Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan’s highly anticipated film, will be released on August 11. The film, an adaptation of Forrest Gump, also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and is directed by Advait Chandan, who also directed Secret Superstar. Aamir revealed to selected media ahead of the film’s release that he wanted his son Junaid Khan to play the titular role at one point during the film’s pre-production.
When a journalist asked if he watched Tom Hanks’ performance to get a feel for the character, the ‘perfectionist’ said no and that it never occurred to him to watch the film. “I saw Forrest Gump a long time ago, but when the script came to me, that became my project.” We never watched the first one. We saw a few scenes for reference during the shoot, but never the entire film. “However, something strange happened while we were trying to make the film,” he revealed.
Aamir Khan went on to say that while Advait had done an excellent job with Superstar Singer, he wasn’t sure if he could trust him with Laal Singh Chaddha. As a result, he asked him to form his own crew and shoot a few select scenes. Junaid had just returned from LA after his training, and Aamir suggested Advait shoot the test video with him. “That way, it became a test for both of them,” the Dangal actor added with a smile.
Aamir stated that he was astounded when he saw the test video with his ex-wife Kiran Rao. The proud father praised Junaid’s performance, saying he saw Laal in his son. “I was aware of mera chance gaya” (My chance was gone). Laal’s innocence was out there, and I’d have to play it out. I showed the film to nearly 100 people, including family, friends, and colleagues ranging from Raju Hirani to Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, and 98 of them agreed that I should take him.”
However, the scriptwriter and actor Atul Kulkarni, as well as Aditya Chopra, were adamant that Aamir should do the film instead. “They argued that because the film was episodic rather than plot driven, a newcomer shouldn’t do it.” “After long arguments, I finally bought their reasoning,” Aamir explained, adding that Junaid’s performance in Laal Singh Chaddha influenced him instead of Tom Hanks. He went on to say that his son chose the right sur (mood) for the character, and he did the same for his performance.
If you’re wondering how Junaid Khan reacted to this development, Aamir Khan revealed that his son is a very practical person who was initially opposed to doing the film because he felt it was too expensive for a newcomer. Aamir, on the other hand, stated that while the episode was disappointing for the young actor, it must have taught him an important lesson.
“Sometimes you’re really good, but the time isn’t right,” Aamir Khan said. He also acknowledged that the situation was difficult for him as a father, but they had to do it for the film.