Meet actor who was thrown out of films after debut movie, father gave ultimatum, says 'his love was tough'; He is..., father was...

India.com

11-06-2025

We have probably seen a list of actors who took breaks after giving several hits, and today we will be talking about one of them. Worked for over a decade in the film industry, lived his chocolate boy era and then disappeared for over a decade. Comeback after a decade
Suddenly, after a decade, he made a comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix India period drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar and Mudassar Aziz's dramedy Khel Khel Mein last year and Tarun Manshukhani's ensemble whodunit comedy Housefull 5 this week. Yes, we are talking about Fardeen Khan.
But did you know, like many second-generation actors of his era, Fardeen Khan's early years in the industry were marked by struggles. Fardeen Khan: 'It was tough…'
Talking about the box office failure and negative reviews of his debut film, directed by his late father Feroz Khan, Prem Aggan, recently, the actor opened and said, 'Of course, it was tough. Criticism was harsh.'
He further added, 'People I was supposed to be working with in my next few projects changed their minds and pulled out of the projects. Money had to be returned. It was really a good chance to sit back and think.' Feroz Khan gave him an ultimatum?
On the Cyrus Says podcast, Fardeen remembered that his father, Feroz Khan, gave him an ultimatum after his debut film, Prem Aggan, flopped.
Fardeen said, 'He said, 'We tried, we failed.' I'm putting a roof over your head for one year. I'll pay you an X amount of money every month. After that, you're on your own.' Fardeen further added, 'It was a beautiful call. He said I've sent you to one of the best universities in the world. I hope you're prepared to deal with life. This is how life is.'
Fardeen was informed by Feroz Khan that his father had passed away when he was only 13 years old. He had to look after his family, which had five brothers and a sister.
Fardeen added, 'He said, 'I had a vision, I did it. Now, let's see what you're made of.' It was as simple as that. It was really what I had to hear at that time. His love was tough! That just speaks to the kind of guy he was.'
According to reports, Fardeen Khan had always been more passionate about filmmaking than being on camera. After returning from film school abroad, his father, Feroz Khan, decided to launch him as an actor, with Prem Aggan marking his Bollywood debut.
'I had a director who was just not my father, but also an iconic actor. So you're just worried about not getting it wrong. You bury the pressure and put it away, especially in cases like mine, whose father is so iconic in so many ways. If you think about that, you're finished. You just try and be honest with yourself and the written word on the script. And you try not to mess it up,' he said.