Aamir Khan Became Friends With Salman Khan During His 2001 Divorce Depression: ‘I Was Judgemental Before That’

Aamir Khan opens up about how his friendship with Salman Khan began during his depression in 2001, their Andaz Apna Apna days, and a funny fan moment involving Tiger Shroff.

Aamir Khan and Salman Khan during a recent screening of Sitaare Zameen Par in Mumbai.

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Aamir Khan’s heartfelt revelations about his personal struggles and friendship with Salman Khan have surfaced during the promotions of his new film 'Sitaare Zameen Par'.The actor also opened up about his early impressions of Salman, his equation with Shah Rukh Khan, and a funny incident involving fans outside his home.

How Salman and Aamir Became Friends in Tough Times

At a recent media interaction with The Lallantop, Aamir Khan revealed that he, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan weren’t always close friends. Their bond grew stronger over time, especially with Salman, when Aamir was navigating a low phase following his separation from his first wife, Reena Dutta, in 2001.

“I used to sit alone and not meet anyone back then. Like Juhi (Chawla, co-star) visited me, Salman Khan also paid a visit. I don’t remember how it happened, but he came to my home for a meal. We chatted for hours. I had a heart-to-heart conversation with him since I was going through depression then. He also shared a lot with me. That’s when we began bonding as friends,” Aamir shared.

‘Andaz Apna Apna’ Days and Learning Not to Judge

Reflecting on their first collaboration in the cult classic 'Andaz Apna Apna', Aamir admitted he didn’t see friendship potential back then. “He used to never come to set on time and things wouldn’t go as planned. So I thought maybe we can’t be friends. But when I met him in 2001-02 and we got chatting, that’s when I realized we’re all humans and make mistakes. We try to live better lives, but we end up doing some wrong things, so one shouldn’t be so judgemental. That’s a learning I had then,” he said.

Why Aamir Doesn’t Draw Crowds Like Shah Rukh and Salman

Aamir also humorously addressed why fans don’t gather outside his home like they do outside Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat or Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments. “It happened only once. Kirron (Rao, then-wife) shifted to some other building on Carter Road for three-four years because our home was under renovation. Jackie Shroff also used to stay in that building. One day, I saw a lot of crowd outside the building and thought finally, a crowd has come to see me. So I stepped down, was very happy, and met a few of them before I learnt they were there for Tiger Shroff,” he recounted, laughing.

He also acknowledged comparisons with Salman and Shah Rukh, calling them “natural” and something that exists in every field where top performers are placed side by side.