Indian rapper Badshah and Isha Rikhi announce separation, urge privacy after weeks of speculation

Rapper Badshah and actor Isha Rikhi have called time on their marriage, confirming the split through a joint statement posted to Instagram on Monday.

"I and Isha Rikhi have mutually decided to part ways and move forward on our separate paths. This decision has been made with mutual respect, and we request everyone to kindly respect our privacy during this time," the note read, adding that no further comment would follow. "We sincerely request that there be no further speculation or assumptions regarding our relationship."

The announcement puts an official end to weeks of rumours swirling around the couple's marriage, speculation that Isha herself had appeared to acknowledge in a since-discussed Instagram post. In it, she wrote about staying quiet out of fear rather than acceptance: "I felt overwhelmed by the influence, power, and resources I believed my husband had, and I convinced myself that staying quiet was the safest thing to do." She added that she was now choosing "courage over fear," even if she wasn't ready to share the full story.

The relationship first came into public view in March this year, after Isha's mother, Poonam Rikhi, posted wedding photos and videos. Badshah followed a month later with pictures of the two together, Isha's face kept out of frame, captioned with a line about the universe's odd way of bringing people together. Around the same period, Isha's mother also posted a cryptic message about karma amid the swirling rumours of discord.

Badshah's first marriage was to Jasmine Masih, whom he connected with online. The two wed in 2012 and became parents to daughter Jessemy Grace Masih Singh in 2017, before separating in 2020. Jasmine now lives in London, raising their daughter there — a backstory that has only fuelled fresh curiosity around the rapper's personal life amid the current split rumours.

Buzz around Badshah and Isha Rikhi's relationship first surfaced in 2022, with reports suggesting the two crossed paths through mutual friends at a social gathering, bonding initially over a shared love of music and cinema. Isha, for her part, began her acting career in Punjabi cinema with Jatt Boys Putt Jattan De before making her Bollywood entry with Nawabzaade, a role that broadened her recognition. The couple kept their romance largely under wraps for years, which is partly why the recent speculation has drawn so much attention.