AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman speaks her mind on being a niqabi singer

Gulf News

Transcript

00:00your last name carries a lot of weight do you think in some ways you you can you owe you know

00:06the kind of start that you get to your very famous father definitely owe it to him but

00:11after that it's going to be my hard work

00:15this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News I'm here in conversation with Katija Rahman she

00:21is the daughter of A.R. Rahman and on Sunday she's going to release her single and it's called

00:28perhaps she can tell us more about it Katija thank you so much for speaking to us perhaps you can

00:32tell us about your new single that's going to release this Sunday thank you so much Manjusha

00:37the audio Hindi releases on 25th on major streaming platforms and the animated video

00:44releases much later the song also comes in Tamil basically we went for animation because we felt

00:50we wanted to try something different and lockdown we had a lot of time with us as in to discuss

00:57ideas and all of us were together otherwise it's like each in one corner we watched a lot of

01:01Miyazaki's movies during the lockdown so it was really interesting and I love animation especially

01:07these Disney films animation is something which is relatable and likable for children and adults

01:13because we all want to live in a fantasy this is about women's empowerment something I strongly

01:18believe in I really enjoyed working in this it's just like a reflection of you know what I kind of

01:24believe in it's a lot about my life how I have accepted people from different walks of life I

01:30love the theme actually of women empowerment I think it's a very relevant theme I don't think

01:35it ever gets dated the more you talk about it the more it triggers dialogue was that one of the

01:40reasons why was it your personal experience of perhaps a repression that you felt perhaps in

01:45society or by people making comments on the way you should live or how you should be emboldened

01:51empowered so what made you choose this powerful theme honestly we didn't plan it that way it just

01:57shaped we were focusing on more of the magic elements and things but then as we shape it just

02:02happened I would say but and thankfully it's all the things which I believe in which has happened

02:08do you believe that as well COVID in a weird way is a great fertile ground for creative artists

02:13such as you it gives you more time to spend with your craft there's no concert so there was a lot

02:19of reflections and learnings Farishto means angel of course who has been the angel in your for

02:25everyone there must be some power or angelic presence in your life who would you credit that

02:31to actually a lot of people I it will be I'll be lying if I just say just one person so

02:39right from my teachers my school college teachers or my music teachers and my family my parents

02:46and a lot of women who have supported me it doesn't just stop with it I think it's a forever

02:52for life you know we meet a lot of lovely angels your last name carries a lot of weight do you

02:57think in some ways you you can you owe you know the kind of start that you get to your

03:03very famous father definitely owe it to him but after that it's going to be my hard work meaning

03:09just with the name nothing can be done it might you know give some placement or make it easy or

03:16whatever but after that it's only the work which will speak is what I believe we live in a world

03:21where all these music videos that my daughter watches for instance a bit western or eastern

03:27they're quite you know graphic and sexualized you know even the pop stars etc how can you can

03:34your voice be heard or how difficult do you think of that as a challenge to reach the younger

03:39generation through you know people use a lot employ a lot of things in a video to titillate

03:44them we don't have you don't use that as a clutch with your music that should speak right

03:49and animation to a large extent so do you think that's a challenge I don't see it as a challenge

03:54I think the most important and sometimes tough thing is keeping your identity and not wanting

03:59to fit in it's not that I have I have changed my identity to be accepted whether on social media or

04:06anything and and I don't see anything changing a lot of them I still get the love and support so

04:11thankfully it's not challenging and I think if the message is true it will definitely reach yeah I

04:17mean you're right a lot of those elements are added you know for people to watch from prompters

04:23but that's not the kind of way I would want to communicate or grab someone's attention everything

04:29has its own pros and cons I would say what's your identity that you are seeking to build because

04:34you're very new so you you have the power to you know shape your own identity so what kind of

04:40identity as a musician and a pop cultural personality do you want to project I want my art

04:47to speak for the causes I believe and thankfully all the kind of projects I've been getting has

04:53been that way I have not chosen in that way but maybe the universe hasn't heard it and that's

04:59what has been happening so and I want to heal people I don't want it to be just a song generally

05:06like okay it's a song I've sung but it should touch people I hope I'm of some solace to someone

05:12who's in pain you did have a very conventional debut singing debut with Indiran the robot song

05:18I remember hearing it and then there was a sabbatical a self-imposed sabbatical and then you

05:22came back is there a reason why you're reinventing yourself now and you decided not to go the

05:27commercial movie which talks to a lot of people the movie is releasing does it sound easier to

05:31get attention no so I have sung for a commercial project but I'm not sure if it will release or

05:38not and I did not choose or select it but somehow as I say I have not planned anything except to

05:46learn singing but whatever is happening is just it's just happening I did not choose that I did

05:52not say that I'll not sing for movies or reject any offers as long as the song is meaningful and

05:58not indecent or you know abuses women those kind of things I don't I wouldn't do whatever is

06:03happening I'm just going with the flow.

06:16you

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