Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao at Laapataa Ladies screening.
Aamir Khan and filmmaker Kiran Rao, who were married for 15 years, announced their divorce in July 2021. They continue to co-parent son Azad and they are frequently pictured together. In a recent interaction with NDTV, filmmaker Kiran Rao talked about being open about her divorce, the need for privacy and more. Speaking about the decision to publicly announce the divorce, Kiran Rao told NDTV's Abira Dhar, "It was a conscious decision because in some ways, we do realise that...You know you are in the public gaze. You are living your life very publicly. What we were doing was completely legal, morally and ethically fine. It's better to be upfront about it and not let people guess about it."
Kiran Rao added during the interaction, "Then what happens is even after you have said it, people can assign meaning to it but when you don't, it's very easy for people to be catty. And we have seen how big public personalities have been dragged through things when they are going through trouble and painful times."
Kiran Rao also talked about pre-social media world and how it has changed now. Kiran Rao added, "I realised that the second you are more upfront about it, people are more understanding of it. There is a curiosity, there is a connect with the actor and what his life must be like. There is an interest in his relationship and you make the country part of your wedding. Though we didn't. We got married in the pre-social media world. But you kind of realise that just everybody backs off when you ask for space. That kind of perverse interest only comes when you are hiding it. And everyone deserves their privacy. They need privacy and we have become obsessed about knowing every detail about everything and we demand it. And we are fatigued by it at the same time."
When asked how Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan keep son Azad away from the limelight, the filmmaker said, "As people, Aamir and I are very down to earth. I walk to my local coffee shop. I have a very normal life and people are very accustomed to it and give me my space and privacy. I am grateful for that real warmth I felt living in this city but even in general, people in Bombay and Maharashtra have never had a sense of invading your privacy and they would back off when you ask them to. And that is also how Azad is. I have told him that if people ask you for a picture, if you are ok with it, say yes, if you are not ok with it, say no. So, when we go to airport and people want a picture with him, sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no. We don't have paps outside the gates or wherever we go."