Debut for Rahman’s daughter
MUSIC maestro AR Rahman’s daughter, Khatija Rahman, will make her international debut with the composition of the soundtrack for the film Lioness, which is an India-UK co-production directed by film-maker Kajri Babbar. She will make her local debut as a film composer in the upcoming Tamil film Minmini.
Khatija released her first single Farishton in 2020, which was composed and produced by her Oscar-winning father. She later featured on Grammy Award-winning composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej’s song Iltaja, and collaborated with Tamil rapper-playback singer Arivu on Sagavaasi.
Lioness is a drama centred around the lives of two women, who live 100 years apart, according to Variety.
The first story revolves around the suffragette (protester for women’s right to vote) Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, the granddaughter of King Maharaja Ranjit Singh and god-daughter of Queen Victoria, to be played by Paige Sandhu.
The second story introduces a fictional character, Simranjeet Kaur, living
in London’s Southall Asian suburb in the early 1990s, to be played by Aditi Rao Hydari.
Khatija told Variety: “(I’m) thrilled and honoured to be a part of Lioness. I connected deeply with the film’s values from the moment I heard its compelling story and the reason behind bringing her story to life. Our aspiration is to ensure that Princess Sophia’s struggle receives the long-overdue recognition it truly deserves.”
Her dad said: “I’m always proud of her. She is herself. She’s not under the shadow of me or anything. She never played any song to me. And I didn’t even ask her. So she released it (Sagavaasi) and then people sent me the song. And it’s doing well now. It’s number six on the charts. I think we’re in for surprises, what she’s gonna do.”
Lioness will commence production in the first quarter of 2024, with a global release planned for early 2025.