Her father, AR Rahman, is a globally known musician and a two-time Oscar winner. Her aunt, AR Reihana, is a music director, as is her cousin, the renowned GV Prakash. Her brother AR Ameen is a singer. Khatija Rahman comes from a famous family of musicians and made her Tamil debut as music director for Minmini. In this chat with Hindustan Times, the 28-year-old music composer says that she wants to be known for her music and talks about how much her father influenced her musically. (Read also: Khatija Rahman shares her father AR Rahman’s advice as she makes her debut as a composer with Minmini)
For your first film as music director, you have signed ‘Lioness’ in 2023, but director Halitha Shameem’s latest release ‘Minmini’ marks your debut in Tamil.
When director Halitha Shameem approached me for Minmini, I was busy working on my music album and hence couldn’t accept the offer. After my album, I got the offer for director Kajri Babbar’s UK co-production Lioness around July 2023 and I signed. Around the same time, I got an international offer for a short film which I didn’t accept. Then I was busy with my wedding and there was a lot going on at that time. When I got an offer from Dubai, I wanted to inform Halitha and keep her updated and she said she would still like me on board if I could as the music director was not yet finalized. She heard my unreleased English language indie track and she liked it. And so I signed Minmini!
Your father, AR Rahman, is a two-time Oscar winner and famous. How has he influenced your musical career? Minmini’s background music reminded me of your father’s music – the use of different instruments and orchestrations.
Of course, we have listened to a lot of his songs, watched his films and noted down the background music and compositions. All of that exists, but I also listen to a lot of international soundtracks and Hollywood music. I have been to some of my father’s recordings, but I don’t want to disturb him because when musicians are in their creative zone, we shouldn’t disturb them. I still go to music classes now – my teacher is in the US and she is a composer herself. As for the advice my father gave me, he talked about how he worked on compositions. Recently he told us that he doesn’t know much about music and that he does what he can; he told us to listen to a lot of world music, look at other cultures and not follow trends because trends are short-lived so we should create our own trend. He also told us that we need to understand the director’s vision and follow it.
What did he say when you were offered Minmini? Is he invading your privacy?
I told him that I got the film and he told me to judge it and decide if I can handle it and then take the project. I told him that I have already accepted it. Yes, he does not invade our privacy but is always there to give us advice if we need anything.
As AR Rahman’s daughter, you are under pressure and there are a lot of expectations on you, so did you have any concerns when you decided to become a music director?
I didn’t think of being compared to him as he is such a big legend and I am just starting out. But of course, we have to do great work as I have to make my father, the director, and my family proud where there are many composers. I was nervous about this aspect and I shared this with my director (Halitha Shameem) and she understood. My husband felt that I could do this film and urged me to take it up. For others, this may be a small film in terms of 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 that I fulfill my commitments. But I was worried about making sure that I do a good job. This fear put pressure on me. Now the film has released and people like the music for the film; I am glad.
Did your father see Minmini? What was his reaction?
Yes, I called him for the premiere of the film 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 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 my work was very good and “I’m not saying this because I’m her father. She set the standard.” He also said I had a good team and we should support female voices. He also liked Halitha Shameem’s work. Later at home he told me to watch The Voyage of the Young Che if I hadn’t seen it yet.
People would say that you get easy opportunities because you are AR Rahman’s daughter.
There is nothing wrong with someone saying that because that is the first thing people notice about me. But now that Minmini has been released, I think people have really appreciated my work. They will say that is her personality but she works hard. A lot of talented people struggle without opportunities and that leads to frustration. Now they know I don’t take it lightly and that is my goal. I want to make more people known and also support and promote musicians. I think I should talk less and let my work speak for itself.
Do you think the Indian film industry is now more open to women, especially music directors, directors and technicians?
I still need to know more about the ground reality, but we have women music directors like Kalyani Nair, Gaana Girl and Revaa in Tamil. Halitha told me that there are fewer women directors, 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 think independent artists are not treated well.
This reminds me of an incident: one of my friends was selected as a composer and worked on a project for eight months. After eight months, the producer decided to give the film to a well-known male composer just because he didn’t want a female composer. My friend said she was OK with them not liking her work; she didn’t take it personally. After eight months, you realize they don’t want to give her a chance and then they have the audacity to take back the advance they gave her. And then he asked her if he could buy her music because he wasn’t so happy with the other composer. My friends told me she was glad I had now entered the industry.
Do you prefer singing to composing music?
Composing is a wonderful process. We can sing what the composer wants us to sing, but as a composer we can create our own songs. It’s a wonderful process.
What challenges did you face while composing music for the Tamil film?
It was mostly the pressure to do a good job, but the whole process was challenging. It was challenging because it was my first film. And I felt that the producer and the director trusted me and I shouldn’t disappoint them. They should be proud.
What’s next for you?
I am participating in a festival in Delhi with my band and I want to explore more music with my band. I am not limited to one genre, I want to explore different genres. And also international cinema.
