Aamir Khan He opened up about working with his son Junaid Khanrevealing that the young actor chose to build his career independently without using his father’s name or influence in the industry.Speaking to Zee Music Company, Aamir shared that Junaid consciously did not shy away from capitalizing on his family background and went through the grapevine of auditions and rejections on his own.“He is not trying to emulate me at all. Woh mujhe bilkul follow bhi nahi karta jis tarah maine apna karrera kiya hai. Woh bilkul apna path khud bana raha hai,” said Aamir.
‘Media mein kisi ko pata nahi tha yeh mera beta hai’
The actor revealed that Junaid had trained in theater before moving to Mumbai and would regularly meet casting directors for auditions. According to Aami, very few people in the industry knew that Junaid was his son at that time.“Usne theater seekha. Uske baad Bombay aake theater kiya aur casting directors se milta tha. Media mein itna usko kisi ne dekha bhi nahi tha. They didn’t know he was my son. Maine bhi kabhi kisi ko bataya nahi,” he said.Aamir added that Junaid faced multiple rejections before landing Maharaj.“8-10 dafa woh rejected hua auditions mein. Role suit hona zaroori bhi hota hai. Finally usko Maharaj mili,” he shared.The superstar also recalled that he heard about Junaid’s casting through filmmaker Aditya Chopra.“Adi ne mujhe bola, ‘I have auditioned your son for a film and I am making a film with him’.” Toh maine kaha, ‘Oh achha, surprise!’” said Aamir.
‘He doesn’t like using my name’
Aamir emphasized that Junaid has always preferred to create his own identity instead of depending on his father’s stardom.“He doesn’t like using my name. He doesn’t like using me,” the actor said flatly.The actor also explained why he felt Junaid was the perfect choice for the role, saying the character’s shy and introverted personality matched his son’s real-life demeanor.“He is a bit of a geek in real life too. Introvert hai ladka, diffident hai… mujhe laga is the right actor for the role and he has done a wonderful job,” shares Aamir.
“Trying to make up for lost time”
During the interaction, Aamir also got emotional when talking about fatherhood and admitted that he regrets not spending enough time with his children because of his career.“Mujhe lagta hai maine apne bachchon ko itna waqt nahi diya. Ab main make up karne ki koshish kar raha hoon,” he confessed.Calling it a very emotional opportunity to work with Junaid, Aamir added, “Yeh ek tarah se pehli choice mili hai as a father ki main kuch karun apne bete ke liye. I am very grateful for that.”However, the actor clarified that he would never cast a family member in a movie unless they were really right for the part.“Meri films mein aisa kabhi nahi hoga ki main apne bete ko le loon, apni family ko le loon jab tak woh film ke liye sahi na ho. Main usmein bilkul believe nahi karta,” he concluded.
