Aamir Khan celebrates birthday, says 'biggest mistake' was taking Reena, Kiran for granted

Ira Khan (left) and Aamir Khan (right). Khan, who is often called Mr Perfectionist for his unyielding work standards, turned 57 on March 14. Aamir divorced his first wife Reena Dutta in 2002, and has two kids - Ira Khan and Junaid Khan - with her. He then tied the knot with filmmaker Kiran Rao in 2005. He later stunned fans when the couple announced their separation after 15 years of marriage. In a joint statement last year, the couple said they would continue to co-parent their nine-year-old son Azad.

Aamir Khan (left) and Kiran Rao (right). In an interview with a regional news channel, Khan ruminated over what caused his split with his ex-wife. He explained: "Kiran and I love each other so much. We have a lot of respect and love for one another. But people don’t get this and I accept it because we don’t see it usually. Actually, Kiran and I realised that we like each other so much and consider one another family in the truest sense. Kiran and I are actually families. But our relationship of husband and wife experienced a certain change and we wanted to respect the institution of marriage. However, we are always going to be by each other’s side. We are working together. We live close by. But we are no longer husband and wife, and that’s why we decided to call it quits."

Above: Aamir Khan with his ex-wife Reena, and Ashutosh and Sunita Gowariker. Talking about what went wrong in his personal life, Khan told the regional news channel, “Somewhere I didn’t shoulder my responsibilities. I would start with my parents, my siblings, my first wife - Reena ji, Kiran ji, Reena’s parents, Kiran’s parents, my children, all these people I am talking about are my close ones. When I was 18, when I joined the film industry, I got so absorbed, I wanted to learn so much, I wanted to do so much that somewhere — today I realise — people who were close to me, I couldn’t give them time the way I wanted to."

Kiran Rao (left) and Reena Khan (right). The Bollywood superstar clarified in the same interview that he was not involved with Rao at the time of his marriage with Reena. He said, “When Reena and I got separated, there was no one in my life. A lot of people think that Kiran and I met before my divorce from Reena but it’s not true. Kiran and I had met but we didn’t really know each other and we became friends much later”. He also clarified that his relationship with Kiran didn’t end because of someone else. “There was no one back then, there is no one now," he added.

Khan’s focus on his on-screen work has definitely brought him dividends. He has worked in versatile roles and done so convincingly. His latest project is ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, which is a remake of the English multi-award-winning movie ‘Forrest Gump’. Directed by Advait Chandan, the film will release on April 14 this year.

Here’s a look at these little known facts of the actor with the Midas touch. He started young in showbiz with a stint in his uncle Nasir Hussain’s film ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ at age 8. But his first real brush with fame came in 1988 with the hit ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'.

The actor has won many awards including three National Film Awards for his movies, Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, and 3 Idiots. He had a Padma Shri bestowed upon him in 2003 and won a Padma Bhushan in 2010. His performance in Raakh earned him a National Film Award in the Special Mention category.

He’s known for his acting skills and the lengths to which he’ll go to achieve his character. Khan’s put on and lost major amounts of weight for his roles, leading his family and friends to sometimes fear his commitment.

Did you know Aamir Khan has a house in Beverly Hills, California in the United States? The actor reportedly gifted this home to his ex-wife Kiran Rao. It is also worth noting that Beverly Hills is one of the poshest areas in the city.

Food at the Khans can be a tricky affair. In an interview with Indian media, his ex-wife, Kiran Rao once explained that either he’s on a strict diet or he’s bingeing. She said, "You never know which Khan you are going to get."

Aamir Khan doesn't only love movies. When he was in school, he used to love lawn tennis and took part in a few state-level championships.

Juhi Chawla became great friends with the star when they were on the set of QSQT. They then went on to do around 7 films together. Khan then had an incorrigible habit of playing pranks, which reportedly put Juhi off when they were on the sets of Ishq in 1997. They didn’t do any films together after that year. However, they made up a few years later.

Khan’s characters embody a large spectrum, from playing an alien (‘PK’) to a wrestler (‘Dangal’), his career has seen a varied number of films.