Actor Aamir Khan may share a deep and meaningful connection with his daughter Ira Khan today, but he continues to carry the emotional burden of not being present during her formative years. Despite the closeness they now enjoy, Aamir admits that the sense of guilt lingers.
In a candid conversation with Pinkvilla, held at the Agatsu Foundation—an organisation focused on mental wellness founded by Ira—Aamir and Ira opened up about how their relationship has changed and the emotions that accompany that journey.
Aamir Khan on the guilt of being an absent father
Speaking about his struggle with guilt, Aamir shared, “I was lost within the magic of films and cinema, and I realised my absence after 35 years, and I felt extremely guilty. You also realise that you are never going to get that time back, and that disturbs you... I don’t sweep things under the carpet and avoid dealing with them. I like to live with my feelings. That’s why whenever any of my movies don’t do well, I feel depressed. I mourn them because I feel that if I don’t do that, it will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Ira on Aamir Khan's guilt
Ira, too, offered her perspective on their dynamic and how she processes her emotions. Reflecting on the idea of blame and healing, she said, “He takes a larger volume of blame upon himself than I actually assign to him. In my mind, the blame is also on me, and there are a few things that even I don’t do well, like not knowing how to feel and express anger. I have been trying to be better in the past 2 years, and once that happens, then I can decide what exactly I am angry about, and then the forgiving can begin.”
Ira is the daughter of Aamir Khan and his first wife Reena Dutta. She married fitness coach Nupur Shikhare in a private ceremony earlier this year. Her brother, Junaid Khan, stepped into the film industry with his debut in 2024. Aamir and Reena, who got married in 1986, parted ways in 2002.
Following that, Aamir was married to filmmaker Kiran Rao from 2005 to 2021, and the couple has a son, Azad.
On the professional front, Aamir is set to return to the silver screen with 'Sitaare Zameen Par', a spiritual follow-up to his acclaimed 2008 film 'Taare Zameen Par'.