Aamir Khan Clears The Air Around PK and Interfaith Marriages Amid Love Jihad Talk
Aamir Khan has finally spoken out about the long-standing criticism he’s faced since the release of his 2014 hit film, PK, directed by Rajkumar Hirani. The film has often been accused of mocking religion, but Aamir firmly denied those claims, stating that PK was never made to target any faith. He also addressed the controversy surrounding allegations that the film promotes “love jihad,” clarifying his stand on the matter.
“They are wrong. We are not against any religion,” Aamir said. We respect all religions and all religious people. That film just tells us to be cautious of those who exploit religion to fool the common man in order to extract money from them. You will find people like that in every religion. That was the film’s only purpose.”
Aamir also addressed the scene in PK where a Hindu woman (played by Anushka Sharma) falls in love with a Pakistani Muslim man (played by the late Sushant Singh Rajput). He said that when two people from different religions, like Hindu and Muslim, choose to marry out of love, it shouldn’t be labelled as love jihad. “This is just humanity. It is above religion,” Aamir explained. He also questioned the logic behind such claims by pointing out that his own sisters and daughter are married to Hindu men.
Aamir’s sister Nikhat, who is also an actor, is married to Santosh Hegde, while his other sister Farhat is married to Rajeev Dutta. His daughter Ira Khan got married to Nupur Shikhare last year. Interestingly, Aamir himself has been married to two Hindu women — Reena Dutta in 1988 and Kiran Rao in 2005.
When asked why, despite marrying Indian women, all his children have the surname Khan and names like Ira, Junaid, and Azad, Aamir had a light-hearted response. He said, “My kids have been named by my wives. There wasn’t any interference from my end. Husbands do not have too much of a say,” he joked. Aamir shared that his first wife, Reena, named both Ira and Junaid. He further explained that “Ira” is another name for the goddess Saraswati. “You must’ve heard of Irawati, Reena just preferred a shorter version,” he said. Aamir also mentioned that the name Ira was picked from The Penguin Book of Hindu Names by former BJP minister Maneka Gandhi.
Aamir also shared that his second wife, filmmaker Kiran Rao, chose the name Azad for their son. The name was inspired by Aamir’s ancestor, Maulana Azad, who was a respected freedom fighter and India’s first Education Minister after independence. Aamir clarified that Azad isn’t strictly a Muslim name. “Haven’t you heard of Chandrashekhar Azad? He was also a freedom fighter,” Aamir said, adding that it’s a neutral name that represents courage and freedom, not religion.
Also Read: Aamir Khan, Junaid Khan arrive at Salman Khan’s home ahead of Ira Khan, Nupur Shikhare’s wedding
