'Maharaj' story felt inherently dramatic: Junaid Khan on 'unconventional' acting

It was a lovely script and a story that was inherently dramatic says Junaid Khan about Maharaj a social drama that marks his debut in the Hindi film industryWhile it was always meant for a directtodigital release on Netflix the Yash Raj Films project landed quietly on the streamer on Friday night without much fanfare and prerelease promotionDirected by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra Maharaj features Junaid son of superstar Aamir Khan and producer Reena Dutta in the role of the reallife 19th century social reformer Karsandas Mulji His debut comes almost four decades after his father burst on the scene as a romantic hero in 1988s Qayamat Se Qayamat TakI dont know about it being an unconventional debut because YRF is a big banner and Sid sir wanted me in the film The story is inherently very dramatic I have been doing theatre in Mumbai since 2017 Sid sir asked me to come and test for this film I didnt think of it as conventional or unconventional Junaid told PTI in an interview when asked if the film was an unconventional choice as a newcomerAsked whether he thought a romantic story would have been a safer bet the actor said I guess producers and directors didnt see me in romantic dramas You do the work you get but it was a lovely script It is such a wide medium I dont think there is any protection in films Maharaj based on an 1862 libel case involving Mulji and a Vaishnavite religious leader briefly ran into legal trouble with the members of the sect filing a petition in the Gujarat High Court against the film While the premiere was delayed by a week the high court cleared its release after a brief stay observing that it did not target any religion Junaid who has two more films in the making one of them with Aamir Khan Productions is happy the matter was resolved sooner than laterAlso starring Jaideep Ahlawat Sharvari and Shalini Pandey the movie was previously scheduled to be released on Netflix on June 14 It is based on Saurabh Shahs Gujarati novel of the same name It is a sensitive topic for sure but I think Sid sir and Adi sir made it very sensitively Certain things happened before the release of the film without context But alls well that ends well I dont think the film was intended to hurt anybody And I dont think it has hurt anybody who has seen the film he saidThe actor studied at the Los Angelesbased American Academy of Dramatics and Arts for three years Upon his return in 2017 he honed his skills on stageAamir Junaid said has known about his aspiration to become an actor for almost a decadeAsked whether he discussed his debut project with his father he said Film ke baare mein itna discussion nahi hua Papa se It is not his film and he is busy with his work Sid sir and Adi sir showed him the film He liked it and had some suggestions They took some of it and didnt take the othersHe would normally give advice if you have specific questions for him But beyond that he does not get too much into our lives He lets us be If you have a specific question then he is very helpful actually Junaid is currently in Delhi shooting for a projectI dont know how much I should talk about those films because producers havent announced them yet but one is being made by AKP and another by Phantom Films For now there are these two projects and then we will see I am supposed to be on stage in September I keep myself busy I have the year pretty packed the actor addedMalhotra said he fell in love with the subject when he read the novel and then watched its theatrical production The story was not widely known but is a popular one in Gujarat he addedThe director known for YRFs Hichki said he essentially saw it as a David vs Goliath story of a powerful man and a young reformer who challenges his ideology We are fools when we start falling in love with a subject without thinking that it is going to fall into trouble When you realise it is going to fall into trouble then you double check your intent and you realise your intent was correct because I am not going against any religion or community Malhotra said referring to the delay in the release Maharaj People from the community are my writers they are working on the film as actors So let people see the film and find the context My wife is from the community and I have never disrespected anyone in my life then why would I do this story I didnt think that this would happen before the release he added PTI BK RDS RDSThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever