Actor Junaid Khan says three of Bollywood’s biggest icons — his father Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan — have done “fantastic work” for decades and that’s the reason behind their longevity in showbiz. Junaid, who made his acting debut with the 2024 period drama Maharaj, was recently in Lucknow for the staging of his play “Runaway Brides”.
“They’ve all been at the top of their game not just for years but for almost three decades, close to 40 years. That is no small feat. They’ve done fantastic work for decades, which isn’t easy,” the actor told PTI when asked about the trio’s enduring legacy.
Do comparisons with his father burden him? Dismissing the notion, Junaid said: “It hasn’t happened to me so far. Papa and I are physically very different, so we’d never play similar kinds of characters. It doesn’t bother me, and I haven’t experienced it yet.” The actor was in Lucknow for the 12th edition of the Repertwahr festival.
Junaid, 31, expressed delight at the reception of his comedy-drama “Runaway Brides”, directed by Faezeh Jalali. “It was a lovely experience here. The energy was great, and the audience has been fantastic,” he said. This marked his third visit to the city, following previous trips for a friend’s wedding and his 2019 play, “Bone of Contention”, staged at the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
On balancing his passion for theatre with a growing film career, the newcomer said, “For stage plays, you need to dedicate about six to eight weeks. After that, it’s about taking out a couple of days for rehearsals and performances.” Despite juggling projects across mediums, he emphasised that theatre remains his first love.
“Theatre is my passion. I’ve been performing in India since 2017, after training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and briefly working for their repertory company. Since then, I’ve done about seven to eight plays and a hundred shows,” he added.
Junaid also shared his admiration for actors across generations. “There are so many fantastic actors like (Amitabh) Bachchan sahab, Irrfan Khan, Shah Rukh, Kareena (Kapoor Khan), Rani (Mukerji), and Shabana Azmi, who excel both on screen and stage,” he said. However, assessing performances, especially in films, isn’t something he engages in.
“A film performance depends so heavily on the director and the technical setup. On stage, you can evaluate a performance, but it doesn’t hold much value for films,” he remarked.
Junaid has two theatrical releases lined up for 2025. “I have a film produced by Phantom Films releasing on February 7. It’s a fun rom-com starring Khushi Kapoor, quite different from my last period drama Maharaj,” he said. The other project is a film directed by Sunil Pandey and backed by his father’s banner Aamir Khan Productions.
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