From Salim Khan-Helen to Javed Akhtar-Shabana Azmi: Happily married Bollywood couples who don't have kids of their own

Marriage isn't a means to have kids and here are some real-life examples from Bollywood who prove that happily-ever-afters don't always mean starting a family. Take a look:

Javed Akhtar who has two kids, Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, from his first marriage with Honey Irani, is now happily married to actress Shabana Azmi. The couple has no children of their own. In an interview, Shabana had shared that though she couldn’t become a mother for medical reasons, she later told herself that one can’t have everything in life.

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu don’t have kids of their own. While that doesn’t make them sad, as they are content in life, Dilip saab had once shared with PTI, “It was also wrongly represented that Saira could not bear a child. The truth is that Saira had borne a child, a boy, in 1972. We lost the baby in the eighth month of pregnancy... We took the loss in our stride as the will of God."

Salim Khan, who was earlier married to Salma Khan, married Helen in 1981 and the two have been together since. While Salim was already blessed with three sons (Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan) and one daughter (Alvira Khan) with Salma, he and Helen don't have any children of their own. However, later, Helen adopted Arpita Khan and treats Salim’s kids as her own.

After their respective unsuccessful marriages, Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher gave love another chance and got married in 1985. While Kirron has a son from her previous marriage, Anupam and Kirron couldn’t have a child of their own. Talking about it, Anupam had told ETimes, “But to say that I don’t miss having a child of my own will be a lie because I do and that has nothing to do with him. I do sometimes miss the joy of seeing your child grow up and being your extension.”

Madhubala married legendary singer-actor Kishore Kumar in 1960. While they had a short-lived marriage, they couldn’t have a child of their own. Reportedly, soon after their wedding, the actress was diagnosed with a heart ailment and was advised against getting pregnant. She passed away on February 23, 1969.