Two years after announcing their separation, actor Dhanush, 40, and director Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth, 42, have officially filed for divorce. They will have an amicable separation and Aishwaryaa will have primary custody of their sons, Yatra and Linga.

A source tells us, “They have officially filed for divorce in Chennai. They haven’t been living together since their separation in 2022 and were focusing on healing, and now, they want to move on in their lives.”

The source adds, “There won’t be a fight in court or any mud-slinging. It’s going to be an amicable process. They’ve made peace with the turn of events in their life and accepted they can’t be together. They respect each other.”

The couple got married in 2004 and in January 2022, they announced their separation in a joint statement they posted on social media.

They are “co-parenting their sons” and are “cordial” with each other. The source adds, “The primary custody is expected to go to Aishwaryaa and Dhanush isn’t contesting it. That being said, he is always there for his children. They are in active discussions with their kids to help them sail the divorce process smoothly.”

The speculations surrounding the possibility of a reconciliation between filmmaker Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth and actor Dhanush have been put to rest. After months of rumours and hopes for the estranged couple to rekindle their relationship, it is now confirmed that they are surely not getting back together.

“Dhanush is not working on his differences with Aishwaryaa. They are separated and have gone in different directions. They have accepted that they can’t be together,” a source says.

Furthermore, the source dispelled the notion of reconciliation: “The buzz that they are trying to reconcile is wrong. They aren’t. When it comes to divorce, they have not filed it yet, so they are separated. They won’t file for divorce unless one of them wants to get married again. They don’t live together, but they are busy finding ways to co-parent their sons, Yatra, 17, and Linga, 13.”

Last January, the duo announced separation after an 18-year-long marriage.

The source adds they both are busy with their careers: “Dhanush is engrossed in his upcoming project, Captain Miller, and he is also busy directing and starring in his 50th film. Meanwhile, Aishwaryaa is dedicating her time to the post-production work of Lal Salaam, in which her father, Rajinikanth, plays an extended cameo.”

Who will play Sourav Ganguly on screen? That has been the big question since 2021 when the former Indian cricket captain announced the biopic. Speculation intensified earlier this year with Ayushmann Khurrana and Ranbir Kapoor said to be the frontrunners for the role.

In May, mid-day reported that Khurrana would team up with director Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth for the biopic (Ayush to play Dada on screen, May 31). Now, it has been learnt that the actor-director duo will kick off the shoot in December.

Portraying one of India’s most successful skippers won’t come easy. The actor will have to train in various aspects— from replicating Ganguly’s batting stance to perfecting his manner of hitting winners on the off-side. An advantage that Khurrana enjoys is that he is a left-handed batter like the former cricketer.

A source reveals, “Ayushmann will begin training next month in Mumbai, giving him over two months to prep for the role before the project goes on floors in December.” Ganguly, who is closely involved with the Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg production, is said to have already met the leading man. It’s uncertain yet whether the first schedule will be shot in Mumbai or in the former cricketer’s native city, Kolkata.

Khurrana and Garg remained unavailable for comment.

Filmmaker Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth has had a tumultuous start to the new year, with her personal life thrust into the spotlight following the announcement of her split from actor Dhanush, and her health becoming a discussion point after contracting Coronavirus. She, on the other hand, is not in the mood to dodge the curve ball that life has thrown at her. “I believe we must cope in life. We just need to deal with whatever comes our way. Eventually, whatever is meant for us will come to us,” says Aishwaryaa when asked about the rough start. 

After 18 years of marriage, she and Dhanush announced their split last month, stating that they needed to spend more time getting to know themselves as individuals. Quiz her about how her journey of self-discovery is going and she says, “It’s in the same position as when I said [that I needed time to understand myself].”

Ask if her idea of love has changed at all and if she is open to finding it all over again, and the 40-year-old says, “Love is a very generic emotion. It has nothing to do with one human being. I love my dad, my mum and my children. I think love should not be constrained to some singular being. And as I evolve, the definition of love is also evolving with me.” 

Aishwaryaa, who is a woman of few words, is moving forward by focusing on her career as she heals on a personal level and regains her health. However, returning to work after being hospitalised has been difficult. “It is not easy as Covid hits you badly. But I am better now,” says the filmmaker, who is currently working on her debut Hindi single, Musafir.