Was 16 when I fell in love with theatre, says Junaid Khan

Mumbai: Junaid Khan, the son of Bollywood icon Aamir Khan and producer Reena Dutta, says he would continue to straddle the twin worlds of theatre and cinema throughout his career, as each offers a unique form of satisfaction for his passion for acting.

The newcomer, who studied theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and briefly worked for their repertory company, made his film debut in 2024 with period drama Maharaj.

While there are technical differences between cinema and theatre, at the end of the day, acting is acting, he said.

"Once you get used to it (doing both film and theatre) it is not difficult. I love theatre, that's why I do it, and I’ll keep doing it all my life. I was a 16-year-old (when I fell in love with theatre).

"I was shy but I always wanted to go in front of people, be comfortable and make a fool of myself. Between the seven to eight plays I did, I must have done 100 or 110 shows cumulatively,” Junaid told PTI in an interview here.

The actor said he wants to be part of “good” stories irrespective of the genre of the movie.

“I wish to work with good people and have that trust that it (those films) will do well. I’m fairly genre-agnostic,” he added.

Junaid is awaiting the release of his second film Loveyapa. The romantic-comedy, also starring Khushi Kapoor, is directed by Advait Chandan of “Laal Singh Chaddha” starring Aamir.

Loveyapa, backed by Phantom Studios and AGS Entertainment, is set to be released in theatres on February 7.

The actor said he hopes he has “grown” as an artist in his journey from Maharaj to Loveyapa.

“For me, this film was very different, and every director has their own way of working. You often have to take your cues from that. ‘Maharaj’ had a very senior crew, while on this film we had a brand-new team, like a first-time director of photography, and production designer.” Described as a “tangled tale of love and its complications with a mix of fun and laughter”, “Loveyapa” is the story of a young couple, played by Junaid and Khushi, whose lives take a turn when many secrets come to light after they exchange their smartphones.

Loveyapa marks his first theatrical release as Maharaj directly arrived on streaming platform Netflix on June 21, 2024.

Watching a movie in a theatre is a unique experience in itself, the actor said as he recalled going to single-screen cinema halls when he was a student at Mumbai's H.R. College of Commerce and Economics.

“I go to theatres less than I used to earlier. During my college days, I used to watch anything and everything. I was in HR college, so between Eros and Regal (single-screen cinemas) we would go to watch movies, and if we had more money then go to Sterling (multiplex)” he said.

Junaid is happy that his father Aamir has been around to show his support for his second movie, Loveyapa.

“I think he was being hard on himself... He is very busy, he has five films that he is producing of which he is acting in one. He is trying to be around a little more… He has been supportive.” When asked about the plans to celebrate Aamir’s 60th birthday on March 14, the actor said they hadn’t planned anything keeping in mind his father’s busy schedule and unpredictable nature.

“Papa tends to do things last minute. He is still shooting for his film, promotions are going on (for ‘Loveyapa’), and he has three edits going on.

“We should let him do the planning because you never know what he is up to. He could be like, ‘I have to work. Sorry, I’m doing a double shift shooting on my 60th birthday’. Anything is possible," he quipped.

Junaid has a third film in the pipeline, titled Ek Din, in which he is paired with Sai Pallavi. The film is directed by first-timer Sunil Pandey and produced by Aamir.

“It was great fun (working with Sai). She has done a lot of work. She has done some 10 to 12 films already so she has seniority in that sense. She is fantastic,” he said.