Aamir Khan was honoured at the Singapore International Film Festival 2026.
Khan made an emotional confession about the costs of working non-stop for three decades.
He also gave updates on the 3 Idiots sequel.
During an emotional appearance at the Singapore International Film Festival on Thursday, Aamir Khan wept while reflecting on a stark realization brought on by the pandemic lockdown: his 30-year obsession with his film career had quietly robbed him of precious time with his loved ones. It was a rare moment of emotional honesty from one of our biggest stars.
During the chat, Aamir Khan recounted his thoughts during the Covid lockdown and confessed, “When I was sitting during Covid, I was thinking… I said, you know, about 30 years of my life have passed… 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.”
Khan teared up. According to a Variety report, an audience member got up to pass a box of tissues to the actor. He added, “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.”
Aamir Khan Opens Up On Early Workload
Khan also recalled signing nine films within six months after his 1988 debut, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, became a hit. The workload got to him. He remembered crying at home to his then-wife Reena as several projects failed.“At that time, mentally and emotionally, I felt like I’m in quicksand. I’m sinking slowly, and the more I’m struggling to get out, the deeper I’m going,” Khan said. He also revealed that he rejecting a film offered by Mahesh Bhatt because he did not like the script. Assessing that decision, he said, “If I had compromised with that and I had been practical, and I had, you know, said, ‘Yes, sir, I’m doing the film,’ I think my entire career would have been a series of compromises,” Later, he did team up with Bhatt on Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke.
Khan also shared Rajkumar Hirani is writing the sequel to his 2009 film, 3 Idiots. Khan’s last film Sitaare Zameen Par opened to mixed reviews and became the eleventh-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025.
