Actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan, a towering figure in Hindi cinema for over three decades, recently shared how he nearly left it all behind to focus on his family, feeling that his devotion to the industry had come at a personal cost. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aamir and his ex-wife, Kiran Rao, reflected on the pivotal moment when he told his family he planned to step away from films for good.
“I decided to quit before Laal Singh Chadha,” Aamir revealed. “I was going through a personal journey of my own. Towards the end of Covid, I suddenly realised that I have spent the bulk of my adult life, starting from the age of 18 right up to now, all of my bandwidth and focus has been on cinema and films.”
Aamir admitted feeling guilty about not being fully present in his relationships, explaining, “I haven’t been there enough for my relationships – my kids, siblings, and family. Whether it was Kiran or Reena, when I was married to them. I felt that I wasn’t there for these people enough.” This revelation hit midway through Laal Singh Chadha, as filming resumed after Covid. “In the middle of Covid, I went through an emotional moment where I felt that I have given my whole life to cinema and I haven’t been there for my family. I felt a lot of guilt,” he said.
At one point, Aamir even sat down with his family to break the news. “So, I told them that I want to quit films and spend time with you all. That was my reaction; it wasn’t out of any disappointment from cinema. Junaid and Ira convinced me not to quit. My family knew I had quit, but when the time came to tell my potential directors, my kids sat me down. Junaid said, ‘Why do you have to go from one extreme to the other? There is a space somewhere in the middle where you can be in’.” With their guidance, Aamir reconsidered, describing the decision as a “personal journey.”
Kiran also shared her thoughts on Aamir’s decision, recalling a private moment. “She asked me to come to the balcony to talk alone. She said, ‘You are leaving us.’ I said, ‘No, I am not leaving you, I am leaving films.’ She said, ‘You are a child of cinema, and if you are leaving films, you are leaving us.’”
With humor, Kiran added that they weren’t eager for him to stay home all the time. “Can you imagine him sitting at home and not doing any films? In fact, his daughter told him, ‘Please papa, you can’t spend all your time with us, we will go crazy.’ After that, he went straight into six films. 0-6, there is no moderation and balance,” she joked.
Aamir explained his renewed drive, clarifying that he took on six films because he “wanted to make the last 10 years of my active life as an actor to be the most productive.” He added, “Hopefully, if I am fine, these 10 years will be the last active 10 years for me in the industry, and I want to work with creative people, including musicians, writers, and directors, people who I feel are really good.”
