When AR Rahman Recalled His Love Story With Wife Saira Banu

In a joint statement released by their attorney on Tuesday evening, AR Rahman and Saira Banu confirmed their divorce. According to the statement, the couple’s decision to split up comes after a protracted period of emotional stress. The musician discussed their initial meeting and the early years of their relationship in an old interview that has resurfaced amid the divorce news and is currently going viral. In the interview, he also disclosed how his mother and sister, who initially met Saira at a Chennai Sufi shrine, played a part in his marriage.

The Oscar-winning music composer was open about his connection with Saira in his book A.R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music, written by Nasreen Munni Kabir. He also revealed that, even as a young man, he had no desire for any other lady. AR Rahman had further shared, “In 1994, when I was about twenty-seven, I decided that it was time to get married. For some reason, I started to feel old. I was always very shy and never talked much to girls. I met many young women singers in my studio when we used to work together. I had great respect for them. But I never looked at a girl, thinking that she could be my wife one day. I didn’t have the time to think about girls. I was working round the clock.”

AR Rahman Recalls His First Meet With Saira Banu

However, when he first saw Saira, things changed. “She was kind and lovely. On January 6, 1995, my twenty-eighth birthday, we first met. It was a quick encounter. We primarily spoke on the phone after that. I asked Saira, who speaks both Kutchi and English, if she would like to marry me in English. It was a pretty calm time in Saira. She’s not quiet anymore,” the musician recalled.

On March 12, 1995, AR Rahman and Saira Banu were married in Chennai. They remained together for 29 years before declaring their divorce.