After months of silence, acclaimed Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman finally spoke about his personal life and his split-up with wife Saira Banu. In an unusual and heart-wrenching interview with YouTube’s Nayandeep Rakshit, Rahman went back in thought about the psychological burden of residing under public scanner and the constant media glare over their split, which was also publicly confirmed by them in November 2024.
Talking with measured calmness, Rahman admitted that public life prompts perpetual judgment. “Even God gets reviewed, so who am I?” he said, going further to say that as long as people are not arrogant or poisonous, even critics are like family. His reply showed nobility and compassion, avoiding acerbity.
He also responded to the online trolling and speculation with a touch of cultural sensitivity and karma. “If I say something about someone’s family, someone will say something about mine,” he said, calling for restraint in public speech. “Everyone has a sister, a wife, a mother… I just pray, ‘Please God, forgive them and guide them.'”
In November, Rahman had posted a poetic tweet on X (formerly Twitter), speaking of heartbreak and hope. “Even the throne of God may shake at the burden of shattered hearts… we search for meaning, though the pieces may never fit together again.”
Although still legally wedded, Saira Banu affirmed through her legal advisors that emotional pressure caused their estrangement. In March 2025, following Rahman’s short hospital stay, she requested the media respect their privacy while they continue to endure this phase with mutual consideration and compassion.
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