It’s no surprise that Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan, who were married for 16 years, still remain friends and colleagues even after their separation. And now, in a conversation with She The People, the director of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ disclosed that they tied the knot due to parental pressure, despite already living together for a year at the time.
While talking about her divorce, the filmmaker revealed, “I’ve always felt that (marriage as an institution is up for a rethink). Aamir and I lived together for a year before we got married honestly, we did it more because parents and you know… all the rest of it and even at that time we knew that it’s a great institution if you can function as individuals as well as a couple within that institution.”
Kiran Rao, who debuted as a director with ‘Dhobi Ghat’ in 2010, added that marriage brings many positive aspects, including “a new family, relationships, and a sense of security and stability.”
“The thing we don’t talk about enough is how marriage tends to stifle, especially women. How you could find perhaps a way to be yourself within the institution. That’s something up for debate and discussion. Esther Perel (American psychologist) has written an amazing book on it, and it’s very interesting. As apes, we were living together. This nuclear family setup is a pressure, and it’s a pressure especially on women. There’s so much responsibility on the women to run the house, keep the family together. In fact, women are expected to keep in touch with the in-laws, to be in touch with your husband’s family. That’s a lot of expectation,” she opined.
The former celebrity couple first met on the sets of Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2001, ‘Lagaan,’ in which Khan was starring and Rao was Assistant Director. They started dating in 2004 and got married the following year. Despite their divorce in 2021, they co-parent their son, Azad, who they welcomed through surrogacy in 2011.
