If “Mere Saamne wale khidki mein ek chand sa mukhda rehta hai” had a face, it would be that of a young Aamir Khan and his first wife, Reena Dutta. They spent long hours in front of their windows just to catch a glimpse of each other. The two were neighbours when Aamir expressed his love for the “hard-to-get” Reena, and chased her until she agreed to date him. Blinded by love, Aamir even wrote a letter in his own blood to Reena, thinking it would impress her. It didn’t. However, the two secretly got married, with Reena even briefly appearing on his debut film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. All was well until they decided to go their separate ways in 2002, just a year after their first big production, Lagaan. They were parents to a son, Junaid Khan, and a daughter, Ira Khan.
The separation was not as easy as they made it look in the press. It turned Aamir into an alcoholic. He became anti-social and gave up on films for over a year. In a promo shared by The Lallantop, Aamir Khan recalled his struggles after the separation, and said, “When Reena and I separated, that evening I finished an entire bottle of alcohol, and for the next 1.5 years I drank every day. I never slept. Mai behosh hojata tha daaru peeke (I would lose consciousness due to heavy drinking.) I was trying to kill myself.”
He explained, “I was not even working then. Neither did I care to meet anybody. The same year, Lagaan released and a newspaper article called me ‘Man of the year, Aamir Khan’. I found it very ironical.”
With tears in his eyes, Aamir also sang lines from the song “Aapki Yaad Aati Rahi Raat Bhar” from the 1978 film Gaman.
Previously, talking about his relationship with Reena, Aamir said on the sixth season of Koffee with Karan, “Reena and I were married for 16 long years. When we split up, it was traumatic for us and our families. We tried to deal with the situation as best as we could. Reena and I did not lose love or respect for each other post out split.”
Post divorce with Reena, Aamir Khan married Kiran Rao in 2005. They welcomed a son, Azad. However, they too separated ways in 2021 after 16 years of marriage. Currently, Aamir is dating his friend of 20 years, Gauri Spratt. He maintains a cordial relationship with both his ex-wives and continues to co-parent their children.
