After spending decades in the film industry and earning the title of ‘Mr. Perfectionist,’ Aamir Khan decided to quit films to focus on his family, feeling that he had neglected them over the years while prioritizing his career. In a recent podcast with Rhea Chakraborty, the actor revealed that his decision came as a shock to his ex-wife Kiran Rao, who ultimately helped him change his perspective on life and himself. Aamir also shared how he experienced a mental breakdown and sought therapy to cope with it.
Discussing how his children — sons Junaid and Azad, daughter Ira — reacted to his decision to quit films, Aamir said, “When I told them three years ago that I am quitting films, their reaction, according to me, was, ‘Papa, how will you quit films? You’ve been involved like crazy for the past 30 years. You must be emotional right now and saying this. But you will not be able to do it.’”
However, Ira and Junaid understood the gravity of his decision when he called a meeting with the key stakeholders of his production house, Aamir Khan Productions, including Kiran Rao, to announce that he had decided to quit films and asked them to take over the company and make films. But nobody agreed to take over the company.
Kiran Rao’s reaction to Aamir’s decision significantly altered his perspective on himself. During the conversation, Aamir revealed that Kiran and others were deeply disturbed by his decision. Kiran, who broke down, expressed her feelings, saying, “You’re leaving us all.” When Aamir tried to reassure her that he was only leaving the film industry to spend more time with the family, Kiran responded, “No, you do not understand this right now. If you’re quitting films, you are a child of cinema… you are made for cinema, and if you are leaving it, then you are letting go of life and the world. We are part of that world too, so you are leaving us too.”
Junaid also shared his perspective on Aamir’s decision and compared him to a pendulum. He told Aamir, “Papa, you are like a pendulum. When you were doing films, you were on one extreme; now that you want to spend time with family, you are on the other extreme. You are such an extreme man, and again you are taking an extreme step.”
Reflecting on his mental breakdown during this turbulent time, Aamir said, “This incident caused a mental breakdown. I had a proper mental breakdown. I went through solid pain. I was distressed. I was broken by the time I had my first realization. The realization that when my kids were young—when Ira was 3 years old, 8 years old, 12 years old—I was never there for them. I wasn’t totally absent, like I would spend time with them like any normal working father, but even though I was with them and with my mother, I was mentally never present with them.” Aamir revealed that he sought therapy to deal with the mental breakdown, which helped him a lot in navigating his dilemma.
Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
