In a recent interview, filmmaker Kiran Rao opened up about her difficult journey to motherhood. She revealed that she and her ex-husband, actor Aamir Khan, had been trying for a child for five years before her son Azad was born in 2011. 

Speaking to Zoom Entertainment, Rao said, “The year Dhobi Ghat was made was the year that Azad was born. For five years [before that], I had a lot of miscarriages, a lot of personal, physical health issues. I was just finding it very hard to have a child. So when Azad was born... I didn’t have to make a decision. All I wanted to do was raise my baby.”

The filmmaker also shared that she took a break for 10 years before making her comeback to direction with Laapataa Ladies. “I enjoyed having Azad so much. Those were some of the best years of my life. I’ll never regret not having made a film in 10 years, because I enjoyed [those years] thoroughly,” she added.