- Faissal Khan apologized for publicly accusing his family of ill-treatment
- He sought forgiveness from his mother Ammi and sister Nikhat for past remarks
- Faissal claimed he was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia and cleared by a government hospital
Aamir Khan's estranged brother and former actor Faissal Khan has issued an apology after publicly alleging that his family had “ill-treated” him for years. Faissal's apology comes days before Aamir Khan's third wedding to Gauri Spratt on July 5. Faissal, who cut ties with the family last year, said he wants to be on good terms with them. Asked about his alleged mental illness, he said he received a clean chit from a government hospital and that his family was “misled.”
"I want to apologize"
"I first want to apologize to my Ammi that I made the mistake of saying everything in public. I want to apologize to Ammi and Nikhat because a man tends to say it all — whatever he's been feeling and suppressing for all this while. I'd gone overboard with Nikhat and her husband Santosh Hegde, which I shouldn't have said at all. It was very wrong," Faissal said on a podcast with Ujjawal Trivedi.
Nikhat Khan, the elder sister of Faissal and Aamir, is also an actor. "I've realised my mistake now, hence asking for forgiveness. I also said bad things about Aamir. I just want to continue with our decision to be on good terms going forward. I wish our relationship becomes even stronger," Faissal added.
"Some doctors misled family"
Faissal said family members were divided over his mental condition. "There are some members in the family who go with what the doctor said, but there are some who trust what I'm saying. My elder sister Nikhat has told me multiple times that I don't have schizophrenia. Ammi and Santosh have also said that," he claimed.
Faissal also clarified the period when he was allegedly battling a mental illness. "That was a different phase. When my family took me to the doctor, maybe their diagnosis was incorrect. When the court sent me to a government hospital, I got a clean chit there. It's possible that some doctors misled the family. I want my family to trust, believe, and understand me instead of bringing up bad blood from the past," he said.
Aamir and Faissal's row over the years
During a Pinkvilla podcast, Faissal Khan claimed he was confined at home for more than a year. "Mujhe qaid kar ke rakha tha ghar mein ek saal (I was imprisoned at home for over a year) and they were saying I've got schizophrenia and I'm a mad person and I will harm society. JJ Hospital mein mujhe 20 din rakha gaya, test kiya gaya, general ward mein, mental logon ke saath (I was at JJ Hospital for 20 days, was tested in the general ward with 'mental' patients)," he said.
Following his statements, Aamir Khan's family issued a statement asking the media not to accept Faissal's version as fact, noting that he was allegedly battling mental illness. "We are distressed by Faissal's hurtful and misleading portrayal of his mother Zeenat Tahir Husain, his sister Nikhat Hegde, and his brother Aamir. As this is not the first time he has misrepresented these events, we feel it necessary to clarify our intentions and reaffirm our solidarity as a family," the statement said.
"We request the media for empathy, and to refrain from turning a private matter into salacious, inflammatory, and hurtful gossip."
The statement was signed by numerous family members, including Aamir's first wife Reena Dutta, son Junaid Khan, daughter Ira Khan, and others such as Farhat Dutta, Rajiv Dutta, Kiran Rao, Santosh Hegde, Seher Hegde, Mansoor Khan, Nuzhat Khan, Imran Khan, Tina Fonseca, Zayn Marie Khan, and Pablo Khan.
After Aamir and his family issued the statement, Faissal announced that he had cut ties with Aamir and the family. He also said he would not accept monthly allowances from Aamir.
Who is Faissal Khan?
Faissal Khan began his career as a child artiste in the 1969 film Pyar Ka Mausam, where he played the younger version of Shashi Kapoor. Later, he had a small role in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, which starred Aamir Khan. He and Aamir later worked as lead actors in Dharmesh Darshan's Mela (2000).
