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Despite being born into a prominent film family, Fardeen Khan’s film career has been anything but a smooth ride. Interestingly, his debut film Prem Aggan (1998) itself was a massive failure, marking the beginning of a bumpy ride in the industry. After facing a series of setbacks, his career came to a halt in 2010, soon after his father Feroz Khan’s death in 2009, prompting Fardeen to take an indefinite break. Fourteen years later, he made his return to the screen, landing a key role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first streaming series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
In a recent conversation, Fardeen reflected on his father’s role as both a parent and a director. When asked if Feroz was stricter as a filmmaker or a father, Fardeen explained that there wasn’t a clear-cut answer, as his father was brutally honest and outspoken. “He was strict and yes, I was scared of him. He was a formidable person, a force of nature. He was one of those people who tells you exactly as it is. He wouldn’t mince words, irrespective of who it might be, whether you’re his son or daughter, which is a great thing since it’s very rare. It’s tough, yes… it’s tough sometimes to hear certain truths. Sometimes he was not necessarily right either. If he was wrong, he’d be like ‘okay,'” Fardeen recalled during a chat with Mashable India.
Fardeen Khan mentioned that although Feroz Khan never hesitated to criticise his poor life choices, when it came to movies and acting, he never did so in a way that would diminish him. “He would say, ‘These are the areas you need to improve in. This is what you’re good at etc.’ Obviously he might have taken a little special care because I was his boy. However, he was a no-nonsense person,” Fardeen added, stating that his father never indulged him with the perks of success. He also said that the first time he flew business class was while doing his second movie, Jungle (2000), helmed and bankrolled by Ram Gopal Varma.
The actor also recalled how his father supported him after his first film, Prem Aggan, flopped. He explained that Feroz, after the failure, promised to provide him with an allowance of Rs 50,000 a month for a year until he regained his footing in the industry. “He was very strict with money. For my first movie, I got paid about Rs 4-4.5 lakh. When it didn’t work, I had to return a lot of money which I had taken as advance for subsequent films since people wrote me off. I was out of work. I had to return close to Rs 1 crore. Then he (Feroz) told me, ‘I’m going to support you for one year. I will give you Rs 50,000 a month and a roof over your head for one year. After that, you’re on your own.’ Just before Prem Aggan released, I had bought my first car, an Opel Astra, with my own money. From that Rs 50,000, Rs 23,000 went to my car instalment. Then I had to pay for my petrol and other expenses,” he said, laughing, adding that while in school, Feroz used to give them Rs 500-1,500 a week as pocket money.
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Penned, directed and produced by Feroz Khan himself, though Prem Aggan was a commercial failure, it has since earned cult status for being a “so bad it’s good” film. After returning to acting with Heeramandi, Fardeen appeared in two more films, Khel Khel Mein and Visfot.
Fardeen Khan will be next seen in the Kannada actioner Devil: The Hero, headlined by Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested earlier this year in connection with the murder of his fan Renukaswamy.
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