Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan celebrates his birthday today, March 14. One of the most celebrated actors of contemporary times, the actor who turns 57, has now opened up about the sacrifices he had to make to reach his position in the industry.
The actor revealed he did not shoulder his responsibilities as he was lost in focusing on his career, which in turn, ended up, him not giving time to his family, which included his daughter Ira. For the unversed, Aamir was married to Reena Dutta, with whom he has two children Ira Khan and Junaid Khan. They got divorced after 16 years of marriage. Later he married Kiran Rao and the two share a son Azad Rao Khan. Aamir and Kiran too announced their separation last year, after 15 years of marriage.
In an interaction with News18 Hindi, Aamir revealed that he was not there for his daughter Ira during her formative years, stating, “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.”
The actor also opened up on what was wrong in his personal life, stating that he did not shoulder his responsibility. He listed his own parents, his siblings, first wife Reena, then Kiran, Reena’s parents as well as Kiran’s parents and his children as well, as those whose responsibilities he did not shoulder.
“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 said.
The actor will soon be seen in Laal Singh Chaddha alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan.