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Fardeen Khan recalls tough debut, harsh criticism, and how father Feroz Khan gave him a wake-up call after Prem Aggan flopped.
Fardeen Khan’s debut film Prem Aggan flopped.
Fardeen Khan, who recently returned to screens with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein, and now the ensemble comedy Housefull 5, has opened up about his challenging early days in the film industry. Like many star kids of his generation, the initial phase of his acting career came with high expectations—and equally sharp criticism.
“Of course, it was tough. Criticism was harsh,” Fardeen recalled, speaking candidly about the reception to his debut in Prem Aggan (1998), directed by his late father, Feroz Khan. The romantic drama was a commercial disappointment, and the backlash was immediate. “People I was supposed to be working with in my next few projects changed their mind and pulled out of the projects. Money had to be returned. It was really a good chance to sit back and think,” he added.
Appearing on the Cyrus Says podcast, Fardeen also shared how his father gave him a clear reality check after the failure. He said, ‘We tried, we failed.’ I’m putting a roof over your head. I’ll pay you an X amount of money every month. After that, you’re on your own”.
Calling it “a beautiful call,” Fardeen added, “He said I’ve sent you to one of the best universities of the world. I hope you’re prepared to deal with life. This is how life is.”
Feroz Khan, who lost his own father at just 13, had taken on the responsibility of caring for his five brothers and a sister at a young age. Fardeen recalled his father saying, “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.”
Despite being launched as a leading man, Fardeen admitted his true passion was behind the camera. However, after returning from film school abroad, it was his father who insisted on introducing him as an actor. “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 to yourself and the written word on the script. And you try not to mess it up,” he said.
At the time, Bollywood was still operating on traditional film stock, which added extra pressure to perform. “It was a huge part of the budget. It was just about not doing anything wrong and going with the process. I had no say in the dialogues or the script because I hadn’t earned my stripes in any way,” he explained.
Following Prem Aggan, Fardeen moved on to Ram Gopal Varma’s survival thriller Jungle in 2000. He was 35 when Feroz Khan passed away in 2009.
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring…Read More
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring… Read More
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