Aamir Khan says first marriage breakdown triggered alcohol addiction

Dubai: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan opened up about alcoholism and what led to it, revealing that his divorce from Reena Dutta triggered a period of heavy drinking.

In an interview on Duologue with Barun Das, Aamir reportedly said he had been a teetotaller before the separation. He recalled that the day Reena left with their children was a turning point, leaving him alone and unable to cope with the situation at the time.

“I was a teetotaller until I went through my first divorce with Reena,” Aamir said. He added that prior to this, he had only consumed alcohol occasionally, and that too for film scenes, and did not otherwise drink.

Speaking about the day of the separation, Aamir said he struggled to handle his emotions. He mentioned that there was alcohol at home meant for guests, which he then began to consume.

“That night, I started drinking,” he said, explaining that this marked the beginning of a longer phase. According to Aamir, the drinking continued for around one and a half years.

“For the next one and a half years, I drank almost a bottle a night,” he said. He described this change as extreme, given that he had not been a regular drinker before.

Aamir also acknowledged that this period coincided with a difficult emotional phase following the end of his marriage. He referred to it as a low point, though he did not go into further detail about that time.

Aamir Khan married Reena Dutta in 1986 when he was 21 years old. The couple were together for 16 years before separating in 2002. They have two children, Ira and Junaid.

After his divorce from Reena, Aamir later married filmmaker Kiran Rao in 2005. The two announced their separation in 2021. They continue to co-parent their son, Azad.

More recently, in March 2025, ahead of his 60th birthday, Aamir introduced his partner Gauri Spratt publicly. Since then, he has appeared with her at public events.

The actor’s comments were part of a wider conversation on Duologue with Barun Das, where he discussed different phases of his personal life.