A.R. Rahman: ‘Even I would wear a burqa if possible, it would be so easy to go shop, find steady life’

The composer praised his daughter Khatija’s temperament in responding to the criticism that came for her choice of clothing, and that he was awestruck with her simplicity

AR Rahman with his daughters, Khatija and Raheema

Last week, A.R. Rahman’s daughter Khatija responded to Bangladeshi-Swedish writer Taslima Nasrin’s comments on the former’s choice of clothing on social media, asking why only when it comes to women belonging to a certain faith, do double standards and sudden concerns exist.

Khatija’s post went viral and the youngster received a lot of praise for the manner in which she handled the criticism.

Now, her father, composer A.R. Rahman has commented on the issue, talking to 

The Quint.

In an interview, Rahman said what mattered while raising children was that they were made aware of the good and bad of their parents and that they would inherit both from them. He added that the children must know about the troubles and problems of the parents.

“And then, they are given free will and she did it and then I asked her, What about the next question? Did you answer that?’ (She said) that’s it daddy, I am done.”

He added that Khatija did not consult the family before putting out a reply. He added that he amplified her statement through his social media, and stated that wearing a burqa was her choice.

He said that wearing a burqa may also be to shun fame. “It may be because she sang a song (titled  Ahimsa ) and around 10 million people were having it as their ringtone. If you take a little kid who is an introvert and suddenly people are spamming them with good and bad, anybody would shut off,” he said.

Rahman concluded by adding that even he would wear a burqa if he had the chance to: “A male is not supposed to wear a burqa, otherwise I will wear one. It would be so easy to go and shop, find steady life. You know, I think, she finds her freedom. Because she is somebody who will go for a funeral of a maid's mother or maid's relative. And I get awestruck with her simplicity and what she does socially.”