Fardeen Khan, who was MIA from the big screen for 12 years, has made a solid comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Before the Netflix show, Fardeen was last seen in the film Dulha Mil Gaya. In an exclusive chat with NDTV, the actor opened up about what kept him away for so long. He shared, “I needed some personal time off after I lost my dad. Then I shot a movie after that, but I needed some personal time. Natasha (Fardeen's wife, Natasha Madhvani) and I, we had challenges having children. So (we) also needed some time to work on that. Of course, being away for this long was not planned.” Fardeen's father, the legendary actor-filmmaker Feroz Khan, died at the age of 69 in 2009.
It is not the first time that Fardeen Khan has spoken about his comeback.
Ahead of Heeramandi's release, the actor talked about feeling nervous about returning to the screen. In a chat with the news agency ANI, Fardeen shared, "I am quite excited but extremely nervous as well. A lot has changed in these 12 years...The level of films has changed. The way people consume cinema has changed... Today, there's completely a new generation so I feel like a newcomer. I feel fortunate that I got a chance to work with good people with this Heeramandi show. I have two more pictures that will be released this year... I am really thankful to the audience have trusted me."
In Heeramandi, Fardeen Khan plays the role of Nawab Wali Mohammad. While discussing his character at the trailer launch event of the series in New Delhi, the actor expressed, “For Wali Mohammad, he didn't allow the power, ambition, status and wealth to corrupt his heart. He kept his heart intact and for him, love was the focus of his life. He was a true romantic. I got a thing or two from him."
Heeramandi premiered on Netflix on May 1. The debut OTT project of Sanjay Leela Bhansali features Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Segal, and Richa Chadha in key roles.