Till tabloids do them part

Closer home,several public personalities such as Aamir Khan,Omar Abdullah,Sheetal Mafatlal and Queenie Singh also decided to end their marriages and begin life afresh. Recently,the internet has been abuzz with scurrilous gossip about two cousins,both scions of an extremely wealthy and conservative industrial family,separating from their respective wives and moving in with younger male companions.

More often than not,the decision to divorce by a public figure is accompanied by loads of speculation and loose talk. No one really knows what transpires behind closed doors and in the private lives of a couple,whose relationship is in personal turmoil. But we love to speculate and pass judgment on people whose marriages have fallen apart and feel smug and superior about the fact that our own relationships are relatively secure.

Masses of tabloid space are devoted to the reasons behind why a celebrity marriage failed. The most common reason seems to be infidelity. When one partner learns the other is cheating,particularly with another celebrity,it sends the relationship into a tailspin that it never recovers from.

Given that power,wealth and fame are all heady aphrodisiacs,it is hardly surprising that celebrities are surrounded by temptation and often succumb to it. This does,however,make for undeniably juicy reading. But cheating spouses are not the only reason why celebrity marriages fall apart.

Sometimes the couple,often both highly opinionated individuals,seems to realise they are no longer compatible and decide that it is wiser to separate,citing irreconcilable differences,rather than prolong the misery of being married to one another. Domestic abuse,sexual incompatibility,money issues,professional frustrations — there are dozens of reasons why celeb marriages end acrimoniously.

Tempting as it is to gossip about failed marriages,it is also vital to respect that these couples are going through a tough phase. The fact that they are famous doesn’t make them any less susceptible to suffering the pain of divorce. Perhaps all of us,particularly the media,need to take it a little easy when it comes to bashing celebrities when they are down. It’s way more satisfying to deflate pompous egos and topple self-important giants rather than vicariously gloat about the demise of a famous person’s marriage.

Fahad Samar is a filmmaker,inveterate traveller and intrepid chronicler of society samarofdiscontent@gmail.com