"What is wrong with marrying at 60?": Rakhee Gulzar defends Aamir Khan's wedding to Gauri Spratt

Veteran actor Rakhee Gulzar has weighed in on the social media backlash surrounding Aamir Khan’s upcoming third wedding, questioning the ageist scrutiny directed at the superstar.

The digital chatter surrounding Aamir Khan’s personal life reached a fever pitch this week, with social media users fixating on the actor’s decision to marry Gauri Spratt at the age of 60. Amid the noise, veteran actor Rakhee Gulzar has stepped forward to offer a grounded perspective, dismissing the criticism as entirely misplaced. Speaking in a recent interview, she questioned the very premise of the backlash: "What is wrong with marrying at 60?"

Aamir Khan, who officially confirmed the news while traveling in the US, is set to formalize his union with Spratt on July 5. The couple, who reconnected roughly a year and a half ago after knowing each other for over two decades, previously introduced their relationship to the public on the actor’s 60th birthday in 2025. For the star, the wedding is a "natural progression" of a committed partnership that he feels is already cemented in his heart.

A voice of experience

Rakhee Gulzar, whose own marriage to filmmaker Gulzar took place when she was 40, emphasized that companionship transcends age. Drawing global parallels, she pointed to Hollywood legend Robert De Niro, who recently welcomed a child with his partner at over 80 years old, to illustrate that life chapters do not stop at a certain birthday.

Beyond the question of age, Rakhee offered a rare endorsement of Aamir’s character. "I am not in touch with the goings-on in the film industry, nor have I worked with Aamir Khan," she noted, but added that his reputation as a "sincere person" precedes him. She specifically highlighted his ability to maintain cordial, long-standing friendships with his former wives, Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao, as a definitive marker of his maturity and integrity.

The bigger picture

This episode highlights an increasing friction between traditional societal expectations and the evolving nature of personal relationships in the public eye. While celebrity weddings often invite intense scrutiny, the specific focus on Aamir’s age reflects a lingering cultural discomfort with "starting over" in one's later years. By defending his choice, Rakhee Gulzar is not merely supporting an individual; she is challenging a rigid script that suggests romantic fulfillment must be achieved within a specific, narrow window of time.

The upcoming wedding is expected to be an intimate affair at the actor’s residence, with close friends and industry peers like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan likely to attend. For a star who has spent his entire career under the microscope, the move to normalize a third marriage in his sixties signals a shift in how public figures are beginning to reclaim their personal autonomy, regardless of the noise from the peanut gallery.