Not Jaideep Ahlawat, Irrfan Khan was the 'only choice' to play JJ's role in Maharaj

In the recently released movie Maharaj, a legendary actor—rather than Jaideep Ahlawat—was the "only choice" to play JJ's part. But who was it? It was none other than Irrfan Khan. It was revealed by director Siddharth P. Malhotra that they thought Irrfan Khan was the "only person" who could really play the title character. Siddharth disclosed that the late Irrfan Khan was the only person they had in mind for the strong and evil Maharaj. Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in March 2018, and he passed away from the disease on 29 April 2020.

Irrfan Khan was the 'only choice' to play JJ's role in Maharaj

“The only person we could think of for that role was Irrfan Khan. There was nobody else who could play this role but Irrfan Khan," he said as per Indiatoday.

IG

“I kept telling Jaideep sir there’s only once actor in the entire universe who can do this, and that’s him. He can do anything, he’s one of the best actors we have, undoubtedly. It took us time to convince him to do this, it was a lot of pressure on him. He’s rightfully getting all the love he gets for every film,” he said.

What is Maharaj About?

As per Netflix, In 1862, when there were just three universities in India, Rabindranath Tagore had just turned one year old, and the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was still stoking the nation's freedom movement. A man defies all obstacles and bravely defends himself in a historic court case. This is the real story revealed in Maharaj, more than 160 years later.

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Journalist and social reformer Karsandas Mulji was a trailblazing supporter of women's rights and social change. He was a scholar-leader and Dadabhai Naoroji's protégé and a student at Mumbai's Elphinstone College. He wrote on widow remarriage, supported the downtrodden, and planted the seeds of social change.

Everything culminated in the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, which was sparked by accusations of wrongdoing by a well-known individual. The case attracted a lot of attention and in-depth examination, paving the way for what is widely regarded as one of the most momentous court cases in history.?

Also read:?All about real-life Jadunathji Brijratanji who filed defamation case against Karsandas shown in Netflix's Maharaj

For the unversed, the film marks the debut of Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan.?

Where to watch Junaid Khan’s Maharaj?

You can watch Maharaj on Netflix.?