Bollywood actor Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan on Sunday revealed that she was sexually abused at age 14 by someone known to her and the family. She took to Instagram to speak about her battle with depression. In the 10-minute video she spoke about how she tried to figure out the reasons behind her condition despite having all the “privileges”. Ira opened up on personal issues like being sexually exploited by a known person when she was 14-years-old, dealing with a dreaded disease at the age of 6, her parent’s divorce, besides other challenges.
Without naming her perpetrator Ira Khan spoke about the sexual abuse she was subjected to at the age of 14: “I was sexually abused when I was 14. At that time I couldn’t understand whether the person realised what he was doing and I didn’t know how to confide in. It took me a year to be sure that the person was aware of his actions. I immediately wrote my parents an email and got myself out of that situation. Once I was out it didn’t feel so bad. I was not scared anymore. It’s not something that has scarred me for life”.
Speaking about the clinical depression she was diagnosed with a month back, Ira said that she tried and figured out the causes behind it. However, instead of getting support online, she was badgered with insensitive questions about her privileges, said Ira.
Ira said that it was because of her privileges that she hesitated to come out and let her family and friends know how she was feeling. “I never spoke to anyone about anything because I assumed that my privilege meant I should handle my stuff on my own”. It made me feel like I needed a better answer and until I had that answer, my feelings weren’t something I should bother anyone else with. No problem was big enough to ponder too long about. What would anyone do? I had everything. What would anyone say? I had said it all.
In her 10 minute video, Ira addressed all the privileges she got in life by being Aamir’s daughter and still getting diagnosed with depression.
When talking about the reasons behind her depression, Ira said she couldn’t figure out what was making her sad. She revealed that when she was all of six, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, but even that didn’t make her feel horrible. She added that even her parents’ divorce-Aamir and his ex-wife Reena Dutta- did not scar her as many would assume. She said that even the amicable divorce between her parents was a privilege she had, so that too couldn’t be the reason for her feeling sad and depressed.
Ira and Junaid are Aamir’s children with his first wife Reena Dutta.
Ira Khan stepped into showbiz by making her directorial debut in 2019 with the stage production ‘Euripides’ Medea’.
