AR Rahman's daughter Khatija turns music composer
What's the story
Khatija Rahman, daughter of Academy Award-winning composer AR Rahman, is embarking on a new journey as she transitions from being a singer to a music composer.
The young artist is all set to make her debut as a composer in the upcoming Tamil film, MinMini.
Calling Rahman an "exceptional talent," director Halitha Shameem—best known for Sillu Karupatti—shared the exciting news of collaboration on Twitter.
Inspiration
Shameem revealed her inspiration behind the film's music
Shameem shared the news of roping in Rahman for her upcoming film.
Meanwhile, in an interview with ETimes, Shameem also revealed her inspiration behind the film's music, mentioning her use of dummy tracks by Rachel Portman—an Oscar-winning British composer.
"We tried to reach out to Portman through her agent and get her onboard, but due to budget constraints, that couldn't happen," added Shameem.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the announcement post
So happy to be working with this exceptional talent, Khatija Rahman for #MinMini. The euphonious singer is a brilliant music composer too. Some great music underway! ✨✨@RahmanKhatija @manojdft @Muralikris1001 @_estheranil_ @GauravKaalai @Pravin10kishore @raymondcrasta pic.twitter.com/b9k1YjuxtU
— Halitha (@halithashameem) June 12, 2023
Reaction
'How exciting!!!,' the fans expressed excitement over Rahman's debut
Shameem's tweet about Rahman's new venture garnered enthusiastic reactions from netizens.
One user commented, "How exciting! I love Rahman's singing, and now we get to hear her composing new music too! Fantastic! All the best to her and the team! Also eagerly awaiting her independent tribute project Kuhu Kuhu.
Meanwhile, another user chimed in, saying, "That's a surprise! Wishing you success and good fortune."
Statement
'I wasn't sure about turning composer till last year…'
In the above-mentioned interview, Rahman opened up about her hesitation regarding becoming a composer until last year.
She elaborated, "I was singing and doing many things last year. I felt there was too much on my plate. But later, there was another project—also by a female director—that came to me."
Rahman then reached out to Shameem and played her independent track for the director.
Career
A look at Rahman's music career
Rahman's journey in music began by singing backing vocals for her father, AR Rahman, in films like Mangal Pandey.
She made her solo debut with the 2010 blockbuster Tollywood film Enthiran, where the artist was the lead singer alongside SP Balasubrahmanyam and her father for the title track Pudhiya Manidha.
In more recent times, Rahman collaborated with the Grammy Award-winning artist Ricky Kej.
Details
Everything about Shameem's upcoming film 'MinMini'
MinMini, scheduled for a theatrical release later this year, boasts an ensemble cast including Esther Anil, Gaurav Kalai, and Pravin Kishore.
Director Shameem, in the interview, mentioned that she and Rahman started composing the trailer, which turned out to be "very well."
They have nearly completed the background score for the entire film and have already finalized three songs, as revealed by the director.