Bollywood star Aamir Khan recently opened up about one of the biggest personal decisions of his life — getting married at the age of 21 to Reena Dutta, who was just 19 at the time. Aamir and Reena got married in 1986 and were together for 16 years before they divorced in 2002. Even after their separation, they’ve shared a respectful and affectionate bond.

In a conversation on Raj Shamani’s podcast, the actor reflected on the whirlwind romance and youthful excitement that led to a major life choice.

A love story that moved too fast?
Aamir shared that he and Reena had only known each other for four months when they decided to get married. He admitted they hadn’t even spent much time together during that period. Despite this, the strong feelings they had for one another pushed them to take the plunge.

He said, " We had only known each other for four months before that, and even during those four months, we hadn’t spent much time together. But there was a lot of love and affection between us, which is why we got married."

The wisdom that comes with time
Now, years later, the ‘PK’ actor looks back at that impulsive decision with more clarity. He reflected, "But today when I look back, I feel that a step as important as marriage should be taken with careful thought. In the passion of youth, you don’t understand many things."

Even so, he made it clear that he never saw Reena as a mistake. In fact, he holds deep respect and love for her to this day. He added, "Although I had a wonderful life with Reena, so please don’t take this to mean that Reena was a mistake, that’s absolutely not what I mean. Reena is very precious to me, and in a way, we grew up together. We were so young when we got married. Reena and I have great respect for each other and a lot of love between us."

“It’s difficult”: The fine line between regret and gratitude
Aamir explained that while the marriage was rushed, it brought many beautiful moments into his life. He and Reena were together for 16 years and became parents to two children, Junaid and Ira. Looking back, he feels that while the decision may have been made too quickly, it ultimately shaped the life he lives today.