A.R. Rahman’s bassist Mohini Dey confirmed separation from her husband Mark Hartsuch hours after the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fame musician announced the news of his split with wife Saira Banu. Owing to the timing, many started speculating link-up rumors between Rahman and Mohini. Dey, who worked with Rahman for more than eight years put the rumours to rest by sharing a video that stated that for her A.R. is like a father figure. She was appalled by the claims made by people and mentioned how Rahman has been a role model and father figure who shaped her career.
Though it is the first time Mohini had to give justification for her bond with A.R. Rahman, it isn’t the only time when she has spoken highly about the musician. In a 2018 interview with Scroll.in, she spoke about the first time she worked with A.R. Rahman. Back then, she wasn’t aware of his legacy. She knew he was a big name, yet wasn’t fully aware of his contribution to the world of music and how huge his stature was.
In her conversation, she recalled recording frequently at Nirvana studio in Mumbai, and during one such recording, she got to know she was going to do a song for A.R. Rahman. Since she didn’t know much about Bollywood, she had only little knowledge about Rahman. “I knew that AR was big but I did not know how big he was exactly,” said the bassist.
Upon returning home, she told her father about recording the song for Rahman and he felt immense pride. That is when Mohini googled the musician and realized the blessing bestowed on her. The next day, Rahman asked her if she would be a part of his band for Coke Studio, and Dey agreed instantly.
Reminiscing the first time she saw Rahman, the artist said they both just smiled at each other. However, she remembered hearing A.R. Rahman praising her in front of other guitarists. Later the musical maestro also told her how he wanted another singer and bassist for his band, but after seeing Mohini’s work he decided to choose her.
“He told me that he was trying to get Tal Wilkenfeld [an Australian singer and bassist] for his band but after he heard me perform, he had to choose me,” Mohini said expressing that it was a huge compliment for her.
From there, Mohini Dey’s journey with A.R. Rahman started. She was a part of his band for almost a decade now. She contributed to his film work and went on national and international tours with him.