In July 2021, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce after 15 years of marriage. Aamir Khan’s marriage to his first wife Reena Dutta too ended in divorce after 16 years of marriage. He has a son and a daughter, Junaid and Ira, from his first marriage and another son, Azad, from his second marriage. His daughter Ira has earlier spoken about battling depression.
In an interview, Aamir Khan opened up about his divorces, his regrets, and his relationship with his family. Having entered the film industry at the young age of 18, Aamir was absorbed by it all – the odd hours of work, fame, glamour, money, everything. Which he why, he probably didn’t give time to his family.
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“Somewhere I didn’t shoulder my responsibilities. I would start with my parents, my siblings, my first wife – Reena ji, Kiran ji, Reena’s parents, Kiran’s parents, my children, all these people I am talking about are my close ones. When I was 18, when I joined the film industry, I got so absorbed, I wanted to learn so much, I wanted to do so much that I somewhere — today I realise — people who were close to me, I couldn’t give them time the way I wanted to.”
He went on to add that while he was busy building a relationship with his audience, his relationship with his family suffered.
“I have given all my time to my work and I made that relationship very strong. I thought my family was with me anyway. I just wanted to win the hearts of the audience at the time. And, I got completely lost, so much so that I forgot my family was waiting for me.”
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He further spoke about his “biggest mistake” – not being there for his daughter Ira when she needed him.
“It’s my biggest mistake (not being able to spend enough time with kids). But I won’t blame my profession for it. Today, Ira is 23 but when she was 4-5, I wasn’t there for her. I was busy with films. Every kid needs their parents because when you are a child you have your own fears and hopes. But when she needed me the most, I wasn’t by her side to hold her hand when she would get scared. And, I know that moment will never come back.”
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There are so many families that suffer because a few members aren’t able to strike a work-life balance. We hope that people learn from their mistakes.