Junaid Khan, the son of Indian superstar Aamir Khan, has scored a hit with “Maharaj,” his debut film role. The Siddharth P Malhotra-directed period piece uploaded to Netflix on June 21 and ranked in the top ten lists in 22 countries and territories.
In its second week, it was watched for 5.3 million hours, propelling it to second place in the streamer’s non-English language films list for the period June 24-30.
Set in the 1800s and drawing on a real-world libel case, “Maharaj” is a David vs Goliath story about how a regular man, a journalist by profession, takes on a powerful role-model of society, hailed by many as a messiah for the masses. The fearless reporter uncovers a series of incidents that shake the foundation of society.
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Khan stars alongside Jaideep Ahlawat (“Jaane Jaan”), Sharvari (“Bunty Aur Babli 2”) and Shalini Pandey (“Jayeshbhai Jordaar”). Production started during the pandemic and spanned three years.
Khan hailed the film’s ratings success as “a collective win.” “I’m only thankful for the love, the appreciation, as well as the feedback that people have given me for my debut. I congratulate my producer YRF, my director Siddharth P. Malhotra, Jaideep sir, Sharvari, Shalini and every cast and crew member at this special moment [..] We made a special film that Netflix has taken to the world and it is resonating with audiences everywhere.” Malhotra’s previous film “Hichki” was a global theatrical hit.
The film is the second project under a multi-genre partnership between Netflix and YRF that was announced in September last year. The first component was hit series “The Railway Men,” a four-episode drama about the unsung heroes of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Indian media reports this week that Junaid Khan has two other film projects lined up, one with Sai Pallavi and another with Khushi Kapoor.
