Sep 12, 2026 11:00am IST
Hasan Minhaj Reacts to Going Viral with A.R. Rahman: ‘I’m Probably Not Gonna Get a Record Deal Based on the Way I Was Singing’ (EXCLUSIVE)
It isn’t every day you get to hang out in a music studio with Oscar-winning maestro A.R. Rahman, let alone attempt to sing to him. But that is precisely what went down when comedian and writer Hasan Minhaj hosted the legend on his podcast. Hoping to illustrate a point about musical structure, Minhaj burst into an impromptu rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Justified”-era hit, “Cry Me a River,” produced by The Neptunes.
The hilarious exchange instantly caught fire across social media, with fans in India and around the globe turning the viral clip into an internet sensation.
In an exclusive interview with Variety India, Minhaj — who co-wrote, produced, and stars as Professor Hamza Latif in the upcoming Netflix Bollywood-fusion dance comedy “Best of the Best” (releasing September 18, 2026) — reflected on whether the legendary composer has fully recovered from his sudden pop-serenade.
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“You know, that’s how you know A.R. Rahman is a genius, when I’m quoting Justin Timberlake’s ‘Justified’ to him, and A.R. has no idea, but he understands it melodically,” Minhaj shares. “So he is a true music genius alien, in the sense that he understands Hindi cinema, Tamil cinema, obviously American cinema, but at the same time, he didn’t know Justin Timberlake’s ‘Justified,’ but he could understand it from the melody.”
While Rahman’s ears may have survived the experience, Minhaj wasn’t about to let himself off the hook for his vocal performance.
“I clearly butchered Justin’s verses, so I wanna just apologize to Justin Timberlake,” he jokes. “I apologize, and I wanna apologize to the Neptunes. I think, obviously, that’s one of your guys’ best tracks, and I butchered it, but that was a moment between A.R. Rahman and me, and let’s just say this, I’m probably not going to get a record deal based on the way I was singing.”
Beyond musical moments, the conversation turned to the changing landscape of global entertainment, where actors from South Asia are breaking barriers without being boxed in by traditional stereotypes.
“Best of the Best” will stream on Netflix from September 18.
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