Its splitsville season in Bollywood. One more couple has called it quits -- Dino Morea and his girlfriend have unfortunately gone the way of high profile pairs like Aamir Khan-Reena and Saif Ali Khan-Amrita Singh.
Having been witness to how devoted Dino was to his longstanding girlfriend, it is doubly sad to see one more showbiz relationship biting the dust due to the constant pressures that media-monitored relationships are subjected to.
The season of splits started a year ago when Bollywood's most devoted husband Aamir Khan left his childhood sweetheart turned wife Reena. The separation shocked Bollywood.
"It seemed to us as though they were the touchstone of an ideal marriage. Aamir and Reena's split meant that no marriage in Bollywood is safe," says a filmmaker whose own marriage recently underwent some seriously choppy weather.
Fortunately, the director was able to stem the tide before the final breach.
If only others in Bollywood were that lucky. Director Mahesh Manjrekar's marriage is on the rocks. And so is Ramesh Sippy's son Rohan's marriage. Young Sippy's wife Rohena has left her husband to make a home for herself in Paris though the couple remain friends.
The season of disenchantment goes well with the prevalent mood in Bollywood.
Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh aren't the only high-profile couple to have called it quits. Mahima Chowdhary recently underwent an acrimonious and very public split with tennis player Leander Paes.
Another major actress who split with her very eligible star-partner to marry on the rebound is also said to be facing rough weather in her uneasy marriage to a non-film guy.
Are long-standing relationships within the industry doomed? Not quite. Filmdom marriages are certainly capable of weathering the threats. Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar have succeeded in staying within marital parameters in spite of all the temptations and diversions.
"It all depends on your priorities and what you value in life. For me, my wife and son are the most important people in the world. I'll never risk my family life for anything in the world," says Akshay Kumar.
Says Bipasha Basu: "There are lots of pressures on high-profile couples... Are they together? Is he seeing someone else? Is she losing interest? The trick of making a relationship work is to ignore the distractions."
Filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, who's in a very successful marriage, thinks communication is the best safety valve for a relationship to survive.
"No matter what you do, don't hide it. Talk about it with the spouse. That way you won't shut the door on the relationship. There're as many distractions and temptations in the film industry as there are anywhere else. The difference is, elsewhere no one cares.
"I don't think there're too many splits happening. I think it's very important for a man to respect the work that his wife does. She'll respect your work in return. My wife knows that when I'm shooting there'll hardly be any time at home. Let's not presume that what we do is more important than what the wife does."
Adds director Arjun Sablok: "I think it just seems as if too many couples are falling apart in the film industry. It's a high-profile industry and every split gets pronounced. Fact is there are as many splits here as there are any other profession."