Whatever the reason for their separation, the 16 years that Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan spent together were most enriching for them both.Aamir met Kiran when his first marriage to Reema Dutta was facing rough weather. Kiran was an assistant on Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan .
“But at that time, we didn’t have any relationship, we were not even great friends. She was one of the people on the unit. It was after my separation and divorce after some time that I met her again,” he had said in an interview to an international news channel.
Afer his first marriage ended Aamir spent considerable time pouring his heart out to Kiran about his painful split with Reena.
One of Aamir’s friends had told me, “We knew there was something brewing. They were spending a lot of time during the shooting. None of us was surprised when they became a couple.”
Aamir and Kiran’s was a meeting of minds. In his earlier marriage, Reena became his wife when they were too young to understand one another. Reena and Aamir grew together,and then sadly, grew apart. With Kiran, Aamir discovered a kindered spirit. They were passionate about the same things.Cinema for one, and Aamir regularly consulted her over the scripts he was offered.
They got married in December 2005 with minimum fanfare.6 years later their son Azad was born. Kiran under the supervision of Aamir turned director in 2011. DhobiGhat was well received. Aamir supported her growth as a filmmaker all the way.
I remember how protective Kiran Rao was of Aamir. She once spoke to me about how I was “always” writing critically about her husband. “This is not fair,” she reminded me.
So what really went wrong in the marriage? The cracks began appearing lately. Kiran and Aamir grew apart. But their son binds them together for life. They may not be husband and wife any longer.But they will always be Azad’s parents.
