Kiran Rao has recently directed Laapataa Ladies and received much applause for her work. In a recent interview, the wife of Aamir Khan spoke about her marriage and divorce. Kiran revealed that they lived together for a year before marrying. due to parental expectations rather than personal choice. Kiran and Aamir tied the knot in December 2005 after the latter got divorced with his first wife Reena Dutta in 2002. Kiran also confirmed that even after their divorce they remained good friends and like family.
Kiran Rao About Her Marriage And Divorce With Aamir Khan:
Talking to ‘She The People’ TV’s YouTube Channel, Kiran expressed her views on marriage. She said that marriage requires both individuality and compatibility as a couple. She thinks that the couple’s understanding of marriage plays a significant role in sustaining their relationship. Dhobi Ghat director addressed the imbalances in handling the responsibilities within relationships, and pressure placed on women to manage household duties and maintain family unity. Kiran said “Aamir and I lived together for a year before we got married and honestly, we did it more because parents and you know…all the rest of it and even at that time we know that it’s a great institution if you can function as individuals as well as a couple within that institution”.
Kiran said that women are expected to maintain the house and relationships with the husband’s family. “I think the way you interpret marriage is important because it was for a particular purpose and this social sanction really matters to a lot of people. It matters to children. There’s a lot of great things that marriage gives you. It gives you a new family, it gives you relationships and it gives you a sense of security and stability”- she said.
Talking about the responsibilities of a woman post marriage, she said “There’s so much responsibility on the woman to run the house, to keep the family together. In fact, women are expected to keep in touch with the in-laws, women are expected to be friends with your husband’s family. It’s a lot of expectation and to be able to navigate that I think needs discussion”.
On asking whether she ever feared divorce, Kiran replied “I took my sweet time about it so I did not worry about it. The thing is that Aamir and I were a very strong relationship…continue to be a very strong relationship as two humans. We are very connected to each other and we deeply respect and love each other so that hasn’t changed. So therefore, I was not worried. I knew that I needed my space. I wanted to live independently and have my own….I needed that to be able to grow myself. I felt that it was for my own growth and Aamir acknowledged that as well and I think supported that, so that actually really helped”.
Further Kiran said that they didn’t have deep disagreements, she said “It took me a while to get everyone accustomed to the idea that this is not some sort of clever coming down on a hunk of meat”.
Even after the divorce, Kiran Rao attended the Wedding of Aamir’s daughter Ira Khan.