Actor Imran Khan recently opened up about his personal life, career, and the misconceptions surrounding his divorce in a candid interview with the Times of India. The actor addressed long-standing rumors linking his mental health struggles to the end of his marriage to childhood sweetheart Avantika Malik, clarifying that the two issues were separate.
Imran admitted that while his relationship with Avantika was challenging, people have often misunderstood the dynamics. “I realized that my dynamic with my partner was unhealthy. It was a relationship that started at a very young age, and when you were 18-19 years old, you don’t have nearly enough life experience to have an understanding of what healthy interpersonal dynamics are and what unhealthy dynamics are,” he explained.
The couple shared a long history together. They began dating as teenagers and became engaged on January 16, 2010, in Karjat. Their marriage followed a year later, in a private civil ceremony at Aamir Khan’s residence in Pali Hill. They welcomed their daughter, Imara, in 2013. However, reports surfaced in 2019 that the couple was living separately, and their divorce was finalized the same year.
Contrary to widespread perception, Imran emphasized that his divorce did not trigger his mental health challenges. “I understood that it’s not happening that way, it is not working that way, and in order for me to be the healthiest, best version of myself, I have to remove myself from this relationship. I don’t blame anyone for this,” he shared.
The actor explained that being out of the public eye during his separation allowed rumors and speculation to spread unchecked. “I’ve not been in the media. I’ve been out of public sight, and in the absence of me actually being there and speaking, rumors, gossip, all of this stuff, kind of speculation just goes about, so things get muddled and conflated. Within that, I think a lot of people took my divorce to be the thing that was impactful for me and that I was impacted by the separation that triggered a mental health crisis. The truth is far from it,” he said.
In fact, Imran revealed that the most difficult period of his mental health struggle coincided with the final years of his marriage. “I was, in fact, in the worst years of it during the last couple of years of my marriage. It is my making the choice to end my marriage that was the turning point in my personal mental health journey that allowed me to actually heal and get better. It is because we were not in sync. We were not able to support each other in being the best version of self,” he added.
This honest disclosure sheds light on the actor’s journey toward self-awareness and personal healing. By stepping away from a relationship that was no longer healthy, Imran believes he was able to prioritize his mental well-being and focus on becoming the best version of himself.
On the professional front, Imran Khan is gearing up for a much-anticipated comeback in the film industry after a hiatus of over a decade. Earlier this year, he appeared in a cameo in friend Vir Das’ directorial Happy Patel. Now, he is set to return as a lead actor in Adhure Hum Adhure Tum, starring opposite Bhumi Pednekar. The film is expected to release on Netflix later this year.
Imran’s candid reflections also signal his determination to reclaim his space in Bollywood with meaningful projects while also speaking openly about personal struggles—a move that may help normalize conversations around mental health in the industry. By addressing both his past relationship and mental health openly, Imran sets an example of transparency and resilience, demonstrating that personal challenges do not define one’s professional trajectory.
As audiences await his upcoming work, Imran Khan continues to balance his personal growth with his career ambitions, proving that self-awareness, healing, and artistic reinvention can coexist.