Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the underworld had a strong hold over Bollywood. Big gangsters often tried to pull the strings in the film industry. Around this time, Aamir Khan became a star with his blockbuster film ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, directed by his cousin Mansoor Khan in 1988. But with fame also came dark moments. Aamir recently shared how he once faced a frightening invitation from the underworld.Underworld people invited Aamir to a partyIn the late 1990s, Aamir was at the top of his game. Like many stars back then, he too got an invitation from the underworld to attend a party in the Middle East. In an interview with The Lallantop, Aamir shared, “I’d said no to the invite to attend their party in the Middle East, probably Dubai. Some people from the underworld had visited me to invite me to the party.”He chose not to name anyone, saying, “I don’t take names, even of people from my industry. That’s my nature.”They tried money and favoursThe underworld did not stop at just one visit. They kept trying to convince him. Aamir said, “They tried a lot. They offered me money and offered to get any work done of my choosing. I still refused to come. They quickly changed their tone and said I’d have to come now because my presence had already been announced, and it was a prestige issue.”‘You can tie my hands and legs…’Aamir stood his ground, even when things turned serious. He recalled, “That was our last meeting. I said, ‘You’ve been meeting for a month and I’ve been telling you right from the start that I wouldn’t come. You’re very powerful so you can bash me up, hit me on the head, tie my hands and legs, and take me forcibly wherever you want, but I wouldn’t come on my own.’ So they stopped contacting me after that.”Fear for his familyEven though he spoke boldly, Aamir admitted he was very scared at the time. What worried him most was the safety of his loved ones. “I had two small kids then. My parents were very concerned. They said, ‘What are you doing? They’re very dangerous.’ So I had said only one thing to them then, ‘I want to live my life the way I want. I don’t want to go there,’” Aamir shared. He added, “I was more concerned for the ones close to me.”At that time, Aamir was married to Reena Dutta. They had tied the knot in 1986. The couple had two kids, Junaid, born in 1993, and Ira, born in 1997. They later divorced in 2002. This incident shows just how much Aamir valued his family’s safety over everything else, even if it meant standing up to powerful people.
