Aamir Khan has opened up about working with son Junaid Khan, revealing 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 stayed away from leveraging his family background and instead went through the grind of auditions and rejections on his own.“He doesn’t try to emulate me at all. Woh mujhe bilkul follow bhi nahi karta jis tarah maine apna career kiya hai. Woh bilkul apna path khud bana raha hai,” Aamir said.
‘Media mein kisi ko pata nahi tha yeh mera beta hai’
The actor revealed that Junaid trained in theatre before moving to Mumbai and regularly meeting casting directors for auditions. According to Aamir, very few people in the industry even knew Junaid was his son at the time.“Usne theatre seekha. Uske baad Bombay aake theatre kiya aur casting directors se milta tha. Media mein itna usko kisi ne dekha bhi nahi tha. They did not know he is my son. Maine bhi kabhi kisi ko bataya nahi,” he said.Aamir added that Junaid faced multiple rejections before finally landing Maharaj.“8-10 dafa woh reject hua auditions mein. Role suit hona zaroori bhi hota hai. Finally usko Maharaj mili,” he shared.The superstar further recalled that he himself came to know about Junaid’s casting through filmmaker Aditya Chopra.“Adi ne mujhe bola, ‘I have tested your son for a film and I am making a film with him.’ Toh maine kaha, ‘Oh achha, surprise!’” Aamir said.
‘He doesn’t like to use my name’
Aamir stressed that Junaid has always preferred creating his own identity rather than depending on his father’s stardom.“He doesn’t like to use my name. He doesn’t like to use me,” the actor said candidly.The actor also explained why he felt Junaid was the perfect choice for the role, saying the character’s shy and introverted personality naturally matched his son’s real-life demeanor.“He is rather geeky in real life also. Introvert hai ladka, diffident hai… mujhe laga he is the right actor for that role and he has done a wonderful job,” Aamir shared.
‘I am trying to make up for lost time’
During the interaction, Aamir also became emotional while speaking 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 the opportunity to work with Junaid deeply emotional, Aamir added, “Yeh ek tarah se pehli opportunity 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 family members in films unless they were genuinely 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.
