Khwaja Mere Khwaja

'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' ("O my Khwaja") is a Sufi song composed and sung by A. R. Rahman to lyrics by Kashif, released on the soundtrack of Ashutosh Gowariker's 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar; it runs 6 minutes 56 seconds. ^{1 2}

The article reports Rahman saying the song was not composed for the film: he had visited the shrine of Khwaja Mu'in al-Din Chishti for fifteen years and wanted to make a song about him for a film, and in 2005 he composed the tune for himself to listen to. ¹ When Gowariker narrated the script and the influence of the Sufis and of Mu'in al-Din Chishti in it, Rahman mentioned the tune; Gowariker asked to hear it, liked it at once and wanted it in the film, changing nothing but adding interludes and extra vocals. It was first titled 'Kashif', after its lyricist, whom Rahman calls a spiritual person. ¹ Rahman said Gowariker used it in a sequence showing Akbar triumphant, married to a Rajput princess and newly allied, yet seeing a spiritual light as he watches the singers and dancers in a Sufi dance. ¹

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN named it, with 'Jashn-e-Bahara', among his favourites on the album; in 2009 it brought Rahman nominations for best male playback singer at the Producers Guild and Screen awards, and Kashif nominations for its lyrics at the Screen and Stardust awards. ¹ The article reports, from Box Office India, that the soundtrack album sold about 1,100,000 units. ¹

• English Wikipedia, 'Jodhaa Akbar (soundtrack)', revision 1378457751 of 4 October 2026. ¹
• Wikidata item Q131573221. ²