“We would like to begin a new chapter in our lives – no longer as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other,” said the statement.

Khan and Rao are parents to son Azad Rao Khan, born in December 2011, 6 years after their marriage.

While they will no longer be romantic partners, Khan and Rao stated that they will “continue to work as collaborators on films, Paani Foundation, and other projects that [they] feel passionate about.”

Paani foundation is a non-profit NGO that works in drought-affected areas of Maharashtra, India. It was founded in 2016 by Khan and Rao, who met on the set of film Lagaan in 2001 where Rao was serving as an assistant director, and Khan played Bhuvan Latha, the lead role.

According to Khan, they began their relationship after his divorce with Reena Dutta. Khan was also married to his first wife for 15 years. According to the Times of India, Khan and Rao were spotted celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in December 2020 with son Azad and Ira, Khan’s daughter with Dutta.

Throughout their time together, Khan and Rao have worked on multiple projects together, and plan to continue their collaborations even after divorce. They produced Peepli Live, India’s entry to the 83rd Academy Awards as well as Delhi Belly, Secret Superstar, and Laal Singh Chaddha, which is an official remake of the 1994 Robert Zemeckis film Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks.

While the end of Khan and Rao’s more than a decade-long marriage was trending on Twitter, so was news of Khan’s alleged relationship with actress Fatima Sana Shaikh, who some are blaming for the divorce.

According to an article in the Times of India, rumours of Khan’s romance with Shaikh spread after she signed her second Bollywood film with him, Thugs of Hindostan. Her first film with Khan was Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal.

Although Khan has not commented on the issue, Shaikh had addressed the rumours in an interview with Filmfare. “A bunch of strangers, whom I’ve never met, are writing things about me. They don’t even know if there’s any truth to it,” she said. “It disturbs me because I don’t want people to assume wrong things. But I’ve learnt to ignore it.”