For the Tamil cinema fans, and of course beyond Kollywood, what came in the night hours of Monday - January 17 was an immense shock, that was in a pattern of disturbing their sleep. The social media platforms were flooded with reactions and shockwaves after actor Dhanush put out a stunning tweet, three days after sharing his Pongal wishes. Unlike in some of the recent cases, there was no speculation over what Dhanush has announced. His announcement came from nowhere and went to grab a swift spotlight amid the dusk. 

On Monday at 10.58 pm, Dhanush tweeted a message in which he announced that he is ending his marriage with Aishwaryaa, the elder daughter of superstar Rajinikanth. The announcement took the fans and their well-wishers into a deep blackout as the actor has ended his nearly two-decade marriage with Rajinikanth's daughter. In his statement, Dhanush wrote, "18 years of togetherness as friends, couple, as parents and well-wishers to each other, the journey has been of growth, understanding, adjusting, and adapting." 

"Today we stand at a place where our paths separate...Aishwaryaa and I have decided to part ways as a couple and take time to understand us as individuals for the better. Please do respect our decision and give us the needed privacy to deal with this. Om Namashivaaya! Spread love", Dhanush added. His tweet has gone rampant and immediately received reactions from the fans with some expressing their love to the actor while a section of people had expressed their perplexions on what went wrong between one of the most followed celebrity couples in the country. 

The fans of Rajinikanth had also put out their shocking reactions following Dhanush's announcement. Echoing Dhanush's statement, Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth has said, "Much love always to you all:) God speed." The couple has tied their knot in 2004 and has two sons Yathraa and Lingaa. Amid the flood of reactions, Rajinikanth's younger daughter Soundarya has on Tuesday - January 18 posted a picture, that had shown the childhood picture of the sisters with their father, on her official Twitter page. As the split-up has shocked the fans, let's take a look at the recent events where some of the top stars had ended their marriage. 

Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao: 

This popular Bollywood couple announced their divorce on July 3, 2021, after 15 years of marriage. In their joint statement, the couple said, "In these 15 beautiful years together, we have shared a lifetime of experiences, joy, and laughter, and our relationship has only grown in trust, respect, and love. Now we would like to begin a new chapter in our lives - no longer as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other. We began a planned separation some time ago, and now feel comfortable to formalize this arrangement, of living separately yet sharing our lives the way an extended family does."  

"We remain devoted parents to our son Azad, who we will nurture and raise together. We will also continue to work as collaborators on films, Paani Foundation, and other projects that we feel passionate about. A big thank you to our families and friends for their constant support and understanding about this evolution in our relationship, and without whom we would not have been so secure in taking this leap", they further penned. The two got married on December 28, 2005, and they have a son named Azad Rao Khan. This was Aamir Khan's second marriage and he was earlier married to Reena Dutta and Khan-Dutta couple have two children - Junaid and Ira Khan. 

Samantha and Naga Chaitanya: 

The young and prominent couple of the Indian cinema industry had ended their marriage last year. Their separation was speculated and Samantha's absence in the events of the Chaitanya family had fueled the speculations that they are going to divorce. With their divorce, they proved such speculations right as their four years of marriage has come to an end. Naga Chaitanya, the son of Nagarjuna and Samantha tied the knot in a grand ceremony in 2017 in Goa. 

Shocking the fans, the couple had announced their separation on October 2, 2021. In a statement, Naga Chaitanya said, "After much deliberation and thought Sam and I have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue our own paths. We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us. We request our fans, well-wishers, and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on." 

Honey Singh and Shalini Singh: 

One of the trending couples in the country, they got divorced after Shalini accused Honey Singh of harassment. She had accused her husband and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh of domestic violence and adultery. Shalini filed a case of domestic violence, sexual violence, mental harassment, and financial fraud against Honey Singh. They got married in January 2011 and got divorced after a decade, in August 2021. 

Sushmita Sen and Rohman Shawl: 

Iconic actress Sushmita Sen had announced her separation from Rohman Shawl on December 23, 2021. Though it wasn't a divorce, the actress said it was a break-up from her boyfriend Shawl. In 2018, Sushmita Sen had begun posting photos with Rohman, which sparked speculations among her fans that the duo was dating. The couple was spotted at family get-togethers and public gatherings and remained in the headlines. 

Three years later, on December 23, 2021, Sushmita Sen had announced her break-up from Rohman Shawl. In her statement, the winner of the Miss Universe 1994 pageant said, "We began as friends, we remain friends!! The relationship was long over...the love remains. I love you guys." 

D Imman and Monicka Richard: 

In yet another shocking separation, National Award-winning music composer D Imman has on December 29, 2021, announced that he has divorced his wife Monicka Richard, thereby ending 13 years of marriage. He had appealed to the well-wishers to give the couple privacy towards moving forward. Imman is one of the busy musicians and become an inevitable face of music in the Tamil cinema industry. His announcement of divorce took his fans into shock amid earning a wider dominance. 

In a statement, Imman said, "To all my well-wishers and ardent music lovers who have been supportive all along. I am grateful for that. As life takes us on different paths, Monicka Richard and I have legally divorced by mutual consent as of November 2020 and are no longer husband and wife. I request all our well-wishers, music lovers, and the media to give us our privacy and help us to move on and move forward. Thanks a lot for your understanding, love, and support." 

Dhanush and Aishwaryaa: 

While the above list of separations gave a shocking year-ender, the announcement from Dhanush on ending his marriage has come when we are into the third week of the New Year. Dhanush's entry into the club of separation had sparked the notions with the claim that the culture of separation has been growing in the cinema industry and most of the separations were from the marriages that lasted over a decade. Dhanush's announcement of divorcing Aishwaryaa has been trending on social media as it has become the talk of the town. Expressing their shock, several fans have been sharing a visual in which Dhanush can be seen singing and hugging Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth. The family members of both the stars are yet to comment on their separation. 

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/hAPu2aPp4n

— Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) January 17, 2022

This one 💔 #Dhanush #Aishwarya pic.twitter.com/c8FDeuzqyL

— VCD (@VCDtweets) January 17, 2022