord Rama and Goddess Sita. While the song has attracted attention for its visuals and musical presentation, several listeners have questioned wheather its sounds suits the cultural and spiritual setting of the epic. 

The social media users also have claimed that the composition sounds similar to AR Rahman's earlier works, including music associated with Rockstar and Jodhaa Akbar. The audience criticisms, not proof of plagiarsim. Some viewers belives a film depicting Lord Rama and Goddess Sita should have a distinctive devotonal sound rather than a style they associate with a conventional Bollywood romance. 

Others expressed disappoinment with the composition, saying that the song could have made greater use of classical instuments, Sanskrit verses and musical elements associated wih the epic's cultural background. The criticism largely centres on artistic choices and wheather themusic captures the spiritual atmosphere audience expect from a cinematic adaptation of one of Indian's most revered epics. 

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama and Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, alongside Yash and other prominent actores. Given the cultural importance of the story the scale of the film' expectations surrounding its music, visuals and performance are particularly high. The disscusion around Mangal Rang demostrates how closely audiences are examining the creative deisions behind the project.