"I felt a deep sense of loss."
Aamir Khan broke down in tears on stage at the Singapore International Film Festival during an emotional conversation about his life.
The Bollywood superstar was honoured at the prestigious festival with the Screen Icon Award.
It was presented to him by renowned Hong Kong-based filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun.
Following the award ceremony, Aamir sat down for a candid conversation moderated by Singapore comedian Rishi Budhrani.
When asked about the weakest moment of his career, Aamir reflected on a realisation that struck him deeply during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “When I was sitting in COVID, and I was thinking, I said, about 30 years have passed of my life.
“And it’s okay to work like a madman, completely obsessed with what you’re doing for one year, two years, five years.
“But if it goes on for 30 years, I mean, you’ve lost your relationships.
“Your kids have grown up; they’re adults now. So I felt a deep sense of loss.”
Aamir paused mid-speech as emotion overtook him, breaking down in tears in front of the audience gathered at the festival.
He apologised to the crowd before composing himself as the audience responded with warm and sustained applause to acknowledge him.
After wiping his tears, Aamir revealed that the realisation had prompted a deliberate change in how he now approaches his life.
He said he had spent the last four years consciously carving out time for his family and close friends.
“I’m so glad that this thought occurred to me when I was 56 and not when I was 86, when it would be really too late to do anything about it.”
His words resonated deeply with those in the audience.
In the same answer, Aamir also recalled an earlier and very different kind of low point, one rooted in professional failure.
This was following the massive success of his 1988 debut Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
The young actor made the costly mistake of signing nine films within six months.
Once filming began on those projects, he quickly realised he had overextended himself.
He recalled coming home to weep to his then-wife Reena as the weight of his commitments and the fear of failure began to mount around him.
The films then began to flop one after another, and the industry swiftly branded him a one-film wonder.
“At that time, mentally and emotionally, I felt like I was in quicksand.”
“I was sinking slowly, and the more I struggled to get out, the deeper I was going.”
Accepting the Screen Icon Award, Aamir expressed genuine gratitude to the festival.
He said: “Filmmaking is a collective art form, and a lot of people contribute to each other’s work.”
Aamir Khan’s last appearance at the Singapore International Film Festival had been nine years earlier.
