Aamir Khan breaks down recalling his decision to quit films: 'I knew what my directors’ dreams and fears were, but not my own children’s'

Before the release of Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan broke down in tears while speaking about a deeply personal phase in his life, one where he contemplated walking away from films to make up for the time he felt he lost with his children and family. The superstar, who has been a part of Indian cinema for over three decades, shared that the Covid-19 pandemic was a turning point that made him reassess his priorities.

'I had not given them any time'

Aamir recounted how, during the lockdown, he realised just how much he had neglected his personal life in pursuit of his career. “All these 18 years of my life were filled with passion, magic and a craze for creativity,” he said in an emotional appearance on Aap Ki Adalat. “But I was 56, and I started thinking — what have I done with my family, my children, my ammi, and my siblings? I had not given them any time.”

With tears in his eyes, the Dangal star shared that his children Ira and Junaid were already in their twenties, and he had no idea what their childhood dreams or insecurities were. “I knew what my directors’ (Ashutosh Gowariker) dreams and fears were, but not my own children’s. When I realised this, I was depressed for three days.”

Aamir's decision to quit and what changed his mind

It was during this time that Aamir decided Laal Singh Chaddha would be his last film. He informed his family and even called Sitaare Zameen Par director RS Prasanna to step away from acting in the project.

But it was his children, and ex-wife Kiran Rao, who eventually pulled him back. “Junaid told me, ‘Papa, you’re being an extremist. Earlier you gave everything to films, and now you want to give everything to us. There’s a middle path.’” Ira, too, expressed that he had already spent significant time with them, and they had their own lives to lead.

Kiran, visibly moved, told Aamir, “You are a child of cinema. If you leave films, you’ll leave us too. Don’t do that.” Their words struck a chord.




Aamir's promise: ‘I will never leave cinema’

When Aamir was asked if he could now promise fans that he wouldn’t leave films again, the actor responded with conviction, “I want to promise here, in this show, I will never leave the film industry. Whatever I am today is because of the affection of my fans. I am grateful to all. I thank the Almighty for granting me this. I am grateful to my country, my soil and my people.”