Exclusive: Junaid Khan On Nepotism: "If I Weren't Aamir Khan's Son, I Wouldn't Have Got Maharaj"

Junaid Khan made his impressive debut in Netflix's Maharaj. Recently, Aamir Khan's son joined NDTV Yuva and sat down for a chat. During the conversation, Junaid was asked about nepotism and whether star kids receive special treatment. In response, Junaid Khan said, "I think as actors, we are often testing for a lot of things. Kabhi-kabhi kuch parts apko milte hai, kabhi-kabhi nahi milte hai. Maharaj ke pehle kuch filkmein thi jiske liye maine auditions diye the, vo nahi hui. [I think as actors, we often audition for a lot of things. Sometimes you get certain parts, sometimes you do not. Before Maharaj, there were films for which I auditioned but did not get.]" He also confirmed that he auditioned for a role in his father's film Laal Singh Chaddha but did not get selected.

Junaid Khan also acknowledged that if he were not Aamir Khan's son, he might not have secured a role in Maharaj. He said, “I will also admit ki if I was not Aamir Khan's son, I would probably have not gotten Maharaj. That is also very much a fact.”

Maharaj is based on the 1862 Maharaj libel case. In the movie, Junaid Khan plays the role of a journalist, Karsandas Mulji.

During the conversation, Junaid Khan shared insights about his character. He said, “Karsandas ji ka jo kirdaar hai, it was interesting kyuki unke bare me hame actually itna kuch pata nahi hai vo kaise the kyuki ye 150 saal purani kahani hai. Jo kuch bhi hame unke bare me pta hai, hume unke article ke through pta hai, unki likhai ke through pta hai. Jo character bnana based on somebody's writing. Hamari film ke writers Sneha aur Vipul bhai ne jo kiya, usse kaafi help mila mujhe to find that character of a journalist. [Karsandas ji's character is interesting because we do not know much about him. It is a 150-year-old story. What we know comes from his articles and writings. Creating a character based on someone's writing was challenging, but the film's writers, Sneha (Desai) and Vipul (Mehta), really helped me find the essence of a journalist.]”

Maharaj has been directed by Siddharth P Malhotra. The film also features Sharvari Wagh and Shalini Pandey in key roles.