New Delhi:
AR Rahman and Saira Banu announced their divorce in November, last year, making his safely guarded private life to be dissected by the public. Months after their separation, AR Rahman reacted to the public chatter around his divorce and the media frenzy that followed him after announcing the separation.
“The choice of being in public life is intentional, so everybody gets reviewed. Right from the richest person to even God gets reviewed, so who am I?” Rahman told Nayandeep Rakshit on his YouTube channel.
“As long as we stay together and are not conceited or toxic… even those who criticise us – they’re all family,” AR Rahman reflected on the perils of being a public figure.
Addressing to the troll and the relentless commentary on his personal life, AR Rahman said, “If I say things about someone’s family, someone will say things about mine. And we, as Indians, believe this. Nobody should say unnecessary things because everyone has a sister, a wife, a mother.”
“Even when someone says something hurtful, I pray, ‘Please God, forgive them and guide them’,” Rahman voiced his philosophy of life to tide over the tough situation.
Being married for almost three decades, AR Rahman and Saira Banu called it quits in November last year. They share three children – son AR Ameen, and two daughters, Khatija Rahman and Raheema Rahman. Soon after the news broke, the musician opened up about how “shattering” it is to bear the “weight of broken hearts.”
AR Rahman posted a heartbreaking update on X (formerly Twitter), “We had hoped to reach the grand thirty, but all things, it seems, carry an unseen end. Even the throne of God might tremble at the weight of broken hearts. Yet, in this shattering, we seek meaning, though the pieces may not find their place again. To our friends, thank you for your kindness and for respecting our privacy as we walk through this fragile chapter. #arrsairaabreakup.”
In March, after Rahman underwent an angiography following complaints of chest pain in Chennai, Saira Banu said in public that she didn’t want to be referred to as “Ex-wife” as they were not divorced yet.
