AR Rahman and his wife, Saira Banu, have been pillars of strength to each other in their 29-year journey. Their relationship began in an arranged marriage in March 1995, and has been a testament to their commitment. However, the couple has now made a mutual and mature decision to part ways, understanding that their individual happiness is paramount.
AR Rahman is a man of a few words, and this is not a secret. He rarely talks or smiles and shared his experience of how his mouth and jaws ached when he had to smile at his wedding. AR Rahman and Saira tied the knot in March 1995. Recalling his wedding day in Nasreen’s book, A.R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music, AR Rahman shared that he was fake smiling throughout his wedding day. By the end of the day, his jaws were aching. In Rahman's words:
“Saira and I were married in Chennai on 12 March 1995, in the same building where I opened the AM Studios in 2006. I had a fixed smile on my face on my wedding day, and at the end of those three hours, I remember every muscle in my face ached."
In the same book, AR Rahman shared that when he first met Saira, he was blown away by her beauty. She was beautiful and gentle, and they met on his 28th birthday. He asked her if she wanted to marry him, and she answered positively. Back in the day, Siara was quiet, but now she is anything but quiet. Rahman further added:
“She was beautiful and gentle. We met for the first time on 6 January 1995, on my twenty-eighth birthday. It was a brief meeting. After that, we mostly chatted on the phone. Saira speaks Kutchi and English and I asked her in English if she wanted to marry me. Saira was very quiet in those days. Now she’s anything but quiet."
AR Rahman shared that when he was twenty-seven years old, he decided it was time to settle down. So he asked his mother to find him a girl as he was too shy to do it on his own. He was working around the clock, and he met several females on a daily basis, but he never pictured any of them as his wife. In his words:
“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. [smiles] 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."
In a media interaction with India Today, Saira Banu announced her divorce from AR Rahman. Now, the musical maestro has taken to his Twitter account (now known as X) and shared that he wished to reach the grand thirtieth anniversary with his wife, but unfortunately, their relationship has met its end. He is heartbroken by the procedure, but there is no way out. In AR Rahman's words:
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“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.”
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