EXCLUSIVE: Maharaj director Siddharth P Malhotra confesses, “I DIDN’T like Loveyapa…Junaid Khan is like my kid; protective about him…confident about his next film”; recalls hilarious incident: “YRF guards refused him entry as he came in an auto” : Bollywood News

In June 2025, talented director Siddharth P Malhotra spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama on the first anniversary of the controversial and highly acclaimed 2024 film Maharaj. The film marked the debut of Junaid Khan. During the same interaction, the filmmaker spoke about his bond with the young actor and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Maharaj director Siddharth P Malhotra confesses, “I DIDN’T like Loveyapa…Junaid Khan is like my kid; protective about him…confident about his next film”; recalls hilarious incident: “YRF guards refused him entry as he came in an auto”

When asked if he’s in touch with Junaid Khan and if he got a chance to watch his second film, Loveyapa (2025), co-starring Khushi Kapoor, Siddharth P Malhotra said, “I saw Loveyapa and I didn’t like the film. I had issues with it.”

He continued, “And yes, I am in touch with Junaid. We speak every 4-5 days. I launched him. He’s like my own kid and I am protective about him. And I told him that I didn’t like Loveyapa for various reasons, which I don’t want to speak about. But the film didn’t work for me.”

Siddharth P Malhotra further said, “I am sure that people will appreciate his next film. I have seen it and I am confident about it.” Junaid Khan’s next is titled Ek Din and co-stars popular South actress Sai Pallavi. It is scheduled to release on November 7, 2025.

Siddharth P Malhotra then shared a hilarious episode that took place during the industry screening of Maharaj at Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studios, “The security guard didn’t recognize Junaid as he had come in an auto rickshaw. He called me and said, ‘They are not taking me inside’. I said, ‘Bolunko ki tu hero hai’! He explained that since he was in the auto, they were not convinced. We had to come down to take him inside (laughs)!”

Siddharth shared more on this screening, “It was attended by a lot of people of the industry like Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi etc. We were excited. At 11 pm, we were informed that the film was not coming the next day (due to legal issues). Hence, after the screening, we had to tell everyone, ‘Even if you guys have liked the film, you cannot write anything about it’. You make films for appreciation and validation. At that screening, I got the validation, that too from the greats, but you have to tell them, ‘Please don’t tell the world about it’! The trial then ran for 5 more days. It was heartbreaking.”

Also Read: 1 Year of Maharaj EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth P Malhotra shares NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN BTS images; reveals, “We had so many plans for Aamir Khan’s son’s debut and NOTHING happened…We PANICKED and self-censored 15 minutes…magnanimous of Jaideep Ahlawat who understood reason behind it”

More Pages: Loveyapa Box Office Collection , Loveyapa Movie Review

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