The year 2024 marked Fardeen Khan’s comeback to the movies. In a conversation with us, the actor talks about how he struggled to make a re-entry into showbiz after a hiatus of 14 years, his moments of self-doubt, and how his father, Feroz Khan’s death deeply affected him. Read on...

Fardeen, who spent most of his time away from the limelight living in London with his family, says that making his way back to the industry was a struggle.

Fardeen says, “A lot went into these last three years… just sitting at home, believing in yourself and keeping that hope. It’s been a struggle, especially because I wasn’t coming back after a couple of years, but 14 years and that too, after turning 50. I had a lot of questions like, will filmmakers be able to slot me in a role? Do people even want to see me? Today, the content is very different from what it was in the 2000s. The protagonists have changed. Different parts of our country are being represented so beautifully now. The times are very different. So, I came back with the mentality of literally starting off a new career.” The actor was recently seen in the web show Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar and films Khel Khel Mein and Visfot.

While he’s happy to face the camera again, when asked what led him to step away from the industry at an important juncture of his career, he says, “It was a conscious decision. We had challenges having children at that time, so we moved to London. There, we had an incredible doctor, and soon after, my daughter was born (through IVF) in 2013, followed by my son in 2017. After my daughter was born, I intended to take a two-year break to enjoy parenthood. I enjoyed being a father so much that it ended up being a break that lasted more than a decade. I wish I hadn’t taken such a long break from work. The only brownie point is that I have two beautiful children with whom I could spend so much time.”

The other reason he stayed away from the limelight was his father’s (Feroz Khan) demise in 2009 due to lung cancer, after which he faced a health scare himself. It’s a phase of his life that he doesn’t want to recall. “Let me just say that I had a surgery that also affected me. Also, my father’s illness was very serious, as his prognosis was not good from the beginning. Those two years were very tough. I needed time for closure. Dad’s death affected me deeply,” he shares.

Fardeen, who would shuttle between Mumbai and London, was heavily trolled for his weight gain in 2016. Those comments shook him. “I was like… why are they after me? However, that version was the heaviest version of me. I realised that there was an audience that wanted to see me. I saw some love in all that criticism. Then, when I decided that I needed to make a comeback, I started losing weight.”

Fardeen’s kids, Diani and Azarius, he says, are loving this fitter version of him. “They called my belly, Tungu (laughs). So now they are like, ‘Daddy, your Tungu’s gone!’ I don’t think there is any greater form of self-love than to look after your health. Now, I enjoy playing sports with my kids. My son is just about starting out and he’s showing interest in football. I’m introducing him to Jiu-Jitsu.”

While the actor lives here now and is totally focusing on his career, his kids continue to live in London. There were reports of his separation from his wife, Natasha. While he doesn’t want to talk about his personal life, he does open up about missing spending time with his children.

He says, “It’s not easy. I don’t want to get into why they’re away, but yes, it’s not easy. I miss them terribly. I see them every four to six weeks and we talk over video calls daily. But I definitely miss being a part of their daily life, watching them grow up, be a part of their decision-making process and help them find their own identity. My kids paint and I have put up their artwork on the walls of my house in Mumbai. I miss their hugs, cuddles and kisses. I keep working to keep my mind distracted. And whenever they come down to Mumbai, I clear my entire schedule and be with them 24/7.”

Fardeen Khan is lean and fit. We tell him that he’s back to looking like he did a few years ago and he sportingly clarifies, “This is how I looked ‘many’ years ago!” After dabbling in the real estate business, the actor is back to Bollywood to resurrect his acting career after a decade-long sabbatical. While he shuttled between India and the UK occasionally in the past 10 years, he is contemplating on returning to Mumbai next year with his family — wife Natasha Madhvani and kids, son Azarius and daughter Diani, who study in the UK currently. In a chat with Bombay Times, Fardeen opens up on his massive weight loss journey, search for mental peace and his desire to return to acting as he feels Hindi cinema today has become more progressive and inclusive. Excerpts...

I had different priorities. I got into real estate business in between and that did well for me. It was a phase where my priority was my family. I was happy being a parent. We had challenges having children, so that was our reason to move out of the country. We tried to complete our family in London and that worked out well. I have two kids. My daughter will turn seven soon and my son is 3 years old. I got carried away with that to be honest. Being around them has been the most profound experience of my life. I got completely absorbed by that.

My last release was in 2010. I did want to take a break from Bollywood, but it turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. Sometimes, life just turns out the way it does. But now I am back and keen to do what I know best — acting. I have grown up in this film industry and this is where I belong. The process of telling a story is what I have always loved, and this is an exciting time right now. Cinema has become progressive. There are so many formats and varied content. As far as me disappearing is concerned, my kids’ study in the UK for now. I have been travelling back and forth between India and the UK, but because of the lockdown we were stuck there. This was the first time that I was away for 10 months at a stretch. I was missing home terribly. There is no place like Mumbai. We are planning to move out of the UK next year.

In our profession, a lot of importance is given to how you look. You are expected to look your best at all times. When I was trolled for my weight, I wasn’t actively part of the film industry. I had been away for years, so I was surprised at the degree and intensity of the reactions. That was my introduction to being trolled on social media, the new age that we live in. It doesn’t feel good to be in that situation, but you have to look at it for what it is. You have to find positivity within yourself. If you constantly seek validation from other people on what they think about you, you need to rethink that. Also, you need to be honest with yourself. I was extremely out of shape then. I found humour in it to whatever extent I could and moved on. I’ve never looked outwards for reassurances and validation. I know my truth and where I stand. I was well equipped to handle the criticism because of my personal attitude. When I posted my response, I saw people identifying with that as well.

I had put on a lot of weight and I wasn’t feeling good. I decided I wanted to look and feel my best as far as possible. I used the lockdown to invest in myself not just cosmetically, but health wise. Mental, emotional and physical health. I came across an author who’s had a great impact on my desire to be in the best of shape and not from a cosmetic point of view. She gave me a different perspective on health. I started training in May. I have made profound changes in my nutrition and diet, and it has helped a lot. I feel 25 again. I have dropped 18 kilos and I am near my target. Running around my kids also helped. With children, you have to lead by example. I am trying to get my daughter into fitness and that was a huge motivator.

This is a part of the process. Of course, I have 20 films to show to someone who isn’t familiar with my work, but if someone wants to test my acting ability, I am open to it. There is nothing wrong with it. Whatever it takes to bag meaningful opportunities. I respect the process.

After a break, you are at a different point in your life and at a different age. Obviously, you can’t do what you did years ago. I want to do meaningful, meaty work. Now there’s a good balance between entertainment and relevant cinema. Boundaries are being redefined and real issues are being highlighted. Gone are the traditional approaches or templates of filmmaking, the way we historically worked. It’s all very progressive. I have an open mind to doing anything. There’s a new generation of people making movies so they will perceive you differently. They may not slot you in the same category as others may have before. I have a learning curve ahead of me and I am looking forward to meeting people to get a sense of how they perceive me.