Global music icon, AR Rahman is the pride of the nation. He is the only Indian who had won two Academy Awards in 2009 for his incredible work in the films, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. Not many people know that Rahman was a Hindu and had converted after his father's demise during his teenage days.
The man behind soulful tracks of Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Swades, Rang De Basanti, Jodhaa Akbar and many others, Rahman made history with his music. Though Rahman had a successful professional life, his personal life came under a lot of limelight in November 2024, when he and his wife, Saira Banu, announced their divorce. The couple had been married for 29 years, and their sudden announcement came as a shock to many.
For Rahman, his music is everything, and even his family understood it early. Do you know he left his wife, Saira, in another room during their honeymoon? Yes, you read that right. AR Rahman’s brother-in-law, Rahman, is a famous actor in the South Indian film industry. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, the actor recalled the incident and said:
“I remember, when he got married, he took my sister-in-law for the honeymoon to a hill station. I called them that night, it was just 12 or 1… She answered, she was sleeping already. I asked, ‘Where is Rahman’. She said, ‘I don’t know’. He was in another room, practicing his veena… He was composing something; he’s that kind of person.”
AR Rahman and Saira Banu's marriage was fixed by the singer's mother. As per some reports, Rahman’s mother, Kareema Begum, was at a mosque one day, and she noticed a girl named Meher praying. When Kareema Begum enquired about Meher, it was revealed that she was the younger daughter of a renowned Chennai-based businessman. Upon reaching her home, Kareema met with Meher's father, and he told her that he had an elder daughter named Saira and she would get married first.
Kareema met Meher’s elder sister, Saira and found her suitable for Rahman. Well, the singer first met Saira on his 28th birthday, and the two gradually developed a mutual love for one another. The duo culminated their love and got married on March 12, 1995. The couple is blessed with three children, Khatija and Rahima, and a son named Ameen Rahman.
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However, on November 19, 2024, AR Rahman and Saira Banu announced their mutual divorce. Talking about the couple’s divorce, their lawyer, Vandana Shah, revealed to India Today that the couple was facing difficulties in their marriage and didn’t want to bridge the gap. Vandana also stated that Saira took the divorce decision with a lot of pain.
Once, in an old interview with The Times Of India, when AR Rahman was asked about his ex-wife, Saira Banu, he lauded her for how strongly she supports him. The composer revealed that he had already told his ex-wife that if a song came up in the middle of their planned dinner, he had to cancel the plan. AR Rahman added that he had this conversation with Saira Banu before their marriage, and the latter agreed to it. He said:
"We had a conversation before marriage, otherwise we would have separated long back. That was my orientation to her. I had told her, if we have planned dinner and a song comes up, we will have to ditch the dinner."
Hailed as the ‘Mozart of Madras’, AR Rahman is deeply devoted to his music. No matter what life throws at him, he finds peace in his work.'
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