Aamir Khan calls marriage to first wife Reena Dutta ‘impulsive', feels decision should not be taken ‘in panic': ‘Jawaani ke josh me bahot sari cheezein…'

Indian Express

2 days ago

Actor Aamir Khan recently opened up about his marriage with his first wife Reena Dutta. During a podcast with Raj Shamani, the actor, who is currently in a relationship with Gauri Spratt, called the decision to marry her 'impulsive' and spoke about how he learnt a lot from it. Reena and Aamir got married when he was 21 and she was 19. He was just about starting in films and the two kept their marriage a secret.
When asked about the one thing that he regrets doing in his life, he replied, 'Galtiyan maine bahot ki hai. Ek nahi. Reena aur maine bahot jaldi shaadi ki thi. Main 21 saal ka tha, vo 19 saal ki thi (Not one, I have made a lot of mistakes. I got married to Reena pretty early. I was only 21, she was only 19). In fact, we got married the first day I could marry her legally – April 18.'
The actor further added that he married Reena in a rush and that the timing could have been different. 'We only knew each other for just four months. We hadn't even spent a lot of time together. We loved each other a lot. However, now when I look back, I realise we should have thought about it. Uss waqt jawaani ke josh me aap bahot sari cheezein nahi samajhte ho (We don't realise a lot of things because we are young and careless),' he reflected.
Having said that, Aamir mentioned that he doesn't regret the time he spent with his ex-wife. He shared, 'Meri Reena ke sath zindagi bahot achi kati hai. Iska aap ye matlab na nikaliye ki Reena galti thi. Ye mera matlab bilkul nahi hai (I have had a good life with Reena. Please don't misunderstand my statement. I am not saying that Reena was a mistake. The timing was). Reena is an amazing person. We've kind of grown up together. We respect each other, and have a lot of love for each other. But, I don't think anyone should take such a big step in life, at such a young age, in panic.'
ALSO READ | Aamir Khan says he met girlfriend Gauri Spratt 'by mistake', calls ex-wives Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao his forever family: 'Thought I didn't need a partner'
Aamir continued, 'That's just one example. Honestly, I got my biggest gifts in life – Ira and Junaid – from my marriage, and I got to spend 16 years with Reena. You can call it a mistake, but how I see it is: I wouldn't have been here if I hadn't done that.'
He also spoke about what caused the end of his marriage to Reena Dutta. Pointing one of the reasons that he mentioned on the podcast was the attention he paid to work during those days. Khan shared, 'I was lost in my films. That's the red flag. I was a workaholic.'
In an earlier interview with Rediff, Aamir had revealed how they eloped and kept their marriage a secret till after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. 'I got married to Reena secretly through court marriage, with three witnesses. My wedding with Reena was most economical. I took Bus 211 and bought a ticket of 50 paise. I got down at Bandra station West, crossed the bridge, landed in the east and walked towards the highway. I crossed that highway and entered Griha Nirman Bhavan, where there is a marriage registrar office. So my wedding cost me less than Rs 10,' he had said.
On the work front, Aamir Khan will next be seen in Sitaare Zameen Par, a spiritual sequel of his 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par. Directed by RS Prasanna, the film is scheduled to hit the theatres on June 20.