Aamir Khan has been a name synonymous to Indian cinema for a long time, but with his most recent interview, he stole the spotlight not as the unparalleled actor he is but as a father, as the superstar opened up on his experience with fatherhood at a conclave with a leading news channel. During the interview, the actor also opened up about his eldest child, Junaid Khan who is all set to make his own debut in Bollywood.
Talking about Junaid Khan’s interest in theatre and being an introvert, shy child, Aamir shares, “He is very intrested in theatre. Junaid ke baare mein, main aapko bataun toh woh bohot he zaheen hai. Class mein jo bacha first aata hai na, jo bhi subject puchho toh har cheez ka javaab aata hai, uss type ka bacha hai Junaid. Lekin jab woh bada ho raha tha, 10 mein aaya toh Reena aur main kaafi concerned aur pareshan the ki woh academics mein, padhai-likhai mein bohot tez tha, har subject mein, lekin woh logo se baat-cheet karne mein bohot sharmaata tha.”
Talking about how Junaid wants to be a self-made person, Aamir adds, “Actually he is very introvert, Junaid jo hai aapne shayad uski photo bhi nahi dekhi hogi. Bohot saare log bolte hain ki humne aapke bete ka chehra hi nahi dekha. He is very shy, woh zyada bahar nahi jata, woh alag kisam ka banda hai. Jaise ke abhi woh 30 saal ka hai, aur matlab bachpan se jaise har parents chahate hain ki woh apne bacho ke liye behtar se behtar cheez karein, toh main chaha raha tha ki mein uske liye jab woh school jaye, kahin bhi ghumne jaaye toh mein gaadi le loon. And aaj tak usne mujhko allow nahi kiya gaadi lene ke liye, woh aaj tak public transport use karta hai, bus mein jata hai, train mein jata hai. Abhi 2-3 mahine pehle woh, Pondicherry mein tha usne kaha, papa main jaa raha hoon Banglore mere dost ki shaadi hai, toh I said flight kitne baje ki hai, and he said nahi, main overnight bus mein jaa raha hoon, state bus mein. Toh uska totally, apna apna khud ka andaaz hai, he is a very independent person, he likes to live life in his own way and I am very proud of him because he wants to be a self-made person. Toh woh khud apne aap har cheez karta hai, woh theatre karta hai, pichle chaar paanch saal se.”
When asked by the anchor as to how he does theatre as an introvert, Aamir clarifies, “Introvert hai, creative hai, lekin matlab woh party-warty mein nahi jaata, kaam mein introvert nahi hai, kaam mein ek dam josh mein kaam karta hai, lekin zyada bahar nahi jata. But something happened in his life actually, which changed him and this is a very odd thing, bohot chhoti cheez bhi hai- Jab college usne join kiya 11 mein toh, bade achhe marks laaye the, top college mein gaya lekin, mujhe fikar thi issi bat ki. Lekin ek hafte mein, maine dekha ki uska behaviour change ho raha hai dheere dheere, aur maine pucha ki kya hua toh usne ek club join kiya tha, ‘Rotaract Club’, jaise Rotary club hota hai na, vaise Rotaract club join kiya usne. Aur uss Rotaract club join karne ke baad, usme itne activities hote hain, social cheeze organise karte hein bacche, college ke events organise karte hein, 365 din mein kuch unke 400 events hote hain, woh ek saal mein maine usme badlav dekha. I think that meeting childern his age, interacting with them, working on the streets with everyone, really made him confident and that is a big change in him. Toh woh itna introvert tha ki mujhe takleef hoti thi, lekin ab mujhe lagta hai ki woh sahi ho gaya, usne film produce kar li toh ab toh tension hi nahi hai.”
Before stepping into the world of cinema, Junaid Khan dedicated six years to the world of theater. His journey began in August 2017 with director Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Mother Courage and Her Children,’ a biting satire on the absurdity of war. This marked the beginning of a passionate pursuit of the craft of acting.
On the work front, with Junaid’s debut “Maharaj” and the reported, untitled love story set in the enchanting Japanese winters, Junaid is all set to usher in a new phase – and considering how his untitled next with Sai Pallavi is a fairytale romance set against picturesque Japanese winters, it gives the audiences much to look forward to!
