Did you know Junaid Khan auditioned for Laapataa Ladies but couldn’t crack the role?

Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan, who made his acting debut with Netflix’s Maharaj, said he auditioned for Laapataa Ladies, however, the role ultimately went to Sparsh Shrivastava. The film was produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Kiran Rao.

Junaid Khan couldn’t grab a role in Laapataa Ladies in spite of appearing for a screen test. In a conversation with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Junaid reflected on the audition process. He said, “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.”

Despite not being cast, Junaid mentioned that the decision did not impact his relationship with his stepmother Kiran, describing her as a “very fun and warm person.”

Junaid Khan had also tested for Laal Singh Chadha. He mentioned that he had even shot 20 minutes of footage for the film featuring Kiran Rao. Speaking about why it didn’t work out for him, he said, “You would have seen me in Laal Singh Chaddha because I tested for it, along with Kiran Rao. She played my mother. We shot 7-8 scenes for the film over four days, amounting to about 20 minutes of footage. 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.”

In Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan played the titular role, and he co-produced the film, which was an official remake of the 1994 American classic Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks.

Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan along with Jyoti Deshpande, was chosen as India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in the Best International Film category. However, the film did not make it to the shortlist. The cast includes Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan.