Junaid Khan, who has been gaining praise for his role in his debut film Maharaj, recently discussed what drew him to portraying Karsandas Mulji in the movie. In an interview with ANI, Junaid Khan reflected on his inspiration from Karsandas Mulji's story, emphasising, "He was a real person who in 1862 was talking about those things which even today are happening. It happens in society today. And it happens in every society. And at that time he was fighting about it. When we didn't have that much knowledge. So I found the character and the story very inspirational. That there is a man who had so much understanding back then."
On what drew him to the script, the Maharaj actor revealed, "I have been auditioning since 2017. I liked the story when Siddharth P Malhotra approached me for the film. I loved the script when it was narrated to me and I had faith that Siddharth P Malhotra will make such sensitive film properly.”
Speaking about the film, director Siddharth P Malhotra said, "I was influenced by his character when I saw his play. It was released 4-5 years ago. It was a Gujarati drama. His play is Vipul Mehta who is the director of the play and the co-writer of this film. When I saw the play, I said that it is a story of a journalist. He used to live in Baikala. He was a social worker. He used to stand up for the things that were right. Things that were considered wrong at that time but are right today. So I said, this is the story of an unsung hero that should be told. This is the whole journey of a hero. And he is fighting for women's rights, for everything. So a script was made, it was approved, Junaid was narrated, Jaideep sir and all the other actors came. The film was also made. But the period of release was very painful."
He added, "The period of release was very painful. They say never judge a book by its cover, so our cover was just a poster and the judgement started from there. I cried a lot. But I am happy that now that the film has been released, it is being seen with the full intention for which it was made and it is now evident that there is nothing anti in it, it is pro-religion. I am happy that Junaid is getting a lot of praise, Jaideep sir is getting a lot of praise, writing is getting lauded, dialogues are being quoted, my work is also being appreciated."
Maharaj explores the historic 1862 Maharaj Libel Case, a pivotal legal battle in India, focusing on the influential figure of social reformer Karsandas Mulji. The film, directed by Sidharth P Malhotra and produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF) Entertainment, also features Jaideep Ahlawat and Shalini Pandey, with a special appearance by Sharvari.
The release of Maharaj faced a brief hurdle when the Gujarat High Court imposed a temporary stay on its release. However, this stay was lifted, prompting YRF to express its gratitude through an official statement.
Maharaj is streaming on Netflix.