"AR Rahman ruined its music."
Namit Malhotra’s upcoming Ramayana: Rise of a Legend has been dividing fans since its announcement.
Whether it is the casting of Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Sai Pallavi as Sita, or the visual effects, the audience seems to be split in terms of positive and negative reactions.
But a major talking point is also the film’s soundtrack by AR Rahman.
As the release of the film draws closer, the makers of Ramayana have been releasing the songs from the film.
On October 25, 2026, viewers got the opportunity to consume the romantic track, ‘Mangal Rang’.
The song focusses on the love story between Rama and Sita. It is sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh.
However, the song has garnered severe backlash from fans, who have criticised Rahman’s composition.
Some people pointed out that ‘Mangal Rang’ appeared to be a remake of a Tamil song with a similar melody.
One user said: “AR Rahman is a convert.
“And he has copied a qawwali for a Ramayana song.
“This is the limit.”
Another viewer declared: “Ramayana is going to be epic, but AR Rahman ruined its music.
“We just wanted simple, devotional songs so they could be played everywhere.
“But that guy spoiled everything by making these songs too complicated.”
Ramayana gonna be epic but AR Rahman ruined its music. We just wanted simple devotional songs so that they could be played everywhere, but that guy spoiled everything by making these songs too complicated. https://t.co/2xbPfPiGbF
— ???????? (@ImHydro45) October 25, 2026
Criticising the album from a more general viewpoint, another viewer said:
“Not a single song from Ramayana will be remembered after one or two months.
“How can you miss the chance when people are already attached to the story and emotion.
“You just needed good lyrics and tunes, but no. Total disappointment!”
Some fans opined that composers such as Ajay–Atul or Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy would have been better choices to create music for the film.
Along with AR Rahman, the music of the film has also been scored by Hans Zimmer.
The previously released song, ‘Ravana Tandav‘ also drew disappointment from fans.
The film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari and is the first part of a duology.
Along with Ranbir and Sai Pallavi, the movie also stars Yash (Ravana), Ravie Dubey (Lakshman), and Sunny Deol (Hanuman).
Lara Dutta, Vivek Oberoi, Arun Govil, Rakul Preet Singh, and Kajal Aggarwal will also appear in key roles.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is scheduled to be released on November 5, 2026.
Watch Mangal Rang here:
