AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman: 'My father says he doesn’t know much about music'
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Her father, AR Rahman, is a renowned global musician and a two-time Oscar-winner. Her aunt, AR Reihana, is a music director and so is her cousin, the well-known GV Prakash. Her brother AR Ameen is a singer. Hailing from an illustrious family of musicians, Khatija Rahman has made her Tamil debut as music director for Minmini.The 28-year-old music composer says she wants to be known for her music and talks about how much her father has influenced them musically.
You signed your first film as music director, Lioness, in 2023 as music director but the recent release, Minmini by director Halitha Shameem, is your debut in Tamil.
When director Halitha Shameem approached me for Minmini, I was busy working on my music album so I couldn’t take the offer. Post my album, I got the offer for the British co-production, Lioness, from director Kajri Babbar around July in 2023 and I signed that on and around the same time, I got an international offer for a short film which I didn’t take up. Then I got busy with my wedding and there were many things happening at the time. When I got an offer from Dubai, I wanted to inform Halitha to update her about it and she said she’d like me to still come on board if I could as they hadn’t finalised the music director yet. She heard my unreleased Indie English track and she liked it. And that’s how I signed Minmini!
Your father, AR Rahman is a two-time Oscar winner and so renowned, how much of an influence has he been on your musical journey? Minmini’s BGM reminded me of your father’s music – the use of various instruments and orchestration.
Obviously, we have listened to a lot of his songs, watched his films and we note the background score and compositions. All that is there but I also listen to a lot of international sound tracks and music from Hollywood. I have sat in during some of dad’s recordings but I don’t like disturbing him because when musicians are in their creative zone, we shouldn’t trouble them. I am going for music classes even now – my teacher is in the US and she is a composer herself. As for what advice my dad gave me, he has spoken about how he has worked on compositions. Recently, he told us that he doesn’t know much about music and that he was doing what he knows; he told us to listen to a lot of world music, look at other cultures and not to follow trends as trends are short-lived, so make your own trend. He also told us that we need to understand and follow the director’s vision.
What did he say when you were offered Minmini? Does he get into your space?
I told him I got the movie and he told me to assess it and decide if I can handle it and then take on the project. I told him I had already accepted it. Yes, he doesn’t get into our space but is always there to offer advice if we need something.
Being AR Rahman’s daughter, there will be pressure and expectations, so were you apprehensive when you decided to turn music director?
I didn’t think about being compared as he’s such a big legend and I’m just starting out. But obviously we need to do great work because I have to make my dad, the director, and my family which has a lot of composers, proud. There was nervousness about this aspect and I shared this my director (Halitha Shameem) and she understood. My husband felt I was capable of doing this film and pushed me to take it up. For others this may be a small film in terms of the actors or budget but for me, it was a very big film. After waiting for so many years and doing my work patiently, this was definitely a big film for me. I have a good work ethic by God's grace and I know I keep up to my commitments. But what I was apprehensive about was ensuring I do a good job. That fear was a pressure within me. Now, the film has released and people like the music for the film; I am glad.
Has your father seen Minmini? What was his reaction?
Yes, I called him for the premiere of the movie and he came. After the film, he shook my hand and said ‘good job’. He spoke to the media after the premiere but I stayed away because I felt it was so surreal. I didn't know how to handle the whole situation.
Do you know what he said to the media?
I heard the speech later. He said that my work was very good and ‘I'm not saying this because I'm her father. She has set a standard.’ He also said I had a good team and we should support female voices. He liked Halitha Shameem’s work as well. Later at home, he told me to watch Motorcycle Diaries if I hadn’t seen it.
People would say that you’ll easily get opportunities because you are AR Rahman’s daughter.
There is nothing wrong if anyone says this because that’s the first thing people will notice about me. But now that Minmini has released, people have genuinely appreciated my work I feel. They’ll say that’s who she is but she is hardworking. A lot of people, who are talented, are struggling without opportunities and that will create frustration. Now, they’ll know I am not taking it lightly and that’s my goal. I want to introduce more people and support and uplift musicians as well. I believe I should talk less and let my work do the talking.
Do you think the Indian film industry has opened up more for women now, especially music directors, directors and technicians?
I have yet to learn more about the ground reality but we have women music directors like Kalyani Nair, Gaana Girl and Revaa in Tamil. Halitha was telling me that women directors are less, even at the global level. If you look at the content heads for OTT platforms here, they are mostly women. I think things are definitely getting better. However, I do think that independent artists are not treated well.
This reminds me of an incident - one of my friends was chosen as the female composer and worked on a project for eight months. After eight months, the producer decided to give a known male composer the film just because he didn’t want to go with a female composer. My friend said she would have been okay if they didn’t like her work; she wouldn’t have taken it personally. After eight months, you realise that you don't want to give her a chance and then the audacity to take the advance given to her back. And then he asked her if he could buy her tunes because he wasn’t too happy with the other composer. My friends told me she was happy I have come into the industry now.
Do you prefer singing to music composition?
Composition is a beautiful process. Because we can sing what the composer wants us but as a composer, we can craft our own songs. That is a beautiful process.
What are the challenges you faced while composing music for the Tamil film?
It was mainly the pressure to do good work but the whole process was challenging. It was challenging because it was my first film. And I felt the producer and director have trusted me and I shouldn’t let them down. They need to be proud.
What’s next for you?
I’m participating at a fest in Delhi with my band and I am keen on exploring more music with my band. I'm not restricted to any genre so I want to explore different genres. And international cinema too.
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