Bollywood’s renowned actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan recently spoke candidly about the box office performance of his son Junaid Khan’s debut romantic comedy, ‘Loveyapa’, which co-starred Khushi Kapoor. In a revealing interview with Raj Shamani, Khan not only defended his son’s work but also shared his strong views on the ongoing nepotism debate in Bollywood.A father’s support and praise for Junaid’s performanceDuring the conversation, Aamir expressed that his children’s lives and futures hold more importance to him than his own. Discussing Loveyapa, he admitted, “Loveyapa aayi, nahin chali. Mujhe to film achi lagi thi (Loveyapa didn’t work, but I liked it).” He further praised his son’s performance, noting that Junaid did a commendable job. The Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood, particularly highlighted what he called the “amazing quality” of his son’s ability to embody a character distinctly different from his real-life persona.Blaming “nepotism” for Loveyapa’s poor receptionWhen asked about the reasons behind Loveyapa’s struggle at the box office, Aamir argued that the film faced a significant “negative backlash.” He explicitly pointed to the nepotism debate as a major factor. “Vo troll bahut hui film… nepotism mein bahut chali gayi ki yaar nepotism, ye nepokids hain… jabki Junaid aur main aise hain hi nahin (The film was widely trolled. It got into a nepotism debate that they’re nepo-kids while me and Junaid are not like that),” he stated.Khan elaborated on his stance by citing his sister, Nikhat Khan, as an example, emphasizing that she began acting at the age of 50 and consistently secured roles based on screen tests, without his intervention. He stressed that providing work to close relatives is something he simply “can’t do” if it compromises the film’s integrity. “Up till now, I have not interfered in Junaid’s career, nor do I want to,” the 60-year-old actor affirmed.On nepotism and limits of supportThe superstar also reflected on his earlier attempts to support his brother, Faisal Khan, in his career. He recalled working with Faisal in Mela after his brother’s debut film flopped. Despite his immense efforts, Khan admitted that he ultimately realized he couldn’t genuinely help someone succeed in the film industry unless they possessed the innate talent and destiny for it.He concluded on a poignant note, acknowledging the limits of his influence: “Main upar wale se prarthna kar sakta hoon ki mera success usko (Junaid) de do iske aage main kuch nahin kar sakta hoon (I can only pray to God to give all my success to Junaid and nothing more than that).” This statement underscores his belief that true success in cinema is beyond mere connections and ultimately rests on individual merit and fate.
