Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and his former wife Kiran Rao got divorced in July 2021 after being married for 15 years. Despite parting ways, the duo are friends and are co-parenting their son, Azad. Kiran’s latest directorial venture ‘Laapataa Ladies’ was also backed by Aamir Khan’s production house. In a recent interview, Kiran Rao opened up about the decision to publicly announce their divorce and the importance of shielding their son Azad from the glare of the spotlight. 


Kiran Rao on announcing divorce with Aamir Khan
Speaking with NDTV, Kiran spoke about the reason behind announcing their divorce. She said, "It was a conscious decision because in some ways, we do realize that... You know you are in the public gaze. You are living your life very publicly. What we were doing was completely legal, morally, and ethically fine. It's better to be upfront about it and not let people guess about it."  


Discussing the often harsh judgment that accompanies celebrity status, Kiran told NDTV, "Then what happens is even after you have said it, people can assign meaning to it but when you don't, it's very easy for people to be catty. And we have seen how big public personalities have been dragged through things when they are going through trouble and painful times." 


Kiran Rao on their son Azad
Aamir and Kiran have made deliberate efforts to shield their son, Azad, from the spotlight. Talking about the same she said, “As people, Aamir and I are very down to earth. I walk to my local coffee shop. I have a very normal life and people are very accustomed to it and give me my space and privacy. I am grateful for that real warmth I felt living in this city but even in general, people in Bombay and Maharashtra have never had a sense of invading your privacy and they would back off when you ask them to. And that is also how Azad is. I have told him that if people ask you for a picture, if you are ok with it, say yes, if you are not ok with it, say no. So, when we go to airport and people want a picture with him, sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no. We don't have paps outside the gates or wherever we go." 


Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao got married in 2005.