AR Rahman and Mohini Dey Address Rumours: The Persistent Blame Game Against Women

After AR Rahman and Mohini Dey addressed rumours surrounding their separations, the incident highlighted a troubling trend: women are unfairly targeted in celebrity breakups. 
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Hours after composer AR Rahman announced his separation from his long-term partner, his bassist, Mohini Dey, revealed her split from ex-husband Mark Hartsuch. The internet wasted no time in speculating that a connection between the two musicians might have played a role in their breakups. Both Rahman and Dey promptly issued statements to dispel these baseless rumours and condemn the gossip. Yet, this incident highlights a persistent and troubling trend: women often find themselves unfairly targeted and vilified in the aftermath of such situations, a pattern deeply rooted in societal bias and sensationalism.Insider-1 (9)

Amid personal tragedies, it is often the women who bear the brunt of online hate.

We trace the persistent nature of this trend, and why it doesn’t seem to be changing.

Mohini Dey and AR Rahman Issue Statements

Mohini took to Instagram to say, “It is utterly unbelievable to see the amount of misinformation and baseless assumptions/claims against me & @arrahman.”

"I honour my times as a kid working with @arrahman throughout my 8.5 years of working with him for his movies, tours, etc... Kindly stop with the false claims and respect our privacy," she added in the caption of the video.

In a video Mohini said she respects Rahman and he has always been like a father figure to her.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mohini Dey (@dey_bass)

"I have a lot of father figures, role models in my life, and I've been really 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. Anyway, long story short. Please be kind and respect our privacy. It's a personal matter, and it's painful. It's a painful process. So please be kind," she said in the video she posted.

This post comes shortly after Rahman issued a warning to individuals spreading false rumours.

AR Rahman announced his separation from wife Saira Banu after 29 years. The spread of speculations and rumours prompted him to issue a statement threatening legal action.

The Blame Game Targeting Women

Examples of such instances are plenty.

In the midst of divorce rumours of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, netizens dug up old posts, interviews and more to vilify Nimrat Kaur. Kaur and Bachchan acted in a movie together in 2022, and most such interview clips were from promotions of the movie.

In her case, comparisons with Aishwarya, and blaming her for their break up while giving a clean chit to Abhishek, reeks of internalised sexism. Read more here: Nimrat Kaur and Abhishek Bachchan Caught in Rumour Mill: Why Are Women Always Blamed in Celebrity Gossip?

After her engagement to Naga Chaitanya, Shobhita Dhulipala faced online hate, with many calling her a "homewrecker" and comparing her to his ex-wife, Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Comments like "Samantha is far better than you" and "Samantha deserves better" flooded her posts.Insider-2 (4)

Regardless of their actual role—or lack thereof—women are almost always unfairly targeted in such cases.

Hate Towards Women Reflects Internalised Misogyny

One of the reasons why women get unfairly targeted is that Indian societal standards expect women to uphold family and moral values. Any perceived deviation from this ideal makes women easy targets for criticism. Women are subjected to far more moral critique than men ever are.

Also read:Will Deepika's Lady Singham Finally Shine? Rohit Shetty Announces Standalone Movie After ‘Singham Again’

The media portrayals of women, as homewreckers, villains and the “other woman” are also plenty. In these instances of pop culture depictions, men are shown as victims of manipulation.

In the end, we live in a highly interconnected digital world, where people seem to have limited accountability for the hate they spread online. In the midst of deeply personal tragedies, the least we can extend to celebrities is some privacy.

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