How Junaid Khan lost on roles in Laapataa Ladies, Laal Singh Chaddha? Actor reveals

Junaid Khan recently opened up about how he lost crucial roles in Laapataa Ladies and Laal Singh Chaddha. The son of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan revealed how his step-mother Kiran Rao ultimately chose Sparsh Shrivastava over him. For the unversed, the actor has embarked on his Bollywood journey with Maharaj and currently gearing up for his next romantic drama, Loveyapa.

In a recent chat, Junaid disclosed that he was initially considered for a role in Aamir Khan’s 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha, but ultimately didn't make the cut due to budget constraints. He shared that he had filmed 7-8 scenes for the film over four days. Kiran portrayed his mother in the test scenes.  “It was a test for me as well. Papa wanted to see how I dealt with the material. Ultimately, it didn’t work out, largely due to budget reasons. It was a very expensive film to put a new person in,” he said. For the uninitiated, Aamir not only starred in the lead role of Laal Singh Chaddha but also co-produced the film. The movie is an Indian adaptation of the iconic 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks.

Further, Junaid shared his unfortunate luck with Kiran’s Laapataa Ladies, the film which is India’s official entry for the Oscars this year. However, the film failed to make it to the nomination list. Junaid said that after his screen test, Kiran decided that Sparsh was a better fit for the part, and he agreed with her assessment. “Laapataa Ladies was a very different scenario. I did a screen test for the film, but Kiran just said, ‘Sparsh Shrivastava is better for the part,’ and I agree with her. He was better suited for the role,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Junaid will next be seen in Loveyapa, a romantic drama directed by Advait Chandan. The film stars Khushi Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor’s sister who debuted with The Archies, as the female lead. The film is scheduled to arrive in the theatres in February.