With Farhan and Adhuna's break-up, the spotlight is back on splitsville in B-Town

Rumour mills thrive on the promiscuous and fast-paced nature of celebrities and ever so often they’re true, despite some of the stars rubbishing them. Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan and many others split with their first wife after years of being together and now its splitsville for Farhan Akhtar (42).

A joint statement issued by the Akhtars read “This is to announce that we, Adhuna and Farhan, have mutually and amicably decided to separate. Our children remain our priority and it is important to us, as responsible parents, that they be protected from unwarranted speculation and public glare.” But why only stars, many couples in the city are not able to find solace within their marriage and seem to fizzle and fall out sooner or later. To each his own! Things change, people change and with the fast paced lives we lead, this trend might just continue to last too long...

Sathish K Madhavan, an investment banker feels it’s all due to the whole “women in power” mode. “Gone are those days when women were dependent on men. These days, women seem to be having their own definitions of how they propose to live. When expectations are not met, it’s no more difficult to make that decision to calling it “quits”. The emotional quotient amongst couples has taken a backseat, due to busy work or social life. No one has the time or patience to reason out why and what’s not working in a relationship but move on without waiting any more. It’s a short life so why waste it on sorting out differences.

Also the worry that the separation could take a toll on children is no longer true, as growing kids these days have far more things to focus on than sit back and worry why their parents are not together,” he says. So why do successful actors make impossible husbands, we wonder and he adds, “They are in the limelight and get more attention from women. Higher the demand, lower the need to be in a relationship that doesn’t have any thrills left anymore.”

Not just tinsel town, but many love stories end in real life. “Only those who are in a relationship will know the highs and the lows of it. If it reaches a point where it makes no sense carrying on, it’s best to part ways. Most of them leave their wives due to temptation and close proximity to other beautiful women. Then again it’s impossible for most to keep the spark alive after many years.

The need for aging actors to pursue younger women probably helps them feel young and feeds their ego and for the younger women who get attracted to them, it could be a step up,” says musician, Rajeev WL. Saloni Arora, manager with a leading firm in the city, feels the reasons for divorce rates is due to financial freedom of most women, increased stress and tension and society getting more open minded.

Dr Shyam Bhat, a psychiatrist who counsels such couples everyday avers, “Marital problems and divorce is on the rise in the new India because of rapid changes in gender roles and a fast paced busy lifestyle. Couples have heightened expectations of each other and decreased patience – as choice increases in society, confusion increases and commitment becomes more difficult. It’s important to prioritise family time and to communicate openly at all times.”