Beyond nepotism, Maharaj's Junaid Khan is the most stunning debut in a very long time (2024)

When the Netflix film 'Maharaj' hit the screens, all we knew was that it featured Jaideep Ahlawat, a man with superb acting skills, and Aamir Khan's son, Junaid Khan, who was making his screen debut with this one. He was just another nepo-kid, trying his hand at making it big on OTT first before entering Bollywood - a league that most star-kids have started to choose lately.

Little did we know that Junaid would come out as a whiff of fresh air, a perfect non-hero-like hero, rising above all the conventional qualities that a quintessential Bollywood actor boasts. Very little was known about him anyway. So, when he took over the screen, playing a determined journalist from the pre-independence era, you sat up and noticed.

Junaid comes from the legacy of talented artists. His grandfathers, Nasir Hussain and Tahir Hussain, were renowned filmmakers and screenwriters. His father, Aamir Khan, is one of the most celebrated actors in the country, often regarded as Mr. Perfectionist by his fans and the media. Come to think of it, it was a thoughtful decision on the family's part to avoid the big debut promotion for Junaid, in order to save him from all the pressure to do exceptionally well in the name of his father. It might have given him a breathing space, to focus only on his performance - something which brilliantly showed on the screen.

'Maharaj', directed by Siddharth P Malhotra who previously helmed Rani Mukerji-starrer 'Hichki', has its problems. The loose screenplay and the predictable storyline don't let you enjoy it the most. But, Junaid makes it worth your watch. In every scene he features, he delivers the dialogues with the utmost conviction. The clarity in his language and command of Sanskrit and Hindi is such that no new generation star, let alone a star-kid, comes close to him.

Junaid becomes a lover boy, a thinking individual, a fearless warrior and an aware citizen in one character - a quality that other newcomers take ages to find and polish in their acting journey. In a scene where he yearns to smear gulaal on the face of the only woman he loves, he reminds you of his father, Aamir, in the 1996 film 'Raja Hindustani' in which a timid Raja remains cooped up in the beckoning beauty of his madam, Aarti, longing to finally being with her. Junaid doesn't let you make any exception for him, for being new, or for being a star's son. In fact, everytime he shares the screen-space with Ahlawat, one of the finest performers of our time, he makes you gaze at him even more.

In 'Maharaj', he faces camera for the first time in a full-fledged role, in the presence of a blazing co-star, and never flinches. Junaid's performance in the film looks steady, almost as if he's learnt the art of controlling his emotions and giving away just the exact amount required on the camera. In a scene when he finds out about his fiancée dying by suicide, a basic Bollywood hero would give in to the heightened melodrama. But, Junaid gives a poised performance. His heartbreak is internal, and at every moment, his emotions are contained. His outrage at the man causing the death is real and as filmy as the next scene looks with Karsan (his character) issuing a warning to Maharaj, Junaid manages to hold his composure with the most concise form of acting.

His diction is perfect and his demeanour, of an actor who's learnt the most meticulous details of his craft. 'Maharaj' might have been an ordinary story about a man who helped contribute to the changing fabric of the nation on the verge of independence. But, it turns out to be much more than that. It is a celebratory debut of Junaid Khan, the 31-year-old who's here to shine without those six-pack abs, the PR, the brand endorsem*nts or any visible validation from his family. The journey is long, but the man has already received what any newbie in the industry should aim for - the audience's trust, which will take him a long way!