Dilip Kumar’s Second Marriage: The Controversy, Regret, and Asma Rehman’s Struggle for Privacy
Dilip Kumar, one of India’s most legendary actors, had a personal life as dramatic as the films he starred in. After being married to actress Saira Bano for 16 years, Dilip Kumar decided to marry for a second time in the 1980s to a woman named Asma Rehman. The marriage, however, was short-lived, and Asma faced intense public scrutiny and media attention throughout and after their relationship, which profoundly affected her life.
Asma’s involvement with Dilip Kumar attracted significant attention, particularly because Dilip had been in a long-standing and publicly admired marriage with Saira Bano. Their union was often seen as one of Bollywood’s most enduring relationships, so his decision to marry Asma came as a shock to many. Asma faced numerous allegations, many of which were unfounded, but the media frenzy surrounding the marriage only made things worse for her.
The intense scrutiny of Asma’s life led her to leave India and move to Vancouver, Canada, in search of peace and privacy. However, in an interview from 1983, shared by the YouTube channel ITMB Shows, Asma revealed that her hopes for a quieter life in Canada were quickly dashed. The media intrusion followed her even to Vancouver. “What do I do? Even I don’t like it, but what can one do about it?” she lamented. Asma spoke about how the media relentlessly pursued her during her time in India, and she had hoped that moving to Canada would bring her some relief. However, she quickly realized that peace remained elusive. “It feels like I am not meant to have peace,” she said, adding that there was a “total lack of privacy” no matter where she went.
Asma shared that her decision to move to Canada was not just about escaping media attention; it was also influenced by her family. “Firstly, I wanted to move here because I have family here,” she explained. But a major factor was the incessant media coverage that had made her life unbearable in India. She expressed her frustration at being constantly hounded, saying, “I just wanted to get away from it, but I just can’t.”
Asma claimed that much of what was written about her and her relationship with Dilip Kumar was fabricated. She estimated that about “95 percent of the things that were written about me were false.” Asma expressed her disbelief at how stories were created based on little to no truth. “People write whatever they want, they just want to fill up the space,” she said, acknowledging how damaging these fabrications were to her reputation and personal life. She emphasized that the private conversations between her and Dilip were personal, and no one could have known about them. “But these people’s imagination is just so wild that they just make up stories,” she added, indicating how her relationship was sensationalized by the media.
Dilip Kumar himself, in his memoir, later reflected on his second marriage to Asma, admitting that it was a mistake. He acknowledged that he had married Asma without informing his first wife, Saira Bano, which caused immense pain to her. In his candid confession, he wrote, “I can never forget or forgive myself for the hurt I caused to Saira and the shattering of the unshakeable faith she had in me.” Dilip’s regret was clear as he expressed remorse for the emotional turmoil the decision caused in their relationship. Eventually, he divorced Asma and returned to Saira, asking for her understanding and time to restore their marriage. “Saira stood by me when I admitted the grave mistake and asked her to give me some time to undo the wrong through proper legal processes and restore the sanctity of our marriage of sixteen years,” he wrote, revealing the depth of his regret.
Despite this tumultuous chapter in their lives, Dilip Kumar and Saira Bano remained together for the rest of his life, their marriage enduring until Dilip’s death in 2021. Saira remained by his side through it all, a testament to their long-standing bond.
Asma Rehman, however, faced the brunt of public anger and media sensationalism during and after her short-lived marriage to Dilip Kumar. The constant scrutiny and the unfounded rumors took a toll on her, leading her to seek refuge far from the limelight. Despite her efforts, the lack of privacy continued to haunt her, as media interest in her life remained persistent even after she had left India.
In the end, the brief marriage between Dilip Kumar and Asma Rehman became one of the most controversial chapters in the actor’s personal life. While it did not last, the effects of the relationship left a lasting impact on both Asma and Dilip Kumar. For Dilip, it was a chapter filled with regret, and for Asma, it was a time marked by constant intrusion and a search for peace that proved elusive.