Renowned bass guitarist Mohini Dey has quashed rumors connecting her to music legend AR Rahman, following her recent divorce from her former spouse, Mark Hartsuch. The rumors escalated after she disclosed her separation from Hartsuch, also a musician, shortly after Rahman announced his split from Saira Banu, his wife of 29 years. Dey, who has collaborated extensively with Rahman over the years, addressed the speculation in an Instagram video, referring to Rahman as a 'father figure' and requesting the media to respect her privacy during this challenging period.
'I have numerous father figures, role models in my life, and I've been incredibly fortunate and thankful to have them play significant roles in my upbringing. AR happens to be one of them. By AR, I mean AR Rahman. I hold him in high regard. He is akin to my father,' she stated in the video.
'He is slightly younger than my dad. His daughter is precisely my age, I believe. We have immense respect and affection for each other. In any case, to cut a long story short. Please be considerate and respect our privacy. It's a personal matter, and it's distressing. It's a distressing process. So please be kind,' Dey added.
In addition to the video, Dey also posted a detailed note expressing her dismay with the media's coverage of the situation.
'It is profoundly disheartening to witness the extent of misinformation and groundless assumptions/claims against me & @arrahman. It feels criminal that the media has sensationalized the two events. I cherish my times as a child working with @arrahman throughout my 8.5 years of working with him for his movies, tours, etc. It's disheartening to see that people have no respect, sympathy, or empathy towards emotional matters like this,' read a portion of her note.
The news of Rahman and Saira's separation was initially disclosed through a joint statement issued by Saira's lawyer, Vandana Shah. The couple stated that their decision was due to 'significant emotional strain' in their relationship. AR Rahman and Saira married in 1995 and share three children--Khatija, Raheema, and Ameen.
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