Have you been following the recent public spat between cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and ex wife Dhanashree Verma? The duo haven’t exactly set an example of post-divorce peace. Their relationship, once a social media favourite, has turned into a string of public digs. Be it Dhanashree making claims about cheating on National TV to Chahal taking jibes on his ex on Instagram; the duo is garnering all the limelight.
This raises a question: should one completely cut off ties with their exes or should they try being friends?
While Chahal and Dhanshree have been at loggerheads for sometime, Yuzvendra Chahal’s latest Instagram comments have brought them back into the limelight.
Recently, Shikhar Dhawan shared pictures from their Bhai Dooj celebrations. Sharing pics with his family, Dhawan wrote, “A beautiful Bhai Dooj spent with family. Love, smiles, and memories to cherish forever.”
But what really grabbed everyone’s attention was Chahal’s cheeky comment on the post.
Chahal commented, "Aapke pose pe copyright maar raha hun bhaiya, 4 crores only (I am filing for copyright for your pose brother, at ₹4 crore only).” He dropped the comment, along with laughing with tears emojis.
Dhawan replied in the comment section, “@yuzi_chahal23 Deal pakki (Deal locked) (handshake, laughing with tears, and wink emojis).”
During the divorce proceedings, several reports claimed that the settlement was around ₹4 crore, although neither Yuzvendra nor Dhanashree confirmed the figure.
Many Bollywood exes have taken a surprisingly different path. Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan, for instance, are often spotted hanging out with each other and their respective partners. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, who announced their divorce in 2021, continue to work together and co-parent their son Azad with mutual respect. Even Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin have managed to transform their once-romantic bond into a an everlasting friendship.
Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin. (Photo: AFP)
So what really separates couples who manage this smooth transition from those who don’t? To dig deeper, we spoke to therapist Jyoti Das, who believes the ability to maintain a friendship post-breakup depends largely on emotional awareness and boundaries.
She said, “Being vicious publicly has consequences. Especially for public figures who have their lives dissected on a regular basis and have an impressionable audience learning from them. It is not resolving anything. On one hand, I don’t encourage domestic issues be hidden - something our culture suggests we do. But to disrespect a person publicly doesn’t end up resolving any conflicts, complicates matters and mostly serves as gossip.
She continued, “Will people learn, is a different question. I mean, this was sort of common in the early years of structured social media in India and among pre-teens and teenagers. Later, it became recognised as immature or just silly. Unsure if that is something that can learn to do, but media and cricket do have a stronghold on determining people’s behaviours in this country, especially young people who are largely the audience of such personas. Probably people in the limelight have some responsibility in how they conduct themselves, and how they treat each other, and the consequences of how a lash out at their end on their ex can be used to justify violence against vulnerable communities.”
So, should one be friends with their ex, “Different relationships take different paths. There is no universal should or shouldn’t when it comes to navigating relationships. However, changing the dynamic of a relationship from romantic to platonic requires a lot of effort, respect, compassion, patience, time and inner work. So, probably yes, people are able to maintain healthy and respectful platonic relationships with their exes even though this statement may vary from relationship to relationship based on each unique person and their situation.”
So, what do you think — is being friends with your ex a sign of maturity, or just an unnecessary complication?
