The lawyer for wife of music legend AR Rahman, Saira Banu, in a candid interview throws light on the rising tide of divorces in Bollywood. Shah, the veteran divorce lawyer, highlighted her perception about these glamorous celebrity marriages that seem to have different kinds of strains, “Boredom rather than infidelity”.
According to Shah, the life of the Bollywood couples is significantly different from the others who do not belong to this world of the entertainment industry. The pressure of fame, intense spotlight, and high-life itself instill a sense of “having seen it all” into one’s mind. According to her, many divorces result from such a feeling of monotony.
“I don’t think infidelity is the cause of the breakdown of marriages. The actual cause is boredom,” Shah said, underlining how the excitement and allure of these high-profile unions can fizzle out with time. Unlike common marriages, where couples encounter familiar relationship challenges, Bollywood stars face unique pressures that lead to emotional detachment and dissatisfaction.
High Stakes Of Celebrity Relationships
Shah then talks of the increased expectations of sexual intimacy and relationships amidst Bollywood stars. Compared to more realistic relationships in real marriages, the emotional and sexual expectations in Bollywood weddings are often extreme. This is the other reason, as Shah says, why marriages in this line tend to fall apart.
“They all live very different sexual lives. The expectations of their sex life are much higher in these setups than a non-Bollywood marriage,” Shah noted. The intense lifestyles and constantly evolving personal and professional challenges faced by stars seem to amplify the emotional toll within these relationships.
Although Shah conceded that, indeed infidelity and one-night stands exist, “there is just no importance attached, no weight to it” when it comes to these celebrity marriages. Based on her experience with numerous high-profile divorces, she has noticed that “most of these star-struck marriages place little emphasis on the extramarital affairs.” As such, such behaviors would rarely be enough to culminate in the final dissent of the marriage.
AR Rahman, Saira Banu’s Separation
This comes after the public declaration of the separation of their marriage of 29 years between AR Rahman and Saira Banu. Shah admitted that Saira had taken such a decision as it was due to emotional strain and because she was unable to bear the pressure of this marriage for so many years. Rahman talked about the “unseen end” of his relationship, adding that their bond quietly broke up. The couple, who tied the knot in 1995, has three children: Khatija, Raheema, and Ameen.
Despite their separation, both Rahman and Saira have emphasized the need for privacy and respect as they navigate this emotional period.
Bigger Trend In Bollywood
The Rahman-Banu divorce is just one of many high-profile separations across the industry. Many couples in the celebrity world including Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya, Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic, and Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao have recently announced splits in public. The rising divorce cases are a reminder of the lives that are toiled in under pressures and complexities of fame and wealth under constant watchful eyes.
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