Aamir Khan has often spoken about the disappointing box office performance of his 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of Tom Hanks-starrer Forrest Gump. The film, which was particularly close to his heart, failed to connect with audiences, leaving the actor deeply affected. He later took a break from films before returning with Sitaare Zameen Par in 2025.Now, in a recent conversation with JioHotstar, Aamir revealed that he initially wanted his son Junaid Khan to play the titular role.Aamir recalled that when Junaid returned to India after completing his acting training in Los Angeles, he was curious to see how his son had evolved as an actor. Aamir decided to test him as a filmmaker, so he could evaluate his talent.Recalling the early stages of the film, Aamir said, “I loved the script of Forrest Gump, we were very excited about it. At that time, Junaid had just completed his acting course in LA. He came back quite experienced and I thought, let me see what he has learned.”He asked director Advait Chandan to film select scenes with Junaid, not only to assess his son, but also to gauge the director’s ability to handle a project of that scale.“So I told Advait, take 7–8 scenes of Laal Singh and give it to Junaid. I want to see what he has learnt, but the test really is for you because I want to see whether you can helm a film like this because before that, he made Secret Superstar and this was a different scale altogether. So I said, I want to see how you direct this film. You don’t direct me, you direct Junaid. I want to see how you do that.”ALSO READ: Dacoit movie review: Adivi Sesh returns with a raw, emotional punch that’s hard to shake offStory continues below this ad‘I was shocked, Junaid was so good’“He shot about 20 minutes of film, two–three difficult scenes that we picked. When I saw it for the first time, I was shocked, Junaid was so good.” Even then, Aamir questioned whether his reaction was because of personal bias. He turned to those closest to him for an honest opinion. “I asked Kiran, is it father’s love coming out? Kiran said no, he is good.”He then screened the footage for family and industry insiders. “I showed it to my family, Mansoor. He said, Aamir, you should take Junaid, you should not do this film. He is Laal. Then I showed it to other people in the industry as I wanted to be sure and almost everyone said he is really good, he is really fitting the part. He should do the part.”By then, Aamir was convinced. “At that point, I was very certain that we should take Junaid as Laal Singh Chaddha because he was doing really well.”Junaid’s performace affected Aamir’s performanceWhat made the situation more complex, Aamir admitted, was how deeply Junaid’s performance affected him as an actor. “To be quite honest, as an actor, once I saw him doing it, I found Laal. So then I was like, if he is Laal, how am I to play Laal?”Story continues below this adEven after ultimately taking on the role himself, Aamir says Junaid’s version lingered in his mind. “And the honest truth is, when I finally did the film, I used to keep referring to Junaid, how he would have done it, and I think that also somehow disturbed my performance as I had seen his performance. If I had not seen it, it would not have mattered with me.”“I saw the magic. As a father, on merit I wanted to cast him. On merit, I was not casting myself but him,” he said.Why the decision changedDespite his conviction, the final call didn’t go his way. Aamir revealed that concerns from the studio played a crucial role in the decision to retain him as the lead.“Ultimately, for various reasons, we didn’t go with Junaid. One of the main reasons was because the head of the studio in LA, Jim, was a little unsure. I think he might have felt I am trying to push my son. He said we have signed this deal with you as the lead and we would like that to remain that way.”Story continues below this ad“The kind of person I am, I don’t like to force my decision, especially where my relations are involved. So I respected his decision,” he said.What Aamir had said earlierAhead of the film’s release, Aamir Khan, in a conversation with TV9, had said the character required a certain innocence that Junaid naturally had. However, he had given a different reason for not casting him.He said, “Aditya Chopra and Atul Kulkarni, the writer of the movie had objected. They wanted me to play the character. According to them, the story of Forrest Gump isn’t that solid. It’s an episodic movie which requires a star. A new actor can’t pull this off. I finally bought their reasoning. Sometimes you may be really good but the time is not right.”About Laal Singh ChaddhaLaal Singh Chaddha, written by Atul Kulkarni, also featured Kareena Kapoor, Mona Singh, Manav Vij, and Naga Chaitanya in key roles. Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Paramount Pictures, and Viacom18 Studios, the film earned around Rs 130 crore worldwide against a budget of Rs 200 crore.