Aamir Khan Says He Was 'Unsure' If Son Junaid Khan Was A Good Actor: 'Mujhse Compare Kiya Jayega...'

Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan, recently made his debut with Netflix’s Maharaj. While Junaid garnered a lot of praise for his performance, his superstar father was worried about him before the release. Aamir, who was unsure about Junaid’s acting skills, was worried about comparisons between father and son. Aamir even warned Junaid that he would not be able to help out in case Junaid didn’t turn out to be a good actor.

Speaking to Rhea Chakraborty on her podcast, Aamir revealed he warned Junaid ahead of his debut and said, “Main actor hoon aur jab aapki pehli film aayegi to aapko mujhse compare kiya jayega aur yeh jo tag hai ‘Aamir Khan ka beta’ yeh aapse kabhi chootega nahin to aap khamkha iss bojh ko utha ke chaloge (I’m an actor and when your first film will come you will be compared to me. You can’t get rid of ‘Aamir Khan’s son’ tag. You will unreasonably be pressurized by it).”

He also admitted that he wasn’t sure if Junaid was a good actor “kyunki voh bohot shy tha (because he was too shy).” “I was worried as a father,” he said. Aamir felt that since he is also shy, people often doubt his acting skills and brush off his opinions and he didn’t want the same fate for his son.

Aamir also warned Junaid that he would not be able to help him if he wasn’t a good actor. He said, “As a son you might feel ke arey aap mere liye film produce kar do, voh mujhse hoga nahi. Agar aapko kaam nahin aata to main aapke saath film produce nahi kar paunga. Main apni audience ko dhokha nahi de sakta hoon (As a son you might feel that I should produce a film for you, but I won’t be able to do that. I can’t fool my audience).” However, after Junaid’s debut, Aamir feels “he has shown a lot of promise”.

In an earlier interview with Puja Talwar, Junaid Khan talked about Aamir’s reaction to the film and his feelings about carrying on his father’s legacy. When asked how Aamir felt about Maharaj, Junaid explained that Aamir generally enjoys most films he watches as an audience, including Maharaj. The only films he might not enjoy are his own, where he’s more critical.