After his socio-political real-to-reel debut in last year’s Maharaj, Junaid Khan ventures into completely different territory in his second film. Loveyapa, a romantic comedy opposite Khushi Kapoor (who also marks her sophomore outing with this film), has Junaid playing a young man in love who has to swap his phone with that of his partner (Khushi’s Baani) in order to test their relationship before they walk down the aisle.

Based on the 2022 Tamil film Love Today, Loveyapa, releasing in cinemas on February 7, is helmed by Advait Chandan, who last directed Junaid’s superstar dad Aamir Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha. t2 caught up with Junaid, 31, for a chat on Loveyapa, his chemistry with Khushi and what Aamir had to say about his son’s latest film.

Loveyapa showcases a different side of you as an actor from what we got to see in your debut film Maharaj. What have the reactions been like so far?

By and large, people are liking the songs and the trailer. I am personally happy with it. What more can we ask for?

Yes, people are surprised by me, specifically. I am hearing that a lot. The first song (Loveyapa ho gaya), especially, was something that they didn’t expect.

Are you the kind of actor, and even person, who likes throwing a curveball every now and then?

Every project is different and you look at every project differently. This was a story I really liked. I went for it more from that perspective.

Loveyapa is a very contemporary love story. When I heard it, I thought it was very, very entertaining. At the same time, it says something a little deeper than just plain fluff.

This part is, as we have discussed, quite different from what I did in Maharaj. But the dialogue writer of Loveyapa —Sneha (Desai) — also worked on Maharaj. She knows my strengths and weaknesses and what makes me tick. That has been quite helpful.

What kind of prep went into playing this character?

A lot of the credit for how the film has turned out goes to Advait (Chandan, director). He is a director who really gets the best out of his actors consistently. We did a whole bunch of readings and a lot of rehearsals. Most of Khushi (Kapoor) and my scenes are over the phone. So we didn’t shoot together that much, which becomes a little complicated. For timing and things like that, you need to know what the other person is doing. Somebody can’t just be reading cues... as an actor, you will not get that rhythm. So a lot of those scenes were rehearsed quite a few times just so that we are comfortable with the other person’s rhythm. That helped when we even shot the scenes weeks apart, so that it felt like the same conversation.

So what was the biggest challenge of not having many scenes together and yet having to strike up a chemistry with each other?

Once you have rehearsed it, you are comfortable with the other person’s rhythm and you set a rhythm for that yourself. That is probably the only way of doing it. Otherwise, it will end up feeling like two different conversations.

Khushi is a fantastic actor. We had a great time working together. We shot for about five-six days but we rehearsed a lot together for many weeks. She is fantastic, she works very hard. This role is a stretch even for her because she is a very shy person. But she can really turn it on when she is in front of the camera.

To what extent do you resonate with the theme of modern love and its accouterments as shown in the film?

I feel that at the end of the day, all love stories have something to speak across time and across generations. The human aspect of love stories appeals to me a lot. It is beyond time and generation and I found that Loveyapa has that. Also, I found it a new and entertaining way of telling a story that is very dear to all of us.

What kind of person are you when in love?

I tend to be an old-school romantic (smiles).

What kind of relationship do you have with your phone?

I don’t tend to be a lot on my phone. People being hooked to their phones is something I see happening a lot around me. In all fairness, I do use my phone quite a bit.... I read on my phone and play chess on it.

I think we all now have a lot of screen time, whether it is the phone or some other gadget. A lot of things that earlier I would not be doing on my phone, I am using it now for it... like reading. Instead of buying a book, I just go to the Kindle app. I also get the news a lot from my phone.

Would you be okay swapping your phone with your partner?

It would not bother me. I have nothing to hide.

What has your father’s reaction been to Loveyapa?

He (Aamir Khan) liked it very much. He was kind enough to launch the trailer of our film which I think is a big deal. When he watches something, he wants to like it. I am also a little bit like that.

How do you think you have evolved as an actor from your first film to your second?

Beyond everything, it is just practice. I have already shot my third film (with Sai Pallavi). Every film gives one the chance to work with new people. As an actor, it enables me to pick up things and learn more about myself as an actor. I hope I have grown as an actor and that the audience can see that when they watch my films.

You said you use your phone to read. Are you a voracious reader?

It used to happen more earlier, but I still read. I just read this lovely book called The Covenant of Water (by Abraham Verghese). That was very, very nice. I am currently reading a book called Why We Sleep (by Matthew Walker), which is non-fiction.

So what kind of a sleeper are you?

I am, by and large, a good sleeper. I tend to sleep very deeply... I don’t wake up easily. I am the kind of person who needs to have three or four alarms on different devices going off at the same time so that somebody else in the house will get irritated and come and wake me up! (Laughs) So in that sense, I sleep well. But I don’t think I am very consistent with my sleep, which is probably not a good thing.