New Delhi:

Bass guitarist Mohini Dey has quashed link-up rumors with former colleague and “role model” AR Rahman and requested the media to be kind amid her split from ex-husband Mark Hartsch.

Dey made headlines last week when she announced her separation from Hartsch, also a musician, just hours after Rahman shared a statement about his separation from his wife of 29 years, Saira Banu.

Following the simultaneous announcements, many social media users began linking 28-year-old Dey and 57-year-old Rahman together, a claim they denied in an Instagram post on Monday.

“It is completely unbelievable to see the amount of misinformation and unfounded assumptions/claims against me and @arrahman.

The bassist wrote in the caption, “I respect my time as a kid working with @arrahman for 8.5 years in his films, tours etc… Please stop the false claims and respect our privacy. ” Video.

Dey’s post comes days after Rehman issued a warning to individuals speculating about his separation from Banu.

In the clip shared on Instagram, Dey said that she respects Rahman like a father.

“I have had a lot of father figures, role models in my life and I am really lucky and grateful that they played an important role in my upbringing. AR is one of them. By AR I mean AR Rahman. I respect him a lot. He is exactly like my father.

“She is a little younger than my father. I think her daughter is exactly my age. We have a lot of respect and love for each other. Anyway, long story short. Please be kind and respect our privacy.” Be respectful. This is a personal matter, and it’s painful. So please be kind,” she said in the video.

Musical talent Dey, who started her professional career at the age of just 11, has collaborated extensively with Rahman and has performed with him in over 40 shows across the world. He has also performed with music icons like Zakir Hussain, Shivamani, Steve Vai, Marco Minnemann and many others.

Rehman and Banu, who married in 1995, announced their separation in a joint statement on November 19.

The former couple said they decided to separate after “significant emotional stress in their relationship.”

On Saturday, Rehman shared a three-page legal notice addressing those spreading defamatory and “objectionable” content targeting him and his family.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)