Her father’s daughter

AR Rahman’s 23-year old daughter Khatija Rahman is all spunk and sass, whether it is about her music, or about shutting down trolls!

She’s a complete contrast to what the public perception of her wardrobe is, for which she’s been trolled aplenty. But Khatija Rahman has stubbornly stood her ground, a quality she reveals she shares with her dad, AR Rahman, for no other reason but to spread self-love to motivate people to practice ‘live and let live’. So, when we get on a call with Khatija on her comeback – she took a break from the industry, singing and even learning music – after seven years with her debut as independent artiste with Tamil single Farishtha or Farishton in Hindi, composed by AR Rahman, I am compelled to begin by asking her to sum up her dad’s compositions in one sentence. “It’s likeable… after listening to it multiple times,” she says, having grown up listening to plenty of his music besides Lata Mangeshkar’s songs, and whatever was playing on the radio.

The Miley Cyrus fan

Though there was a Miley Cyrus phase in school, she giggles. “I was learning Hindustani classical so I would focus on that. There was a Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston craze in school too!” she laughs. Was music inevitable for her? “Yes, but just having the DNA and genes isn’t enough. You have to put in the hard work because it’s a skill that only you can hone!” she says. She wanted to become a doctor though, till the notion was driven out of her mind when she saw her medical student cousin’s books. She naturally gravitated towards teaching, beginning from helping classmates in school and even playing dress-up by herself, essaying everything from throwing

is Khatija’s first collaboration with her dad in years

Farishton