In FC Song of the Day, we pick a new film song that deserves your attention
Song: Farishton
Composer: AR Rahman
Singer: Khatija Rahman
Lyrics: Munna Shoukath Ali
"Farishton", a new single composed by AR Rahman, featuring his 23-year-old daughter Khatija Rahman as the singer, has the spiritual calm that we've come to associate with the composer. It's like a hymn with the touch of a fairytale. The arrangement has gentle, swelling sweeps of the symphony orchestra, a tinkly keyboard, light tablas. The oboe immediately takes you back to the serene instrument version of "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" from Jodhaa Akbar. The composition is unmistakably Rahman, but the song is meant to be a showcase for Khatija as a singer, and it brings out the character of her voice: it's sweet and retains the timbre of a girl's voice. (Khatija had released another single with the musician Ricky Kej in September—and she sounds better in a superior song). The lyrics are by Munna Shoukath Ali.
Earlier this year, the writer Taslima Nasreen had said that she feels "suffocated" when she sees "educated women from cultural families" like Khatija in burkha. Khatija defended her choice strongly. (Rahman said that she feels comfortable in it, so he doesn't see a problem with it). It's interesting that instead of shunning it, Khatija has made it a part of her identity, as can be seen in the cover art. The yet-to-release music video has a Studio Ghibli-inspired animation film featuring a girl in a burkha.