Salim Khan Recalls Telling About His Second Marriage With Helen To His Kids, 'I Was The First Person To Tell Salma'

Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan revealed that marrying his second wife, Helen, was not a spontaneous decision. He informed his family members about his feelings for her beforehand.

New Delhi: Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan revealed that marrying his second wife, Helen, was not a spontaneous decision. He informed his family members about his feelings for her beforehand. From his first wife Salma to their children—Salman Khan, Arbaaz, Sohail, and Alvira—everyone was aware of his relationship with Helen. Salim and Salma married in 1964, and he wed Helen in 1981. In a throwback interview with Zoom, Salim Khan discussed his second marriage, stating he was the first to inform his wife about Helen, as he didn't want her to learn about it through gossip magazines.

Salim Khan on informing wife Salma about his relationship with Helen

Talking about his relationship with Helen, Salim Khan said, "My decision to marry Helen was not because I was disillusioned by my marriage or main pareshaan tha. It wasn’t a spontaneous decision that I want to get married to Helen. I took a long time. I was the first person to tell Salma that Helen is there in my life, before she could hear it from gossip magazines or anyone else."

Salman Khan and his other kids' reaction

When asked how their children reacted to the development, Salim Khan explained that they were young and "didn't have much choice." He recalled explaining his rationale to them at the time. Salim acknowledged that the children were probably "always on the mother's side," but he gave credit to Salma for handling the situation well.

He said, "When I told her, she obviously didn’t shake hands with me and told me what a wonderful thing I was doing. Of course, we had problems, but for a very short time. After that, everything was accepted. I told my children at that time, when they were very young, that they won’t understand it now but when they grow up they would. I told them, ‘I have got another person in my life. I have married her. I do not expect anything from you. I don’t expect you to love her as much as you love your mother, but I want you to give her the same respect.'”

He added further, "When I look back, these things don’t function with a technique. You have to be honest about it, you have to commit. I could have gone on with Helen, she probably wouldn’t have objected to it or suffered it. But my religion had given me a sanction of marrying again and I wanted to give her a status, that’s why I married her."

Salim Khan's family

Salim Khan, Salma, Helen, and Salman Khan all live in the same building, Galaxy Apartments, in Mumbai's Bandra. Salim and Helen have one adopted daughter, Arpita, who is married to actor Aayush Sharma.