Mumbai: Ahead of Aamir Khan’s reported wedding with Gauri Spratt, his estranged brother Faissal Khan has expressed regret over publicly criticising the actor in the past.

Reflecting on their long-standing differences, Faissal admitted that he should not have spoken negatively about Aamir in public and offered an apology for his earlier remarks.

“I’ve realised my mistake now, hence asking for forgiveness,” Faissal said.

When asked about his alleged mental illness, he said, “I first want to apologize to my Ammi that I made the mistake of saying everything in public. I want to apologize to Ammi and Nikhat because a man tends to say it all — whatever he’s been feeling and suppressing for all this while. I’d gone overboard with Nikhat and her husband Santosh Hegde, which I shouldn’t have said at all. It was very wrong.”

He added, “I’ve realised my mistake now, hence asking for forgiveness. I also said bad things about Aamir. I just want to continue with our decision to be on good terms going forward. I wish our relationship becomes even stronger.”

He continued, “There are some members in the family who go with what the doctor said, but there are some who trust what I’m saying. My elder sister Nikhat has told me multiple times that I don’t have schizophrenia. Ammi and Santosh have also said that.”

“That was a different phase. When my family took me to the doctor, maybe their diagnosis was incorrect. When the court sent me to a government hospital, I got a clean chit there. It’s possible that some doctors misled the family. I want my family to trust, believe, and understand me instead of bringing up bad blood from the past,” he said.

Earlier, on a Pinkvilla podcast, Faissal claimed that he was confined at home for more than a year.

“Mujhe qaid kar ke rakha tha ghar mein ek saal (I was imprisoned at home for over a year) and they were saying I’ve got schizophrenia and I’m a mad person and I will harm society. JJ Hospital mein mujhe 20 din rakha gaya, test kiya gaya, general ward mein, mental logon ke saath (I was at JJ Hospital for 20 days, was tested in the general ward with ‘mental’ patients),” he said.

Following his remarks, Aamir’s family released a statement urging the media not to treat Faissal’s claims as factual.

They also alleged that he was dealing with mental health issues at the time.

“We are distressed by Faissal’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,” said the statement.

“We request the media for empathy, and to refrain from turning a private matter into salacious, inflammatory, and hurtful gossip,” it added.