In 2019, AR Rahman’s daughter, Khatija, gave a speech wearing a niqab during the 10th anniversary event for Slumdog Millionaire’s soundtrack. This led to online criticism accusing AR Rahman of forcing was forcing her to dress like that.
Responding to the criticism AR Rahman posted a family photo on social media showing Khatija wearing a niqab, while his wife Sairaa and other daughter Raheema were not wearing any veil. He captioned it with #FreedomToChoose, making it clear that his daughters are free to wear what they want.
Now, in a recent interview with Nayandeep Rakshit, AR Rahman once again spoke about the issue. He said public life comes with criticism and reviews, no matter who you are, he said, “The choice of living a public life is intentional; from a rich man to God himself, everyone gets reviewed. As long as we stay together and we are not conceited and we are not toxic to even the people saying stuff.”
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He further added, “My daughter has her own fan following, and the problem is that I am not even qualified to fight with her. She will send me two-page emails that are very articulately written, and you just sit there and admire it. I think there should be a book named My Letters to Dad.”
Back in 2019, Khatija had also shared her own side of the story. She clarified that her niqab was her personal decision, not something forced by her parents “The recent conversation of myself on stage with my dad has been doing the rounds, although I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response. However, there were certain comments which said that this attire is being forced by my dad and that he has double standards, i would like to say that the attire I wear or the choices I make in my life do not have anything to do with my parents. The veil has been my personal choice with complete acceptance and honour,” she concluded.
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