Actor Fardeen Khan, who returned to the film industry with a supporting role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi, 14 years after his last film appearance in Dulha Mil Gaya, said that it was a “conscious decision” to take sabbatical from work as he wanted to focus on raising a family. The actor said he had decided to shift base to London with his wife Natasha Madhvani–who is rumoured to be separated from him–as they were facing “challenges” in conceiving.

In interview with Times of India, the actor opened up about his personal life and said, “We had challenges having children at that time, so we moved to London. There, we had an incredible doctor, and soon after, my daughter was born (through IVF) in 2013, followed by my son in 2017.”

Fardeen said he always intended to take just a two-year break after his daughter was born to “enjoy parenthood,” but the sabbatical became prolonged because he started enjoying time with his children. “I wish I hadn’t taken such a long break from work. The only brownie point is that I have two beautiful children with whom I could spend so much time,” he added.

 

 

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This year, Fardeen has had three releases so far, starting with Heeramandi, Sanjay Gupta’s Visfot and the Akshay Kumar-starrer comedy Khel Khel Mein. The actor said that getting back to work after a long break was a “struggle”, especially because he was returning to the screen at 50.

Fardeen said he grappled with several questions, ranging from if filmmakers would slot him in certain roles, to the fear of being rejected by audiences. The actor said he came back with the “mentality of literally starting off” a new career.

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