Fardeen Khan on being away from the industry for over a decade: I regret taking such a long break

Fardeen Khan opened up recently about being away from working in films for more than a decade and said that he regrets taking such a long break. After his 2010 romantic-comedy film Dulha Mil Gaya, Fardeen went away from Mumbai until recently when he made a comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

Speaking about it in an interview with Pinkvilla, he said, “I kind of just completely took off. I used to come back to Mumbai every few months, but I pretty much just took off. Yes, there were offers at the time, all the way till 2014-15, but after that, people assumed that I have moved out of the country. That’s a perception I am still trying to change.”

He added, “There were offers up to a certain point, but then I put on a lot of weight and that was a signal to people that, ‘Hey, he’s obviously not interested.’ Most certainly I regret taking such a long break of 12 years. It’s a big, big regret. It wasn’t planned but I wish the gap was shorter, by at least 6-7 years. I needed some time off after I lost my father and for my personal reasons also.”

Fardeen also revealed how he reached out to everyone he had worked before when he returned back to seek work in the industry. He also said that he was in touch with Salman Khan constantly while he was away. The two starred together in the 2005 comedy film, No Entry. “Sanjay Gupta offered me a film in our second meeting. It was scary when I came back, I felt like a newcomer all over again,” he said. “It feels good that people haven’t forgotten you, people still want to see your work. I have been in touch with Salman pretty much throughout. I met Mukesh Chhabra also. I am trying to convince people now that I am here and ready to work.”

Fardeen will be seen next in the comedy film Khel Khel Mein, alongside Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu. It is scheduled to release on Independence Day.