Yours, mine and ours: Aamir Khan

Bollywood actor’s honesty, emotions, and family bond continue to win love & respect from fans everywhere No place for ‘duality’

Krishnan M

60 -year-old Aamir Khan commands the highest respect in the public and in the film industry. And there’s one solid reason for it. Unlike most celebrities who lead dual lives — Dr Jekyll on the outside, Mr Hyde (mostly) behind closed doors — this Bollywood superstar-filmmaker has never shied away from showing his feelings in front of the media or sharing them with his public and fans.

On Sunday, at a suburban cinema hall in Mumbai, Aamir was seen wiping away tears. He was visibly moved by the songs of his son’s upcoming romantic-drama film, Ek Din, starring the superlative Sai Pallavi and his first-born, Junaid Khan. He also showed his real side when he asked the emcee permission for a quick ‘loo break’, though he was up on stage at that point. All of this just endeared him to the people present, because there was no pretence here.

Those who know Aamir closely say he has always been this “no-filters” guy for the better part of his 60 years. Twice-divorced — first from Reena Dutta and second from Kiran Rao — the Hindi-film superstar, aka the perfectionist, is currently in a serious relationship with Gauri Spratt, a Bengaluru-based stylist and photographer. When a visitor dropped by a few months ago at Aamir’s temporary Bandra residence on Nargis Dutt Road, he was pleasantly surprised by the scenario there. He reportedly said that Reena, Kiran and Gauri were actually sharing a cup of tea and laughing aloud. There was light-hearted banter accompanying the laughter, and the ladies were seen enjoying themselves. The actor was not present with them. He was somewhere inside the house, getting ready for his work day.

One hears that Aamir’s mother, Zeenat Hussain, and his elder sister, Nikhat, also share a fantastic equation with Reena, Kiran and Gauri, as do his children, Junaid, Ira and Azad. Told ya! Aamir is no saint, but at least he’s more genuine than the next guy. We can live with that.