Who Is Mohini Dey? AR Rahman's 28-year-old Bassist Who Announced Divorce Hours After The Composer

Mohini Dey has been in the news since she announced her separation from husband Mark Hartsuch, hours after AR Rahman and his now ex-wife Saira Banu announced divorce.  Dey is the bassist of Rahman and when the duo announced divorce from their respective partners, netizens speculated that the two are more than just colleagues. However, Saira's lawyer Vandana Shah has rubbished the rumours.

Who is Mohini Dey?

Mohini Dey hails from Kolkata but was born and brought up in Mumbai. The 28-year-old received her first bass guitar when she was around 9 or 10 years old. She started giving stage performances at the age of 11. Ranjit Barot, her father's friend, noticed her talent and took her on his band's tours. She was also mentored by Louis Banks, popularly known as the Godfather of Indian jazz.

About Mohini Dey's musical collaboration

She is part of Gaan Bangla's Wind of Change, Coke Studio India and has also performed for AR Rahman's shows. She and her now ex-husband Mark play together in the band MaMoGi. She has also collaborated with  Steve Vai, Marco Minnemann, Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater, Jason Richardson, Dewa Budjana, Zakir Hussain and Willow Smith. In August 2023, she released her self-titled debut album.

When did Mohini Dey and AR Rahman meet for the first time?

Rahman and Dey have a long-standing working relationship that dates back to 2013 when they first collaborated for Coke Studio season 3 when the latter was 17 years old. She has performed at various musical events of Rahman. She was part of the Oscar-winner composer's Intimate concert tour of the US and Canada in 2015, the Global Citizen India Festival of 2016 and several other tours in India. She is also a member of NAFS, the band that Rahman founded in 2015.

Saira Banu's lawyer clarifies AR Rahman, his bassist's rumours

When asked about the ongoing link-up speculation on the internet between AR Rahman and bassist Mohini Dey and whether it is the reason behind their respective divorces, Vandana Shah said, "Not at all. There is no link between the two. Saira and Rahman have taken this decision on their own. There is no link between the two news at all."