Junaid Khan opened about the debacle of Ek Din.
(Photo: Aamir Khan Productions)Junaid Khan has had a lukewarm career in films so far. His previous two outings, Maharaj and Loveyapa, made headlines for the wrong reasons, and his performances drew criticism from reviewers. Now, his third film, Ek Din, backed by his father Aamir Khan, has also failed to meet expectations, crashing at the box office.
‘Aamir Khan is still hopeful’
Amid the film’s underperformance, Junaid spoke about its reception in a chat with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel. He said, “We were hopeful. But I guess… It didn’t do well. It happens sometimes. It’s a film that I really liked, I really enjoyed. I think we all really liked and enjoyed it, and I guess… a lot of people did really like it, but I guess most people didn’t like it. That happens sometimes.”When asked how his father was taking the film’s debacle, he explained that Aamir often becomes deeply attached to the films he produces and takes time to come to terms with their outcome. “He is still hopeful. Yeah, even after all these years, after seeing everything, it still really bothers him. But he keeps himself busy and gets back to it, and goes back out there and does it all over again.”
Recently, Sai Pallavi, who made her Bollywood debut with Ek Din, said that she felt perhaps she was miscast in the film. When Junaid was asked about the same, he clarified his stance: “She didn’t say that. She was misquoted in the sense that when we were chatting, when she first saw the film and Sai Pallavi is the kind of person who is a little diffident, so she was not very thrilled with her work. We all think she’s spectacular in the film. But she is the kind of person who feels like, ‘I could have done better,’ or ‘maybe somebody else should have been there’.”
Also Read | Sai Pallavi miscast in Ek Din? Even Aamir Khan hasn’t gotten his own roles right
Wouldn’t let Aamir Khan produce his films
In the same conversation, Junaid also revealed why he wouldn’t let Aamir Khan produce his films going forward. “No, because I made that mistake with Ek Din.” He recalled how the script of Ek Din was originally supposed to be backed by the director of Maharaja, Siddharth P Malhotra, and that shooting was planned to start soon after Maharaja. However, Junaid, who liked the script and wanted a second opinion, approached Aamir, which changed the course of the project.
“I thought, ‘Okay, shall I have a second opinion from dad? I really like it, but maybe I should get a second opinion from him.’ So I set up a narration. And so when the narration happened, dad really loved it. And he was like, ‘Siddharth, let me produce it.’ Suddenly he was like, ‘I want to make it. I really love it, sell it to me. I’m finally getting a chance to make a film for my son, everyone is making a film for him.’ It was a rather emotional decision.”Story continues below this ad
He added, “I think he’s a fantastic producer, especially for a film like Ek Din. But what ends up happening is, then it takes five years to make. AKP (Aamir Khan Productions) is big production banner, it takes time. So then I realised, if I take it to dad and he loves it, then he’ll be like, ‘I’ll produce it,’ and then I’ll have a film coming out once in five years. Which is great for him. He’s at a stage in his career where he can do one film in five years, I’m exaggerating a bit, I guess, but yeah, he can do one film in three years, four years, five years, and it’s fine. But I’m just starting out. I need to have a steady stream of work. And dad’s now dying to make another film with me, but I’m like, ‘in a bit.’”
About Ek Din
Directed by Sunil Pandey, Ek Din is produced by Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan, and Aparna Purohit. The film is a remake of the 2016 Thai romantic drama One Day, and follows the story of a young man who falls in love with his colleague but struggles to confess his feelings. His wish to spend just one day with her unexpectedly comes true, setting the story in mot
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