There is no doubt that the separation announcement by legendary composer AR Rahman and Saira Banu was one of the more shocking developments in Indian cinema in recent times. While, their family, including Rahman and Saira, requested privacy, sections of the media decided to go against their wishes. There were various speculations about the reasons behind their separation, and most of them were unsavoury at best. In fact, this was the first time, Rahman’s personal life was put up for such discussions, and rumours started making the rounds. To put an end to all of that, Saira, through her PR, responded with a voice note.
Saira, who is currently in Mumbai, revealed that she has been physically unwell for a while, and is in the city for treatment. “That’s why I took a break from AR (Rahman). I would request the YouTubers, and Tamil media to not say anything bad against him,” said Saira, referring to accusations linking Rahman’s bassist Mohini Dey announcing her separation from her husband on the same day as the composer. “He is a gem of a person, the best man in the world. It is just my health issues that I had to leave Chennai. It wouldn’t have been possible with his busy schedule in Chennai.”
Interestingly, Saira also asked everyone to wait till she returns to Chennai after the treatment before jumping the gun. “We have not officially announced anything yet,” said Saira, whose voice took a stern turn as she signed off with, “Stop tarnishing his name, which is absolutely rubbish. He is a gem of a person.”
The couple announced their separation through their divorce lawyer Vandana Shah late Tuesday.
