Earlier this week, renowned music composer A.R. Rahman and his wife Saira Banu announced their seperation. The couple, who have been married for 29 years, issued a statement through their lawyer on their decision to part ways. “This decision comes after significant emotional strain in their relationship,” the statement read.
The sudden news of the seperation shocked fans, and the internet fired up with questions, wondering what would have led to the divorce.
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In a recent interview, Vandana Shah, the lawyer representing the couple, listed out the main reasons for divorce in Bollywood. In a chat with The Chill Hour Podcast, which was released a few days before the Rahman-Saira seperation announcement, Shah explained that the life that Bollywood couples live, and how they treat divorce is very different.
“Their lives are very different. I don’t think infidelity is the cause of a lot of breakdowns in marriages. What is the cause of that marriage breakdown? One is boredom in a marriage because you have seen it all. They move on from one marriage to another because of boredom and that is very peculiar to Bollywood and super-rich families. That is one thing that I have not seen in a lot of other marriages.”
“Secondly, I think they live very different sexual lives which are not put out there. The expectations from a sex life are much higher in Bollywood than maybe a non-celebrity's marriage. Third, adultery happens a lot and one-night stands really don’t matter as much. I’m not a part of Bollywood, I’m just saying from whatever cases have come to me,” she added.
Shah also explained how external factors, like the involvement of the extended family, can also interfere in a marriage. “The main issues are boredom, not being given enough importance or having to listen to others who are not part of the marriage. “Others” can be the mother, the brother who is providing or the father-in-law. There's one case I handled in South India where the father-in-law is calling all the shots, and the daughter-in-law is not happy."
She also added that most of Bollywood couples “go for divorce by mutual consent”, which she deems as good because, one, it avoids unnecessary drama in front of the public eye while also reducing the financial strain on both parties, and two, people who follow Bollywood can look up to them and follow in the same path if they are planning on getting a divorce.