Khatija Rahman reveals father AR Rahman's advice to her as she debuts as composer with Minmini

At a press meet, debutant Khatija Rahman opened up about what her father, AR Rahman, told her before she made her music debut.

Oscar-winner AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman is about to follow in his footsteps. After her grandfather RK Sekhar, aunts AR Raihana and Ishrath, cousins GV Prakash Kumar and AH Kaashif, and brother AR Ameen, Khatija will also debut as a music composer. She spoke about composing music for Halitha Shameem’s Minmini at a press meet. (Also Read: AR Rahman says Michael Jackson almost sang for Rajinikanth’s Enthiran: ‘Will he sing a Tamil song?’)

Khatija Rahman is music composer AR Rahman's daughter.

‘Appa called my first song calming’

Talking at the press meet, Khatija shared that she shared the first song, Iruperum, with her father, revealing what he said, “I sent appa (father) the first song and after hearing it, he said it was refreshing and calming. He advised me to find my own sound and assured me that he would always be there for me.”

When asked why her father wasn’t present she said, “It is better if I start slow and prove myself before he speaks about me. Otherwise, I know what will happen on social media and I have no interest in feeding the trolls. I can’t escape criticism or comparison, but I want to be my own person first.”

‘I was dealing with imposter syndrome’

When it was first announced that Khatija would debut as a music composer, she faced a lot of trolling on the internet. “I had self-doubt when I read the comments about my launch as a composer. In fact, I was dealing with imposter syndrome, and I understood that my work has to do the talking,” she shared about the impact it had on her.

Khatija also added that she knows the privilege of having the opportunity, “I have not taken this opportunity for granted, and I’ve worked really hard for this. I hope people give constructive feedback about Minmini instead of choosing to bash me on social media.”

About Minmini

Minmini stars Esther Anil, Pravin Kishore and Gaurav Kaalai in lead roles. Manoj Paramahamsa shot and co-produced the film, which is also backed by R Murali Krishnan and filmed in locations like Chennai, Ooty, and Ladakh.

A trailer for the film was released on Wednesday and the official synopsis reads, “Minmini is a poignant and powerful drama by Halitha Shameem, exploring the complex emotions of survivor's guilt with unflinching honesty and heartfelt depth shot over an extraordinary eight-year period. Shot in two phases, 2015 and 2022, this deliberate approach allowed child actors to mature and reprise their roles as adults lending a remarkable continuity to the narrative.”