Oscar-winning film composer AR Rahman has separated from his wife of 29 years, Saira Banu, with the couple citing an “insurmountable gap” that has grown between them.
Banu and Rahman married in Chennai in 1995 and had three children together: daughters Khatija and Raheema and son Ameen.
In a joint statement issued by Banu’s divorce lawyer, the estranged couple said they “have made this decision out of pain and agony.”
Rahman, 57, posted an individual statement, requesting privacy and writing: “Even the throne of God could shake under the weight of broken hearts.”
He has been a major figure in Indian cinema since the 1990s, working extensively in Bollywood and the Tamil film industry, among others.
In the West, he is perhaps best known for the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire, which won him Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
Oscar-winning film composer AR Rahman has separated from his wife of 29 years, Saira Banu, with the couple citing an “insurmountable gap” that has grown between them; in the photo 2011
News of the divorce broke in India on Tuesday night when Banu’s lawyer Vandana Shah posted a joint statement from the couple on Instagram.
‘After many years of marriage, Mrs Saira and her husband Mr AR Rahman have made the difficult decision to separate. “This decision comes after significant emotional strain on their relationship,” the statement begins.
“Despite their deep love for each other, the couple has discovered that tensions and difficulties have created an insurmountable gap between them, a gap that neither party feels able to bridge at this time.”
The statement continued: ‘Mrs. Saira and her husband Mr. AR Rahman emphasize that they took this decision out of pain and agony. Ms. Saira and her husband, Mr. AR Rahman, ask for the public’s privacy and understanding during this difficult time, as they navigate this difficult chapter of their lives.’
Rahman posted a personal statement on .’
And he added: “However, in this destruction we look for meaning, even if the pieces never find their place again.” “To our friends, thank you for your kindness and for respecting our privacy as we navigate this fragile chapter.”
In a touch that surprised some social media observers, he concluded by creating a hashtag for the divorce: ‘#arrsairabreakup.’
Classically trained in Indian and Western music, Rahman emerged in the Indian film industry in the 1990s and became especially known for his collaborations with Tamil director Mani Ratnam.
His Bollywood hits of that decade included Chaiyya Chaiyya, a generation-defining song for Indian millennials, set to the image of film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora dancing atop a moving train.
In the West, he is perhaps best known for the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire, which won him Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song; Dev Patel photographed in the film.
In a joint statement issued by Banu’s divorce attorney, the estranged couple stated that they “have made this decision out of pain and agony”; photographed this July
Rahman won Academy Awards for both the instrumental music of Slumdog Millionaire and Jai Ho, a song he wrote for the film with lyricist Gulzar.
Chaiyya Chaiyya attracted so much international attention that Spike Lee used a hip-hop remix in his 2006 thriller Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington.
However, Rahman’s most significant burst of fame in the West came in 2008 for scoring Danny Boyle’s Hollywood drama Slumdog Millionaire.
He was especially feted for the song Jai Ho, with music by Rahman and lyrics by poet Gulzar, who also wrote the lyrics for Chaiyya Chaiyya.
Rahman won Academy Awards for the instrumental music of Slumdog Millionaire and for Jai Ho, and earned two more Oscar nominations for Boyle’s 2010 survival drama 127 Hours, starring James Franco.
Amid news of Rahman’s marital split this week, Indian media seized on recent comments Banu’s lawyer made about Bollywood marriages in general.
“Their lives are very different,” said Vandana Shah, an advocate with years of experience in entertainment divorces in India.
She made the comments on the podcast. The cold hourin an episode published just days before it was revealed that Rahman and his wife had separated.
‘I don’t think infidelity is the cause of many marriage breakups. What is the cause of this marriage breakup? One is boredom in marriage, because you have seen it all,” Shah alleged.
His Bollywood hits include Chaiyya Chaiyya, a song that defined a generation with the image of film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora dancing on top of a moving train.
“They go from one marriage to another out of boredom. And that’s very, very peculiar to Bollywood and super-rich families. So I feel like that’s something I haven’t seen in a lot of other marriages.
He further alleged that “adultery happens very frequently,” to the point that “one-night stands really don’t matter that much.”
Shah stated that people in showbiz marriages “live very, very different sex lives, that don’t exist, that don’t get published,” and that “the expectations of a sex life are much higher in these environments than perhaps the of a normal person.” marriage.’
He also noted that interference from “others not part of the marriage,” such as family members of either spouse, can contribute to divorce.