Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan married his longtime partner Gauri Spratt on July 5. Their marriage was completed by registration at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai, in the presence of family members and close friends. It is Aamir Khan’s third marriage, but the personal decision has this time sparked controversy in Maharashtra politics. First BJP leader and minister Nitesh Rane commented on the marriage; then Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra government minister Sanjay Shirsat made a jibe over the same issue.
Speaking to reporters in Sambhajinagar on Monday, Sanjay Shirsat said the personal decisions of popular figures also affect society. Backing Nitesh Rane’s remarks, he said: “Nitesh Rane is right to some extent. When people follow an actor, they see him not just as an artist but as a role model.” On Aamir’s third marriage, he said: “If a star does such a thing and marries not once but three times, what will people learn from him? He may be a brand ambassador for ‘love jihad,’ but he will not make a place in ordinary people’s hearts.”
Earlier, BJP leader and Maharashtra government minister Nitesh Rane had also made critical remarks about Aamir Khan’s marriage on X, questioning how society should view such personal decisions by popular figures, and whether Aamir’s recent marriage should be seen as an example of “love jihad,” saying Hindu society needed to think about such matters. His comments generated wide discussion on social media and in Indian media, and Shirsat’s remarks intensified the controversy.
It is Aamir Khan’s third marriage. He married Reena Dutta in 1986, with whom he has two children, Junaid Khan and Ira Khan; they divorced in 2002. He then married film producer Kiran Rao in 2005, with whom he has a son, Azad Rao Khan; although Aamir and Kiran announced their separation in 2021, they continue to co-parent. Aamir Khan and his team have not so far responded to the remarks by Nitesh Rane and Sanjay Shirsat.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report