AR Rahman and Saira Banu’s lawyer react to the hashtag in a sharing post: “This should be treated…”

Latest update:Nov 24, 2024 09:08 PM IST

AR Rahman was trolled for using a hashtag to announce his separation from wife Saira Banu after 29 years of marriage.

Lawyer A.R. spoke out about the separation post. Rahman.

A.R. Rahman and his wife Saira Banu announced their separation after 29 years of marriage. Their lawyer Vandana Shah shared a joint statement on their behalf Tuesday evening. Rahman also posted an emotional message on social media, saying they had hoped to live together for 30 years, but the relationship could not bear the weight of “broken hearts.” While many offered support, some were confused by the hashtag Rahman used in his post #arrsairaabreakup.”

Now AR Rahman and Saira Banu’s lawyer Vandana Shah have revealed that Rahman used the hashtag in his tweet while announcing his separation from his wife in a chat with Bollywood Bubble. She mentioned that the hashtag should be treated as a semicolon, which can be ignored.

She said: “I noticed that there is a reason why a hashtag is called a hashtag. When you look at grammar as a whole, there is always a comma, a period, and even a semicolon. Although these days it seems like an afterthought. Almost no one uses the term “semicolon” anymore, and very few attach much importance to it. Likewise, a hashtag is what it is—a hashtag—and it has no real meaning. I believe it should be treated with the same disdain. As if to say that you are just a hashtag put aside. Over the past couple of days, this feeling has only strengthened for me.”

Vandana also praised Rahman’s family for handling the situation with dignity. She appreciated how the press respected their space and refrained from trying to get answers. She said: “I think they treat it with great dignity. They seem to be very private and reserved personalities. And they solve the situation in the best possible way in this space. I appreciate the fact that even the press treated me with respect. No one was pushing hard for answers, and I think that’s commendable.”

A.R. Rahman and his wife Saira Banu got married in 1995 and are the parents of three children: Khatija, Rahima and Amin.