Aamir Khan and the Price of Personal Choices in the Public Eye

While it’s no secret that celebrities live very public lives, the intense reactions online to Khan’s personal choices expose something deeper: the ingrained biases that continue to shape societal discourse.

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Aamir Khan has previously been married to Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao, and has children from both those marriages. Some netizens were quick to ask how many ‘serious’ relationships he plans to have, while some other social media handles put out images from parties where both the ex-wives and Gauri were present.

The scrutiny isn’t new. Those who challenge traditional norms, especially under the public eye—become easy targets for moral policing. We dig deeper.

Trolling of Aamir Khan's Choices

Comments on posts featuring the news, tweets and more highlight the broad sentiment that Khan’s announcement was met with: mocking and judgment.

Some compared him to other actors who’ve spent their lives with one partner, some questioned how he can get into a relationship while nearing 60, while others questioned if he was ever even serious with his previous partners.

In a clip clicked and posted by paparazzi pages, Aamir was seen on an outing with his daughter, Ira. Some pointed out that she looked emotional, and comments immediately went to dragging in Khan’s relationship, and even Ira’s struggle with depression, which she’d been vocal about.

Some pages even published photos from Irfan Pathan's anniversary party, prompting fans to speculate on whether Khan’s ex-wives, and girlfriend, were in attendance together.

Unconventional Relationship Choices Have Always Attracted Internet Scrutiny

Relentless scrutiny of celebrities’ personal lives isn’t a new phenomenon.

When Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas, their ten-year age gap became the subject of widespread mockery.

When speculations were rife about Sushmita Sen being in a relationship with Lalit Modi, she was mercilessly trolled and labelled a "gold digger," a reaction deeply rooted in patriarchal notions of women’s agency in choosing their partners. Even Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor faced years of scrutiny for their age difference.

Even during divorces and separations, trolling is routine. When content creator Kusha Kapila announced her separation, she was constantly vilified, with many questioning her success, choices and feminism. While the separation, both parties said was mutual, in the online discourse, there was one clear villain.

All of the scrutiny usually stems from a sense of morality and the need to uphold traditional values, a lot of which reek of patriarchy. Many of the comparisons drawn between Khan and other actors also reflect a deeply ingrained belief that lasting, monogamous relationships are the only acceptable form of love.

The criticism of celebrities’ personal choices the discourse often reveals more about societal insecurities than about the individuals at the centre of it all.