“This is to announce that we, Adhuna and Farhan, have mutually and amicably decided to separate …” announced the Akhtars after 15-years of marriage and two children.

“Sussanne has decided to separate from me and end our 17-year relationship. This is a very trying time for the entire family” — Hrithik Roshan.

“We are two individuals who respect and care for each other and have made our own individual choices,” Sussanne Khan after 13 years of marriage, four years of courtship and two children.

“I am single. Let’s dance!” Virat Kohli, the swashbuckling cricketer and ODI captain about his split after being in relationship of two years with actress Anushka Sharma.

The only thing good about Bollywood breakups is that there is no dirty linen being washed in public. They go a step further and profess to be good friends with their exes

The year 2016 began with the news of the most happening couple Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif breaking their five-year courtship. Though according to Katrina, “Break up? Who said I broke up? I never said I broke up with anyone. I never even mentioned that I was in a relationship with someone!”

The list doesn’t end with news of only these four most happening couples. There seems to be a new trend — separate — in the world of Hindi entertainment industry where earlier it was getting hitched at the peak of one’s career. Actor Kalki Koechlin and director Anurag Kakshyap broke up after two years of marriage. Konkana Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey separated post a baby and after five years of marriage. Karishma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapur separated after 11 years of marriage and two children.

Now Malaika Arora Khan has filed for divorce from Arbaaz Khan after 18 years of marriage and one child. Pooja Bhatt separated from Manish Makhija after 11 years of marriage. Actress Pooja Batra (Viraasat, ABCD 2) divorced her orthopedic surgeon husband of nine years. Chitrangada Singh (Desi Boyz, Joker, Inkar) divorced her golfer husband Jyoti Randhawa after 11 years of marriage and a child.

A couple of years ago, the breakup of the eight-year-old relationship of John Abraham and Bipasha Basu had rocked Bollywood as they had been a couple who had openly admitted their togetherness to the world. Earlier, even the breakdown of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone too had been just as shocking as Deepika had even gotten RK’s name tattooed at the nape of her neck. They were together for quite some years before calling it quits.

Another sensational separation was that of Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. These two were the cutest couple in the film world for nearly three years and the entire B-town was left reeling by the breakup. Now Kareena is married to Saif Ali Khan and Shahid to Mira. In fact, Bollywood was shocked even when Aamir Khan broke up his 20-year marriage with Reena Dutta, the girl with whom he had eloped and married. They too have two children. But for some odd reason, the breakup after 13 years of marriage of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh didn’t create the shockwaves it should have. After two children they had separated with mutual consent.

Why the surge in breakups, divorces or separation is the question on everybody’s lips. Things have reached such an extent that every morning at the breakfast table the question on everybody’s mind is ‘Aaj kis couple ki bari hai?’ while scouring the gossip columns. The only good thing about these breakups is that there is no dirty linen being washed in public. That is another aspect of these separations. Most of them who have been in relationship for years don’t fight, squabble or accuse each other. They act in a very mature manner. In fact, they go a step further and profess to be good friends with their exes.

Case in point: after their breakup, Deepika and Ranbir went on to act together in the super-hit 2013 film Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. Then in November last, their film Tamasha was a success. Deepika said in an interview, “Of course it took us some time to get back to being normal but now I don’t want to keep revisiting that again and again. We make such beautiful movies together. I don’t see why our failed relationship should affect that.” Guess now we’ve heard everything.

Let’s see who the next celebrity couple is to undo the nuptial knot and bite the dust. Till then, keep guessing!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 27th, 2016