As Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Akkineni call it quits, we take a look at other high-profile Bollywood divorces

CELEBRITY AFFAIR: Let’s face it, we all love gossip, especially when it’s a celebrity affair. The most recent to come out of India’s shores is news of Bollywood actor Naga Chaitanya and his wife of 4 years, Samantha Ruth Prabu, calling it quits. But they are far from the first couple to split up; and they certainly won’t be the last. Here’s a look at other starry break-ups:

SPECIAL BOND: The duo, who were married for more than four years, issued a statement about their estrangement yesterday. They wrote on their Insta handles: “We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us.” The couple, known as ChaySam, dated for almost seven years before getting hitched in 2017 in a south Indian wedding ceremony that was followed by a Christian one. Chaitanya and Ruth Prabu started dating in 2010 after meeting on the sets of the movie ‘Ye Maaya Chesave’. Thereafter they worked in several films together including ‘Autonagar Surya’ (2014) and ‘Manam’ (2014).

NOT A BLIND ITEM: The person who seemed most agitated after this announcement was surprisingly not a fan; it was Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. She claimed it was another Bollywood star, a “divorce expert” who had caused the rift. Ranaut wrote: “Whenever divorce happens, fault is always of the man. I may sound orthodox or too judgmental but this is how God has made man and woman, their nature and dynamics. Primitively, scientifically, he is a hunter and she is a nurturer. Stop being kind to these brats who change women like clothes and then claim to be their best friends. Yes out of hundreds, yes one woman can be wrong but that’s the ratio. Shame on these brats who get encouragement from the media and fans. They hail them and judge the woman. Divorce culture is growing like never before.” “This South actor who suddenly divorced his wife was married for 4 years and in a relationship with her for more than a decade recently came in contact with a Bollywood superstar who is also known as Bollywood divorce expert, has ruined many women and children’s lives, is now his guiding light and agony aunt. So, it all went smoothly. This is not a blind item. We all know who I am talking about,” she added in a post hours after the disclosure.

FANS STUNNED: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and wife Kiran Rao have stunned fans after they announced their divorce after 15 years of marriage. In a joint statement, the couple said they would continue to co-parent their nine-year-old son Azad, but had come to the decision to split after a trial separation. Rao, who is a filmmaker in her own right, crossed paths with Khan when they worked together on ‘Lagaan’ 20 years ago. At the time, Khan was married to his first wife, Reena Dutta, with whom he shares two children.

POWER COUPLE NO MORE: Arjun Rampal and Mehr Jessia were a power couple in the fashion fraternity even if their relationship was often fraught with rumours of infidelity. The couple still held on, lasting 20 years before finally walked away from each other in 2018. At the time, they issued a statement saying: “After a 20-year-long beautiful journey filled with love and beautiful memories, we would like to share, that all journeys have different paths. We feel that it is time for us to move on to different destinations henceforth.” Rampal has since moved on and welcomed a son with model Gabriella Demetriades in July, 2019.

FRIENDS, BUT NO LONGER SWEETHEARTS: They remain friends even today but when sweethearts Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan decided to divorce in 2014, fans were stumped. There was talk of cheating but the couple kept mum the whole time, never revealing the reason for their split. Years on, they remain close and co-parent their children.

COURT INTERVENES IN FIGHT OVER CUSTODY, MONEY: Some would call it a rebound relationship with little chance of success, but for Karisma Kapoor it seemed like a shot at a happy marriage. After a broken engagement with Abhishek Bachchan, Kapoor married Delhi-based businessman Sunjay Kapur in 2003 — and things seemed alright for a while. However, first there was talk about fights over where to live, Delhi or Mumbai, and later, when they decided to split up in 2015, the divorce took an ugly turn with a fight over custody and money with Kapoor even alleging that Sunjay and his family had harassed her for dowry. Finally, the Supreme Court intervened and the duo walked away from one another in June 2016 with their divorce papers in hand.

MARITAL BLISS TRUNCATED: Brilliant Bollywood minds Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin collided to have one of the shortest weddings in Bollywood history. Married in 2011, the couple decided to separate in 2013 and issued a joint statement. Kalki is currently with Guy Hershberg and also shares a daughter with him.

SHARED CUSTODY OF DAUGHTER: When celebrity couple Farhan Akhtar and Adhuna Bhabani separated in 2016, many of their family and friends were reportedly taken aback. They’ve stayed civil to one another through the process and share custody of their two daughters. They’ve also both moved on; Akhtar is dating Shibani Dandekar and Bhabani is seeing Nicolo Morea, actor Dino Morea’s brother.

FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP ENDS: The age gap between Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh — she is 13 years older than him — brought with it enough speculation to rip through the most solid of foundations. And when they ended things, it was a bitter split. Khan ended up paying a colossal amount in alimony, according to some reports. Meanwhile, others claim that he never provided Singh with monetary assistance to raise their two children — actress Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Who knows what the truth is, but the families have now mended their fractured relationship.

CALLING IT QUITS: Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora were a well-known power couple but after a 17-year marriage, they chose to call it quits. The duo are now in happy relationships with other people; Arora is dating actor Arjun Kapoor while Khan is dating model Giorgia Andriani.

THIRD-TIME LUCKY: Third time appears to be the charm for actor Sanjay Dutt who has gone through two divorces; the first with Richa Sharma, and the second with Rhea Pillai. Dutt is now with Manyata Dutt and proud parents to twins. Dutt was given a UAE Golden Visa last month.