AR Rahman spoke on mental health at IFFI Goa 2024 after separation announcement

Music composer AR Rahman recently announced separation with his wife of 29 years, Saira Banu, in an official statement on social media. Following a week of speculations, the popular singer-composer made his first public appearance at the 55th International Film Festival of India, where he spoke at length about mental health issues, including depression.

Rahman said more people are suffering from depression these days because they are trying to deal with a 'void' in their lives. The 57-year-old shared that people feel incomplete and don't know how to reverse that feeling. The Oscar-winning music composer added that investing energy in reading, writing and even listening to



music, would help heal the person suffering from mental health issues.

He went on to advise that one should stop paying attention to one's 'carnal needs', including physical gratification and violence, which doesn't contribute to the healing process.

Rahman said at IFFI Goa 2024, "Now we all have mental health issues, depression. Because I think there is a void in all of us. That void can be filled by storytellers, by philosophy, by entertaining in a way where you don’t even know that you are taking medicine, by not just catering to your carnal needs like violence and sex and all that stuff. There’s much more than all that stuff."