Who is Khatija Rahman
Khatija Rahman is a famous Indian singer. She is the eldest daughter of the renowned music composer A.R. Rahman. Since her childhood, Khatija Rahman had an intense fondness for music. She often listened to her father’s songs and recited them in her voice. She is also a musician, director, philanthropist, trustee of the A.R. Rahman foundation, and social worker.
Personal Details of Khatija Rahman
Birth Details of Khatija Rahman
Khatija Rahman was born on 28th July 1996 in Chennai, India. She was born into an Oscar-winning family. Hence, music resides in her soul.
The Religion of Khatija Rahman
Her family roots belong to the Hindu religion, but her ancestors converted to Muslims before her birth. She has always been captivated by Sufism and music.
Family of Khatija Rahman
Her mother’s name is Saira Banu, and her father’s is A.R. Rahman. Khatija Rahman has two siblings. Her younger sister’s name is Raheema Rahman, and her brother’s name is A. R. Ameen.
Hobbies
Her hobbies are singing and traveling. She loves to read and recite Sufi songs.
Favorite Bollywood Actor
Her favourite Bollywood actors are Amitabh Bacchan and Rajnikant.
Favorite Bollywood Actresses
She loves to watch movies of Alia Bhatt and Kangna Ranaut.
Favourite Writer
Her favorite writer is Javed Akhtar.
Height and Weight
Khatija Rahman is 5.7 feet or 1.68 meters tall. Her weight is 60 Kg.
Sun Sign
Khatija Rahman is Leo by sun sign.
Favourite Singers
Her favorite singers are Lata Mangeshkar, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and A. R. Rahman.
Favourite Holiday Destination
Her favourite holiday destination is Dubai.
Tattoo on Her Body
Khatija Rahman does not have a tattoo on her body.
Education of Khatija Rahman
Khatija Rahman did her schooling in Chennai, India. After that, she enrolled in Stella Maris College, Madras University, and completed her Bachelor in Commerce. Khatija completed her graduation from there. After that, she completed her Bachelors’s and Master’s in Islamic Studies from B.S. Abdur Rahman College, Vandalur. Later, she took a course in music business management from Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, Delhi.
Khatija Rahman’s Fiancé
Khatija Rahman got engaged to Riyasdeen Mohammad Shaik in an intimate ceremony in December 2021. Riyasdeen is an audio engineer and an aspiring entrepreneur. He also follows strong Islamic culture like Khatija Rahman.
Her Social Media Accounts
Khatija is non-communicative about her personal life. She has garnered an enormous fan following across the world. Hence, she is a famous personality, and she stays in touch with her fans through her social media accounts. She is available on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
Khatija Rahman Work Experience
- Khatija started her carrier as an intern at Adyar cancer institute, Chennai, from Aug 2013 to Dec 2013
- In Nov 2014, she did her internship at Little Flower Convent for the Blind school
- Later she joined Varadara & Co. (a service provider of concurrent and statutory auditing) as an intern
- In July 2016, she joined a civic organization named Bhumi as a Management Trainee. Here Khatija Rahman independently managed a project, ‘Joy to the World,’ which benefited more than 7000 deprived children
- Khatija joined Y.M. Movies Private Limited as a project manager in May 2018
- In Jan 2020, she became the Executive Producer of a video ‘Farishton ‘in the company named K. M. Mushiq, Inc
- After that, she joined a digital music distribution company called CD Baby
- In March 2021, Khatija Rahman joined Kathir Social Ventures as a Project Consultant. In the meantime, she also allied herself with Sethu Foundation for their project ‘Kalpvriksha’
- With all of the above work experiences, Khatija Rahman has also worked as the Director at AR Rahman Foundation
Khatija Rahman Music Career
- Khatija Rahman began her music career at the age of 14. She sang the song “Pudhiya Manidha” in the film Robot in Tamil, Hindi, and English. The director of the film was Shankar. It was a Tamil movie. After that, she started working with eminent music directors (including her father, A.R. Rahman ) of the industry as a playback singer.
- She has also worked in Bollywood movies, and her artwork is quite famous in the Hindi film industry.
- She has also collaborated with Grammy winner Ricky Khej on air pollution and sang a song for their project.
- Khatija Rahman’s first independent song was “Iltaja.” Later, she debuted with the song named “Farishton.”
- Khatija Rahman is also a part of “Sing a Lullaby.” It is a collection of 52 Lullabies across India and the world in various languages, recreated by the brilliant duo Guupriya Atreya and Vedant Bhardwaj. They collaborated with Khatija for a small part named “Amna Bibi.”
- Khatija has sung with the famous Irish rock band U2. She attended this show with her father, A.R. Rahman, and sister, Raheema. It was held in Mumbai, and Khatija performed the maestro’s track Ahimsa which showcases non-violence in the world.
- Khatija sang the ‘Rock a Bye Baby’ song from a movie named Mimi at U2’s concert in Mumbai.
- She has taken training under Nirbhay Saxena and Mira Sengupta for Hindustani classical Singing and Lavita Lobo for Western Vocals.
Khatija Rahman Awards and Achievements
- Khatija Rahman has got the Trend Setter Award for 2020 at the Inspiration Global Women Awards
- The talented daughter of A.R. Rahman showcased her courage at the 2021 Acument India Fellows from the Spring Cohort
- In March 2020, she was honoured with the title Empowering Woman by the Pooja Srinivasa Raja organization
- In Dec 2017, she won the title of Trailblazer from the Prahalathan organization
- Her songs have been featured on BBC Asian Radio, London, and various international magazines like Elle, Platform, and Cosmopolitan India have spotlighted her view on diversity in beauty
Khatija Rahman Media Controversy
A.R. Rahman’s daughter carried herself to media controversy for wearing a Burkha outfit at several social events and for her rigid Islamic religious attachments. Khatija Rahman has not shown her face yet and often wears a Burkha and Hijab. She performs five times Namaaz daily and practices Islam to make a Jannah in Akhirat.
Khatija Rahman indulged herself in a Twitter rant with Bangladeshi-Swedish writer Taslima Nasreen. She slammed trollers brutally for dragging her father’s name in an online spat. People had trolled her father and he brainwashed her to follow rigid Islamic cultural rules. It did not go well with Khatija Rahman, and she clearly told her views about the choice of clothes. She expressed that her Burqha and Hijab are entirely her own choice, and her family does not have anything to do with it.
Later, A.R. Rahman posted a photograph with his wife and two daughters along with the hashtag’ FreedomToChoose.’ Here, her elder daughter was wearing a Burkha and Hijab, and the younger daughter Raheema was wearing a party gown. It was indeed the best reply to those trollers.
Khatija Rahman’s First Debut Single Song “Farishton”
Khatija Rahman began her musical journey with the debut single song ‘Farishton.’ This song is composed by her father, A.R. Rahman. Farishton is like a prayer song and has a Sufi element in it. The song is featured in an animated video which is produced by Khatija. Here, a fictional character Amal conveys the message of fraternity in the world towards her voyage to Makka-Madina. The fictional character helps with kindness in every way he can. It gives the message of Humanity in the world. The video amazingly connects with every age group and is very soothing. Munna Shaokath Ali composed the lyrics of Farishton in Hindi and Mashook Rahman in Tamil.
Khatija Rahman’s song Farishton has the following achievements:
- It got an ‘honourable mention’ in the Los Angles Film Awards 2021
- It has got a special mention in the International Sound Future Awards and won the award for the Best Music Video
- At Global Shorts.net (one of the biggest international Short Film Competition), Farishton won an award of merit
The song ‘Farishton’ was performed live at the Dubai Expo along with ‘Firdaus Orchestra’ on the occasion of ‘World Children’s Day.’ Khatija Rahman performed the song at the Dubai Expo with 16-year-old pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram. Firdaus Orchestra is an all-female group that wants to show that females can also have a career in music. Khatija Rahman loves to watch many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. She got the idea of the Farishton animation video from there. It is undoubtedly a beautiful artwork with an angelic voice.
Khatija Rahman’s Opinion on Nepotism
As Nepotism is a much-discussed topic in India in recent times, Khatija Rahman has simple views on it. She said that her father has launched the career of many singers and music composers. Khatija further added that her father launched a digital platform, ‘Qyuki,’ that has given various opportunities to new talent. Hence, she does not think that she is grabbing anybody’s place. A.R. Rahman supports new talent also through the BAFTA Breakthrough initiative and K.M. Music Conservatory.
Khatija Rahman’s standpoint on being Judged for her Clothes
Khatija is very appalled about being judged on her clothes and the veil around her face. She says that others’ views about her cannot reduce her to the piece of cloth she wears. She further added that she finds beauty in diversity and wants to follow the culture and tradition of her own choice. People should judge her talent and her work but not her clothes, but such comments and views about her cannot stop Khatija from going ahead and working hard.
A.R. Rahman’s opinion about her daughter Khatija Rahman
As per her father, A.R. Rahman, Khatija had a challenging mindset since childhood. She is ready to accept all odds that come in her way. She is a different personality, and he is proud of her. He said that there is no comparison in the family, and his children are leading their life with their challenges.
Khatija Rahman’s Social Work
Khatija Rahman is also a philanthropist and constantly working for women’s empowerment and upliftment. She has volunteered her services at various NGOs, Youth Red Cross, and many cancer institutes. She is actively involved as a Director in her father’s organization, A.R. Rahman Foundation. It works for various humanitarian causes like giving education to underprivileged children, disaster relief, and supporting women in multiple areas.
