Aamir Khan’s brother Faisal Khan, who, Aamir alleges, is “mentally unfit”. The whole family is divided over this — father Tahir Husain and Faisal on one side and Aamir, his mother and the rest on the other

Remember the cruel father who turned his son out of the house in that old Hindi film? Or the scheming brother who plotted to bring down his own sibling? Or the rich nabobs who sought to create a rift between their son and daughter-in-law? Well, guess what — it’s all happening in real life. And in the Mumbai film industry.

The drama, taking place all this while behind closed doors, is now unfurling on the streets. Earlier this week, actor Aamir Khan was in court, unsuccessfully trying to seek the custody of his one-time actor brother, Faisal Khan. The family has been vertically cleaved — with their father, Tahir Husain, and Faisal on one side, and Aamir, his mother and the rest on the other. Husain and Faisal have accused Aamir of trying to declare his younger brother mentally unfit. Aamir’s family, in a statement, has hit out against the “truly shameful”,”offensive allegations”, and the “pathetic behaviour” of father and son.

“As a family, we have always believed in maintaining our silence and dignity, choosing not to react to the many absurd allegations that are frequently hurled at our loved one, Aamir. But this time we feel the need to express our utter shock, disgust and contempt at the public statements of Tahir Husain and Faisal Khan,” it says.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Had strained relations with brother Ajitabh Bachchan. But seems to have buried the hatchet now

The family answered on behalf of Aamir Khan, who worded an apology on his new website and blog. “My apologies, friends, but my current circumstances are such that I am unable to communicate with y’all in any meaningful way. Please bear with me as these are extraordinarily difficult times for me and my family. Will write in soon, hopefully.”

But Khan’s family squabbles are not the only wars in tinsel town. Some of the top families of filmdom — from the Bachchans to the Kapoors — have been embroiled in some family war or another. Sometimes, the skeletons spill out of the cupboards to the public domain. Sometimes — as in the case of Amitabh’s brother, Ajitabh, who decided not to write a book on the family after announcing that he would — they are pushed right back into the family’s closely-guarded closets.

Some cases are more public than others. Three years ago, actor Amisha Patel threatened to sue her father for Rs 12 crore, alleging that he had “mishandled” her earnings. Patel was in love with director Vikram Bhatt, and the Patels allegedly had a problem with her divorced beau. The family fought bitterly, and Amisha left home, to later allege that her mother had hit her with a slipper.

Kareena Kapoor. She and big sister Karisma Kapoor were apparently made to feel like outcasts in the famous Kapoor khandaan

“We persuaded the two factions to settle out of court,” says one of the lawyers involved in the case. Amisha and Bhatt are still together — and the family still apart. The good times, when the Patel parents, Asha and Amit, named their two children — Amisha and Ashmit — by combining their own names, have long been buried.

One of the most respected Bollywood families — the Kapoors — have had their share of problems, too. Trouble broke out when actor Randhir Kapoor married his Sindhi girlfriend Babita. Babita, industry sources say, was never welcomed into the family — and she and her daughters, Karisma and Kareena, were made to feel like outcasts. Babita, in the eyes of the Kapoors, made things worse when she allowed and encouraged her daughters to act — something that the family didn’t approve of when it came to their daughters.

“But let’s not discuss Karisma and Kareena Kapoor,” says Babita’s sister-in-law, Neetu Singh (who has had her own share of marital problems) when quizzed about her nieces’ relationship with the family.

The family saga that seems to have evened out is that of the Bachchans. Rumour had it that brothers Ajitabh and Amitabh fell out over money matters. But they now seem to have buried the hatchet — Ajitabh was rushing around with his son and would-be daughter-in-law’s horoscopes before Abhishek and Aishwarya got married — and he was of course there at his nephew’s gala wedding.

Amisha Patel. Threatened to sue father Amit Patel for mishandling her earnings. Her parents apparently had a problem with Amisha’s relationship with director Vikram Bhatt (pictured here)

There have been some differences between former actor Jeetendra and his fiercely independent daughter, Ekta, of Balaji films. Ekta is said to have moved out of her paternal house, and is now living on her own.

Another warring family is that of the Bhatts. Bhatt’s parents, Nanabhai Bhatt and Shirin Mohammed Ali, had six offspring — four daughters and two sons, directors Mahesh and Mukesh. Mahesh’s oldest sister, Sheila, is married to producer Darshan Sabharwal, and their sons, Suneel and Dharmesh, are producers-directors.

“We broke off ties with the Darshan family after my mother’s death because we wanted our mother to be buried the Islamic way, but they didn’t want that and thus severed the relationship,” says Mahesh Bhatt.

Half brothers, as Bollywood films often showcased, have their problems, too. Actor Arshad Warsi is the step-brother of former playback singer Anwar. But they refuse to acknowledge each other. Rohit Shetty, who made Zameen and later Golmaal, and Hriday Shetty, who directed Pyar Mein Twist are also half brothers who have little to do with each other.

Now it transpires that Yash Chopra, whose films sell filial happiness — is facing problems on the home front. Talk about a growing relationship between his son, Aditya, who is married and apparently waiting for a divorce, and Rani Mukherjee has caused a rift in the family.

So why are Bollywood families so full of angst? Actually, they are like any other troubled family in any other sphere of life, but get a lot more press. And since they are the official dream merchants, the irony is stark. Clearly, fairy tale lives don’t always have fairy tale endings. And not every story ends with the tag line, “And they lived happily everafter”.