Junaid Khan opens up about love, family values, and his upcoming film Loveyapa, sharing insights into his career and personal journey

Prathamesh Jadhav

Unassuming and at ease, Junaid Khan is gearing up for his next, titled Loveyapa. What distinguishes Aamir Khan’s son from the current crop of actors, notoriously and at times unfairly referred to as the nepokids, is the fact that the things about and around Junaid come across as organic. He is pleasantly awkward, smiles quite often, and much like his superstar dad, prefers his long pauses before giving answers. The Free Press Journal sits down with the 31-year-old for an exclusive, freewheeling chat.

“Love ka siyapa—it’s the combination of two words. That explains the title of our film. I believe love, as an emotion, is very primal to us human beings, and it’s universal—transcending boundaries of religion, race, and region,” expresses Khan junior.

“Most of these barriers, which come along in the pursuit of finding and culminating love, are self-created. I am a little old-school when it comes to love. I think we need to work on ourselves first, and our film talks exactly about that in a fun way. And yes, of course, I have been in love too. Who hasn’t! But I don’t think I have experienced any siyappa there, as you wouldn’t know at what point in an equation one can define siyappa! I think the first heartbreak is always very special, though,” confesses the charming lad, who looks too simple to do any siyappa!

Quiz him about the striking simplicity of his being, and Junaid responds without batting an eyelid. “I am thankful to my family for that. Mom always believed that we should be comfortable in all situations, kyunki zindagi ka koi bharosa nahi hai. You should be comfortable in an AC car and in an auto rickshaw, bus, or a train. You should be comfortable in a five-star hotel as well as in a dhaaba. You should not feel out of place because life can take you anywhere,” he stresses without philosophising.

“I think it’s also about practicality, yaar. I mean getting around the city like Mumbai,” says the man wearing a jacket in the humid conditions of the island city. “Oh no, man, again, not my clothes! Somebody told me to wear it, so I am wearing it. The marketing and the PR team insist on me wearing these clothes, so I wear them. Otherwise, in Mumbai, I would never wear a jacket as it’s never the weather for donning a jacket,” he laughs!

“Also, the whole family is very simple. We are very open and liberal, also multicultural and multilingual people. And that always helps as we were always encouraged to talk about anything with our family members. I still remember an aunt told me when I became a teenager, ‘Anything you can do to rebel, don’t worry, we have already done it—and worse!’” adds Junaid.

Transitioning from an intense landscape in his film Maharaj to a more slice-of-life romantic zone with his second outing, Junaid reflects, “I think the part I played in Maharaj is closer to my personality in real life. I don’t think I would have cast myself for the part in Loveyapa. I loved the hook of the title and the idea of phone swapping, but I am very different from the role I play in the endeavour,” he adds.

Working with Khushi Kapoor, Junaid confesses that both he and Khushi are very quiet people, a bit introverted, so when the two met for the first time, the answers and responses were ‘monosyllabic’. “I think things evolved as we did more prep for the film. But she just took off the minute she was put in the work-space.

She simply lights up! I have never had the opportunity to meet the late Sridevi ji, but Boney uncle (Khushi’s father) is one of the most fun people. You can sit with him for hours, as he has some of the best stories to tell. I think I would rather sit and chat with Boney uncle than my father. Dad ke saath woh ghar ki murgi daal barabar wala situation arises,” concludes Junaid.