Maharaj tells the story of the real-life Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 that saw purported godman Jadunathjee Brajratanjee Maharaj and social reformer Karsandas Mulji face off in the Bombay High Court with the latter seeking to end abuse guised in the form of traditional religious practices carried out by the former. A stay by the Gujarat High Court stalled Maharaj’s release by a week but now the film is playing on Netflix.

Directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra (We Are Family, Hichki), Maharaj stars Jaideep Ahlawat as the antagonist godman JJ and marks the debut of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan, who plays Karsandas. Over a video call, t2 chatted with the trio about the film that is produced by Yash Raj Films.

The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for all of you. What have the emotions been like, especially for Junaid since it is your debut film?

Junaid Khan: It has been a wild couple of weeks (smiles). I know the topic is sensitive but the film has been made with a lot of care and sensitivity. I always felt that eventually everything would be fine and everything has been more or less fine in the end. I have been getting lots of calls and messages. I am very touched.
Jaideep Ahlawat: There is a sense of relief that it has released and is now in the public domain. You can see our hard work and, as Junaid said, lots of sensitivity.

We worked on the film for three years and this was my first project after the first (Covid-19) lockdown. It has been a long time waiting to get this out and I am happy that people are receiving it with love and appreciation.
Siddharth P. Malhotra: We had a blast writing, narrating and making the film. Even though we shot it during the pandemic, we had great energy making it. But then, the wait (for it to release) was for ever and ever and then the edits followed. We cut out anything that we felt could faintly hurt someone. We were cognisant of every single emotion. Otherwise, I would have made a film which the critics would have loved and given five stars to!

In making and releasing this film, my family and I have gone through lots of tears, heartbreak and sickness. Now there is a sense of victory. The calls are coming in. Calls come in from people only when they like a film, otherwise there is silence.

Junaid, a wait of more than three years for your debut film to release must not have been easy. What would you tell yourself every day?

Junaid: Yes, it was a long wait. I was doing other things but the wait did feel long. But I was happy that whatever Sid sir had set out to make, we had done it. I told myself that whenever the film came out, it was fine. We are proud of the film.

Siddharth, what was the starting point for Maharaj?

Siddharth: The film has been co-written by Vipul Mehta and Sneha Desai. Vipul had directed a Gujarati play on the same subject based on the book called Maharaj by Saurabh Shah. He told me: ‘Why don’t you come and see the play?’ I watched it and said: ‘Wow, this is something!’ After Hichki, I wanted to make something that would challenge me. But I didn’t know that it would challenge me so much! (Laughs)

I told Vipul to write it and that I would direct. I brought in Sneha for additional screenplay and dialogue and she has been a huge asset to the film.

It started with buying the rights of the book, getting it translated, working on the script and ensuring that anything objectionable in the book or in the case is not kept in the script because we knew that we were making this film for the larger family audience.

At the same time, I had to ensure that I protected the film because it still had to come out in an aesthetic form. I had to make sure that the pace of the film was not hurt and that I had to maintain a certain rhythm.

As a filmmaker, you have a voice but you also have to keep in mind that there are people who have invested money and time and the film has to see the light of day and for that, if some stuff has to be left out, it has to be left out.

I had known Junaid for a while and I told Adi (producer Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films) that I wanted Junaid for Karsandas’s part. We narrated it to him. He liked it. We thought there would be no one better than Jaideep to play JJ and I am happy he agreed.

Jaideep, you have played a slew of negative characters in the past. This is your first time playing a megalomaniac with no redeeming features. Did you have any apprehensions about playing JJ?

Jaideep: All the villainous characters I have played in the past have been human beings. But JJ does not think that he is human... he thinks he is God. That was the tricky part. He is someone who is trusted blindly and believes that nobody can question him or his ideologies. It was difficult to convince myself as an actor that I would be able to handle that. I met Sid sir and Sneha and they narrated the point of view that they were trying to pull off with this character. I realised I was in safe hands and even if I faltered in parts, they would handle me.

Jaideep, you are being very modest...

Jaideep: I genuinely get scared by the characters I play. When I was told about JJ, I did think that it was too heavy a part for me and that I wouldn’t be able to play him. I was aware it would take up a lot of my mind and demand more effort from me.

Junaid, Maharaj is a very unconventional debut. What of Karsandas Mulji appealed to you and is he like you in any way, despite belonging to a different time and space?

Junaid: There were definitely certain points of identification. I think Sid sir saw a lot of them and hence I was offered the part. It is an exciting and challenging part. With all the help I got from the makers, I was confident I would be able to pull it off. What we don’t share in common is that Karsandas is confrontational and hot-headed... I am none of that (smiles).
Siddharth: Karsandas is young, he is strong-headed and is very clear about things. He is sincere and honest. He is curious.

I see these things in Junaid. He is still the simple boy I always knew. He does not behave like a star kid. You can see sincerity and honesty in him... while he smiles, while he speaks to you and that is something that is there inherently in his personality. There are no filmy histrionics from him.

Jaideep, you underwent a drastic physical transformation for the role. What was that experience like?

Jaideep: It was so, so painful! It was also very boring (laughs). But when the results started showing, I got excited. But the first two months were like: ‘Oh my God!’ I was not doing anything else but that was because we were in partial lockdown. Only the gym at Yash Raj (Films) was open and that is where I would train. I would go there twice a day. Train, eat, sleep and repeat... that was my only routine for five months.

The mental prep needed me to make this character believable to the audience. I had to make those amazing lines written by Sneha work, I had to channelise those emotions generating from JJ’s persona. I had to get into the head of the character to understand why he does what he does.

Thanks to the physical prep, the make-up and the amazing costumes, the moment I looked into the mirror, I started believing in the mindset of this character and what was written on paper.

Junaid, what did your dad have to say about Maharaj?

Junaid: He (Aamir Khan) liked it. Anyway, he is a very easy audience to please... he goes into a film wanting to like it. Except for his own films... he is very critical of his own work (laughs). Otherwise, when he is watching someone else’s work, he is always looking to enjoy it.

He can never be a critic then!

Junaid: Yes. Except for his own work! (Laughs)