Indus Valley Times

MUMBAI, JULY 15 : Actor Aamir Khan has responded to allegations branding him the “brand ambassador of love jihad”, saying his family has always embraced interfaith relationships and that none of his marriages involved religious conversion. He married Gauri Spratt, his longtime friend, at his Mumbai home on July 5 this year.

In an interview with Rediff, Aamir said members of his family are married to Hindus and Christians through civil marriages, stressing that religious conversion was never part of those unions.

Responding to the “love jihad” allegations, Aamir said, “The truth is that ours is a very inclusive family. Both my sisters are married to Hindus; my daughter is also married to a Hindu. My cousin Mansoor is married to a Christian.”

He further said, “Neither Gauri, Kiran nor Reena converted their religion, as we had civil marriages. Gauri is not even Hindu, she is Christian, and not even a practising Christian at that. Life is getting more comical as time passes.” Aamir was first married to Reena Dutta from 1986 to 2002. He later married filmmaker Kiran Rao in 2005, before the two announced their separation in 2021.

Aamir and Gauri have known each other for nearly 25 years but reconnected a little over two years ago through the actor’s cousin, Nuzhat Khan, in Bengaluru. The actor had introduced Gauri to the media in March last year during the celebrations marking his 60th birthday.

Their friendship eventually blossomed into a relationship, and the two dated for over two years before getting married on July 5.

The wedding was an intimate affair attended by around 150 guests, including family members, close friends and a select few from the film industry. Aamir’s children, Junaid Khan and Ira Khan, along with Ira’s husband, Nupur Shikhare, were among those present.

The guest list also included businessman Mukesh Ambani, politician Raj Thackeray, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, former cricketer Irfan Pathan, comedian Vir Das and actor Elli AvrRam.

-PTI