Aamir Khan opens up about son Junaid Khan’s Bollywood debut: ‘Aditya Chopra saw one of his screen tests and liked it and offered him a script’
Written by Sneh Chaudhry on March 14, 2022
Aamir Khan turns 57 today, March 14. With him making movies at his pace, the actor’s son Junaid Khan is following his footsteps and is set to make his Bollywood debut with Yash Raj Films’ project, reportedly titled Maharaja. The film is reportedly based on Maharaj Libel Case. In 1862, the head of a religious section had filed a case against a newspaper that had exposed his sexual exploitation of female devotees. Junaid Khan is set to play the role of journalist Karsandas Mulji.
“Junaid will be entering the industry soon. I have always told my kids that I will support them in whatever they wish to learn. Once, Junaid approached me and said that he wants to learn theatre. I asked him whether he has any interests in films, to which he answered that while he has an interest in films, he is more interested in theatres and wants to learn that. He then went to a drama school in LA and was mentored there for 2 years and worked for another year at a company. Then he returned to Bombay and did around 5-6 plays in the city,” Aamir Khan told News18 in conversation ahead of his birthday on March 14.
“Wherever there was screen testing for the casting of any film, Junaid used to reach there. He went for a screen test for Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy but was not selected there. He never mentioned to anyone that he was my son. That’s neither my nature nor his. So, he made his own journey. He learnt theatre, he did plays, he got rejected from 15-20 places,” the actor further said about his son’s auditions.
Aamir further revealed how Junaid Khan bagged the Yash Raj Films project. “Ultimately, he got a film with Yashraj. Coincidentally, Adi (Aditya Chopra) saw one of his screen tests and liked it and offered him a script. The screen test was not for one of his films but he liked him as an actor and decided that he wants to work with him. He called me one day to inform me that he has a role for Junaid but I told him to speak with Junaid directly as he takes his own decisions. Then Junaid listened to the script and gave the screen test for the role and got selected for the part. So it makes me happy to think that he had his own journey from the very beginning,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan will next star in Laal Singh Chaddha. The film is the Indian adaptation of Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump. It stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mona Singh, Naga Chaitanya among others. The film is set for the August 2022 release.
