AR Rahman's daughter Khatija hits back at trolls who called the maestro hypocrite for 'forcing her to wear a niqab'

On the occassion of the 10-year celebration of the music of 'Slumdog Millionaire', a film that earned AR Rahman two Oscar awards under the Best Original Score and Best Original Song (shared with Gulzar) categories, Rahman's daughter Khatija gave a heartwarming speech. 

Speaking at the event, Khatija said, "Though the world knows you for your music and the award that you won, I have immense love and respect for you because of the values they taught us (three of his children). Your humility matters the most for me. Not an atom of your character has changed ever since you won the Oscar, nothing has changed in you in the last 10 years except the time you spend with us has reduced. I think you are making it up now by taking us on short trips!"

While her speech received a lot of love and appreciation from all quarters, her attire garnered some negative comments. There were a few who trolled the music maestro for having double standards with his own daughters. They alleged him of conditioning them into wearing niqabs (head-gears). 

Khatija, however, reacted to them in a humble Facebook post on Thursday. Not only did she urge them not to pass judgements on people, but she also clarified that it's entirely her decision to dress the way she does. 

Read Khatija Rahman's full post here:

"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 does not have anything to do with my parents. The veil has been my personal choice with complete acceptance and honour. 

I'm a sane mature adult who knows to make my choices in life. Any human being has a choice to wear or do what he/she wants and that's what I've been doing. Hence, kindly don't make your own judgements without understanding the exact situation #freedomofchoice. [sic]"

Using the hashtag 'Freedom Of Choice', AR Rahman also posted this family picture on Twitter. In the snap, his daughters Khatija and Raheema are seen posing with their mother Sairaa and Mukesh Ambani's wife, Nita Ambani. While Khatija is seen wearing a burqa, her sister is dressed ordinarily. 

 

— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) February 6, 2019

The event took place in Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, as an ode to Slumdog Millionaire, which chronicled the story of a boy's journey from rags to riches. It was attended by actor Anil Kapoor, lyricist Gulzar, singers Sukhwinder Singh, Ila Arun, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Vijay Prakash.