New Delhi:
The nepotism debate has been a hot topic in the Bollywood circuit for the longest time. At the end of the day, the argument is always about who lasted after the big biased Bollywood launch.
Aamir Khan’s eldest son Junaid Khan seems to be traversing from the other end of the pole when it comes to his Bollywood debut which was on OTT.
Maharaj was Junaid Khan’s OTT debut film. Set against the backdrop of 1862 Bombay, it is the story of Karsandar Muji (Junaid Khan), a journalist and social reformer who makes it his mission to expose a powerful religious leader Jadunathji Maharaj (Jaideep Ahlawat), based on the latter sexually exploiting his female followers. These bhakts are blinded by their faith in him and unknowingly walk into his trap as he manipulates their minds. As the film progresses, Jadunathji resists and hits back at Karsandas by suing him for defamation. The climax closes on the court case where Karsandas defends himself against the ongoing libel suit and succeeds in exposing Jadunathji on his unacceptable misconduct. The final verdict leads to initiating criminal proceedings against the “Maharaj”.
So Didn’t Maharaj Negate The “Glamorous” Bollywood Debut Tradition For A Star Kid?
Now for someone who has the tag of “Aamir Khan’s son” so deeply attached to him, the nepotism-dissing bandwagon would automatically envision a splashy debut for the actor.
Maharaj was anything but that.
Interestingly, Junaid Khan himself is anything but “out there”.
He is shy and simple. So relatable is he that the very pitch of nepotism that is perched on how everything is handed over on a silver platter seems out of context in Junaid Khan’s case.
He didn’t go for a typical blingy debut film where he is paired opposite the perfect “Hindi cinema heroine”, no romancing on mountain tops, no couture wardrobe drama, no big banner promotions or method-dressing to look his onscreen part, and most interestingly, no stirring theatrical release – in a nutshell, no showsha.
Junaid Khan went against the very outline of what the introduction of a “Nepo-kid” should be like.
If anything, the 32-year-old got embroiled in a court case, where the film faced legal charges from a religious group for allegedly hurting their sentiments. His film which was earlier supposed to be released on June 14, 2024, in theatres, was then discreetly redirected for a Direct-To-OTT release on Netflix, on June 21, 2024, once the stay order from the Gujarat High Court was lifted.
A Debut Film’s “Debut” Controversy
As mentioned earlier, the storyline of Maharaj was based on the real-life 1862 libel case, which was a very sensitive topic. This invited the wrath of a certain section of followers of the Vaishnavite Pustimargi sect, and was dedicated to God Shree Krishna. The followers objected that the film’s portrayal of the issue might lead to severe distortion of religious practices and unwanted hatred amid people. They moved the Gujarat High Court, stating potential violations of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and self-regulation norms for OTT platforms.
The Gujarat High Court stuck to its decision of holding back the release of Maharaj until further hearings but ultimately lifted the ban which led to its Netflix release. The court emphasized on the need to strike a balance between artistic expression with communal harmony.
The decision of going low on the fanfare of marketing the film was also consciously made, to not trigger the religious groups any further.
The result was ultimately a warm response to Junaid Khan, welcoming him with open arms to the movies. At the end of the day, the strategy of letting content be the king truly worked in his favour.
The Boy-Next-Door Guide Ft. Junaid Khan
There was a phase where Junaid Khan was probably, even found a little of an oddball for picking public transport over flashy cars to travel.
Paparazzi pictures and videos of the actor hailing autos and walking down the streets like every other ordinary passerby seemed to be a refreshingly new sight for the internet. Because which star kid would bask in such comfort and simplicity in today’s age?
In several interviews, Junaid Khan has mentioned how he chose to pick practicality over luxury in a city like Mumbai, where public transport would help in wading past the insane traffic. He reiterated there was no philosophical angle to the way of life he chose, but one of efficiency. The wealth his family has was in no way a deciding factor for him on how he wanted to make his everyday life, a tad bit easier.
Mumbaikars would mostly miss Junaid Khan passing by them, as he would be clad in a simple tee and shorts with his trademark “backpack” slung over his shoulder.
Not every style statement has to come with a glossy designer tag, right?
A Case Of Mistaken Identity
Since we are on the topic of mistaking Junaid Khan as the Nepo child that he shall forever be on the edge with, a recent incident shall put that thought into perspective.
Two days back at the premiere of Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par, Junaid Khan was blocked by Salman Khan’s bodyguard from approaching the Sikandar star.
It was simply a case of not identifying him as Aamir Khan’s son.