Ira Khan, daughter of Aamir Khan and Reena Dutta, has always been candid about her struggles with mental health. In a recent interview, she reflected on her journey, her parents’ reactions, and the impact of their divorce on her life.
Aamir and Reena were married in 1986 and parted ways in 2002 when Ira was just five years old. Despite the separation, both parents remained deeply concerned for her well-being when she opened up about her mental health struggles.
Ira Khan on her parents’ reaction
Recalling the moment she informed her parents, Ira told Pinkvilla, “I don’t think I told him (father, Aamir) that I was putting it on Instagram. When I told both my parents, they were worried. You don’t figure it out all at the same time. It’s not like I said one sentence and it was over. There was concern because I was studying in the Netherlands, wanting to drop out, so there were a lot of decisions to be made. My dad has put this faith or belief in us that mental health issues are not shameful.”
Ira started her medication in 2018 after returning home, a time she described as particularly difficult for her family. She revealed that while her parents never vocalised it, she felt they might have blamed themselves for her situation. “I could tell that both of them were extremely worried because they were going on their own fears and tangents. And I was like, ‘I am the child, I need help right now, we can deal with your fears later.’ They never said that or openly blamed themselves, but I am sure they felt those things,” she explained.
Impact of divorce
Speaking about her parents’ divorce, Ira reflected on how it altered their lives. “My parents’ divorce wasn’t one day; it was something that changed all our lives since that day. Many good and not good things happened since that day, many things happened that we maybe even didn’t know happened,” she said.
At the time of the separation, Ira was just four years old, and the family moved out of their home. However, she noted that their living arrangement helped maintain a sense of connection. “We moved out of the house after the divorce. I was 4 when we moved out, but we lived very close by, just like 50 metres away. My dad’s job involves a lot of travelling, it’s a little hard to say if shifting houses affected the dynamic. I am sure it did. But, it was fine! My grandmom also lived in the same building, so we were always around there,” Ira added.