Aamir Khan, family urge media to be ‘empathetic’ after brother Faisal's claims on mistreatment

Bollywood star Aamir Khan and his family, in a statement on Sunday urged the media to show empathy and not turn a private matter into "salacious, inflammatory and hurtful gossip" after the actor's brother Faisal Khan, in an interview, alleged mistreatment by the family.

The statement was issued collectively by Aamir, Zeenat Tahir Husain, Junaid Khan, Reena Datta, Farhat Datta, Rajiv Datta, Kiran Rao, Santosh Hegde, Seher Hegde, Mansoor Khan, Nuzhat Khan, Imran Khan, Tina Fonseca, Zayn Marie Khan and Pablo Khan.

"We request the media for empathy, and to refrain from turning a private matter into salacious, inflammatory and hurtful gossip," the family members said in the statement.

It mentioned about Faisal's hurtful remarks towards his brother Aamir, mother Zeenat and sister Nikhat.

"We are distressed by Faisal'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."

This comes days after Faisal's interview in which he alleged that Aamir mistreated him, kept him locked in a house for a year, and claimed he suffered from schizophrenia.

Faisal also alleged that he was hospitalised for 20 days in a general ward alongside individuals with mental health issues.

In the statement, the family said all measures regarding Faisal were taken collectively and in consultation with medical professionals.

"It is important to share that every choice regarding Faisal has been taken collectively as a family, in consultation with multiple medical professionals, and has been based on love, compassion, and a desire to support his emotional and psychological wellbeing. For this reason, we have refrained from publicly discussing the details of a painful and difficult period for our family," it said.

Faisal, 58, is best known for his role in the 2000 film ‘Mela’, which also featured Aamir and Twinkle Khanna in the lead roles. The actor has also been a part of projects such as ‘Border Hindustan Ka’, and ‘Basti’, both released in 2003.