Taare Zameen Par Fan Meetup: Aamir Khan CONFESSES that his son Junaid is dyslexic: “I used to scold him like Nandkishore Awasthi; he would read ‘for’ as ‘from’ or ‘of’; wondered how come he was not able to understand such simple things”

By Fenil Seta -

June 3, 2025 - 4:00 PM IST

On June 2, a Taare Zameen Par Fan Meetup was held at an auditorium in Mumbai and was attended by the team of the 2007 classic – actor-director-producer Aamir Khan, fellow actors Darsheel Safary, Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra and music composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. In the second half of the event, Aamir sat down on the stage and answered fan queries. One fan asked him - What was that one scene that moved you and made you decide that you want to make this film?

Taare Zameen Par Fan Meetup: Aamir Khan CONFESSES that his son Junaid is dyslexic: “I used to scold him like Nandkishore Awasthi; he would read ‘for’ as ‘from’ or ‘of’; wondered how come he was not able to understand such simple things”

Aamir Khan said, “I have never said this but now I can open up for two reasons. Firstly, it’s been many years and secondly, I am about to talk about someone who has already publicly said it. Toh ab main khul ke baat kar sakta hoon. I am talking about my son Junaid. It’s been 17 years and I have never said this before. Junaid is dyslexic.”

Aamir continued, “Hence when I heard the story for the first time, it hit me because I had been through it myself. Even I used to scold Junaid like Nandkishore Awasthi (the character played by Vipin Sharma)! Kyunki jab woh chhota tha, uski handwriting bahut buri thi. I used to ask him, ‘How can anyone have such bad handwriting? No one will be able to read what you have written’. He would read ‘for’ as ‘from’ or ‘of’. He used to just see the letter ‘f’ and guess the word. Hence, he couldn’t read the word properly. I used to make him understand and also wonder how come he was not able to understand such simple things. Later, we learned that he has dyslexia. Of course, we then took help.”

Aamir Khan further stated, “When I heard the story, I realized that yeh meri kahaani hai (smiles). It was very close to me. I never told this to anyone then as I felt that only Junaid had the right to speak about himself. I cannot speak about him.”

Aamir also remarked, “I am sure that even I am dyslexic because even today, I face difficulties with spelling. Maybe, I am mildly dyslexic.”

He clarified, “Dyslexia is not a disease. It’s a condition. You cannot get cured of it. You can learn to deal with it better. So, if you have dyslexia, it’ll stay with you for life aur usme koi tension bhi nahin hai kyunki Junaid ko bhi hai aur mere ko bhi hai. Hum dono theek thaak chal rahe hai (smiles).”

Also Read: Taare Zameen Par Fan Meetup: Harsh Gujral takes a dig at Laal Singh Chaddha: “Aamir sir is a perfectionist; woh buri film bhi perfectly banate hai”; Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s LIVE performances STEAL the show