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

Gulf News

The singer, who just released her new Hindi single, talks about being a nonconformist  Read the full story: https://bit.ly/37ErHJe  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  #ARRahman #music #Indian

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 after that

00:11it's going to be my hard work this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News I'm here in conversation

00:19with Katija Rahman she is the daughter of A.R. Rahman and on Sunday she's going to release her

00:25single and it's called Farishtur perhaps she can tell us more about it. Katija thank you so much

00:30for speaking to us perhaps you can tell us about your new single that's going to release this

00:35Sunday. Thank you so much Manjusha. The audio Hindi releases on 25th on major streaming platforms

00:42and the animated video releases much later the song also comes in Tamil basically we went for

00:49animation because we felt we wanted to try something different and lockdown we had a lot

00:54of time with us as in to discuss ideas and all of us were together otherwise it's like each in

01:00one corner we watched a lot of Miyazaki's movies during the lockdown so it was really interesting

01:05and I love animation especially these Disney films animation is something which is relatable

01:11and likable for children and adults because we all want to live in a fantasy this is about women's

01:16empowerment something I strongly believe in I really enjoyed working in this it's just like a

01:21reflection of you know what I kind of believe in it's a lot about my life how I have accepted

01:29people from different walks of life. I love the theme actually of women empowerment I think it's

01:33a very relevant theme I don't think it ever gets dated the more you talk about it the more it

01:38triggers dialogue was that one of the reasons why was it your personal experience of perhaps

01:43a repression that you felt perhaps in society or by people making a comments on the way you

01:48should live or how you should be emboldened, empowered so what made you choose this powerful

01:54theme? Honestly we didn't plan it that way it just shaped we were focusing on more of the magic

01:59elements and things but then as we shape it just happened I would say but and thankfully it's all

02:05the things which I believe in which has happened. Do you believe that as well COVID in a weird way

02:10is a great fertile ground for creative artists such as you? It gives you more time to spend with

02:16your craft there's no concerts so there was a lot of reflections and learnings.

02:20Farishto means angel of course who has been the angel in your for everyone there must be some

02:27power or angelic presence in your life who would you credit that to? Actually a lot of people I

02:33it will be I'll be lying if I just say just one person so right from my teachers my school,

02:42college teachers or my music teachers and my family, my parents and a lot of women who have

02:47supported me it doesn't just stop with it I think it's a forever for life you know we meet a lot of

02:54lovely angels. Your last name carries a lot of weight do you think in some ways you can you owe

03:00you know the kind of start that you get to your very famous father? Definitely owe it to him but

03:06after that it's going to be my hard work meaning just with the name nothing can be done it might

03:12you know give some placement or make it easy or whatever but after that it's only the work which

03:18will speak is what I believe. We live in a world where all these music videos that my daughter

03:24watches for instance be it western or eastern they're quite you know graphic and sexualized

03:30you know even the pop stars etc how can you can your voice be heard or how difficult do you think

03:37of that as a challenge to reach the younger generation through you know people use a lot

03:42employ a lot of things in a video to titillate them we don't have you don't use that as a

03:46clutch with your music that should speak right and animation to a large extent so do you think

03:51that's a challenge? I don't see it as a challenge I think the most important and sometimes tough

03:57thing is keeping your identity and not wanting to fit in it's not that I have I have changed my

04:03identity to be accepted whether on social media or anything and and I don't see anything changing a

04:09lot of them I still get the love and support so thankfully it's not challenging and I think if

04:15the message is true it will definitely reach yeah I mean you're right a lot of those elements are

04:20added you know for people to watch from prompters but that's not the kind of way I would want to

04:26communicate or grab someone's attention everything has its own pros and cons I would say

04:31what's your identity that you are seeking to build because you're very new so you you have the power

04:36to you know shape your own identity so what kind of identity as a musician and a pop cultural

04:44personality do you want to project? I want my art to speak for the causes I believe and

04:50thankfully all the kind of projects I've been getting has been that way I have not chosen in

04:55that way but maybe the universe hasn't heard it and that's what has been happening so and I want

05:01to heal people I don't want it to be just a song generally like okay it's a song I've sung but it

05:09should touch people I hope I'm of some solace to someone who's in pain. You did have a very

05:14conventional debut singing debut with Indiran, the robot song I remember hearing it and then

05:19there was a sabbatical a self-imposed sabbatical and then you came back is there a reason why

05:23you're reinventing yourself now and you decided not to go the commercial movie which talks to a

05:29lot of people the movie is releasing does it sound easier to get attention? No so I have sung for a

05:34commercial project but I'm not sure if it will release or not and I did not choose or select it

05:41but somehow as I say I have not planned anything except to learn singing but whatever is happening

05:48is just it's just happening I did not choose that I did not say that I'll not sing for movies or

05:55reject any offers as long as the song is meaningful and not indecent or you know abuses women those

06:01kind of things I don't I wouldn't do whatever is happening I'm just going with the flow.

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