Aamir Khan opens up about son Junaid’s dyslexia journey: 'I was like Nandkishore Awasthi in reality'

Aamir Khan reveals about Junaid's dyslexia journey

Aamir Khan has discussed his son Junaid Khan's early battle with dyslexia in public for the first time, stating that Taare Zameen Par (2007) has great personal meaning for him. During a recent fan interaction focused on the cherished movie, which still has an impact on viewers over ten years after its premiere, the actor made the heartfelt disclosure.

Sharing his personal connection to the story, Aamir confessed that his own parenting journey mirrored aspects of the film’s narrative. “I’ve never spoken about this until today,” he said. “Maybe this is the first time I’m saying it. And the reason is that many years have passed. And secondly, the person I’m going to talk about has already spoken about this publicly. So now I can talk about it openly. I’m talking about Junaid – my son Junaid.”

Aamir reflected on his reaction when he first read the script of Taare Zameen Par, where he played an understanding teacher who helps a dyslexic child. “It hit me so hard – because I’ve been through it myself. I was like Nandkishore Awasthi in the beginning (the father in the film). I used to scold Junaid when he had trouble understanding letters. I didn’t know better back then.”

He admitted that he had kept the details private for many years, respecting Junaid’s right to tell his own story. Now that Junaid has opened up about his experience in an interview, Aamir feels comfortable speaking about it publicly.

Now, Aamir will make a comeback with Sitaare Zameen Par, Taare Zameen Par's spiritual heir. The film, which was directed by RS Prasanna, is an official adaptation of the Spanish sports drama Champions from 2018. The film, which is produced by Aamir Khan Productions, centres on a basketball coach (played by Aamir) who instructs a group of kids with special needs while fusing sports with inspirational life lessons.

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Ten newcomers—Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar—as well as Genelia Deshmukh play important roles in the movie.

On June 20, 2025, Sitare Zameen Par is scheduled to be released in theatres.