AR Rahman-Sairaa Banu Divorce: Bassist Mohini Dey Slams Rumors, Calls Him "Father Figure"

Renowned bassist Mohini Dey has publicly addressed and dismissed rumours romantically linking her to music maestro AR Rahman. Dey, who has performed in over 40 shows with Rahman, announced her separation from Mark Hartsuch in a joint Instagram post hours after Rahman-Sairaa Banu's divorce post.

Dey took to social media to clarify their relationship and express her frustration with the baseless assumptions circulating in the media. She shared a video on Instagram where she unequivocally stated that AR Rahman is a father figure to her.

She emphasized the significant age difference between them, pointing out that she is closer in age to Rahman's daughter. "I have a lot of father figures and role models in my life, and I've been fortunate and grateful to have had them play vital roles in my upbringing. AR happens to be one of them. By AR, I mean AR Rahman. I respect him a lot. He is just like my father. He is a little bit younger than my dad. His daughter is exactly my age, I think. We have a lot of respect and love for each other," she stated.

Dey also clarified that she had worked with Rahman as his bassist for eight and a half years before moving to the United States five years ago. Since then, she has been associated with other pop artists in the US and has been focusing on her own band and music tours.

In her social media post, Dey expressed her dismay at the media's handling of recent events. She described the vulgarization of two separate incidents as "criminal" and appealed for respect, sympathy, and empathy towards emotional matters. Dey also urged the media and public to be sensitive and respect their privacy, emphasizing the personal and painful nature of the situation.

Sharing the video, Dey captioned it, "It is utterly unbelievable to see the amount of misinformation and baseless assumptions/claims against me & @arrahman. It feels criminal that the media has vulgarised the two events. I honour my time as a kid working with @arrahman throughout my 8.5 years 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. It saddens me to see people's state of mind. @arrahman is a legend and he is just like a father to me!"

Dey took the opportunity to acknowledge several mentors who have played crucial roles in her career. She mentioned her late father, who taught her music; Ranjit Barot, who introduced her to the industry; Louis Banks, who shaped her career; and AR Rahman, who provided her with opportunities to shine in his shows and recording sessions.

She stressed that while she doesn't owe explanations to anyone, she felt compelled to address the issue to prevent further speculation and disruption to her daily life.