EXCLUSIVE: Fardeen Khan talks about his father Feroz Khan- “When he was 13 or 14, he used to walk in Bangalore dressed as a cowboy”

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

March 9, 2022 - 4:16 PM IST

Actor Fardeen Khan made his acting debut with the 1998 film Prem Aggan. The film was produced and directed by his father, Feroz Khan. The duo worked together for the second time in the 2003 film Janasheen. Apart from being directed by his father, Fardeen also shared screen space with Feroz Khan in Janasheen. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Fardeen spoke in length about his father and his experience of working with him in Janasheen.

EXCLUSIVE: Fardeen Khan talks about his father Feroz Khan- “When he was 13 or 14, he used to walk in Bangalore dressed as a cowboy”

Talking about the bond he shared with his father Feroz Khan, Fardeen said, “With my father, there were no filters as such. So when he loves you, you were showered with love, if he's pissed off with you, you were showered with anger. With my father, he was one of those guys, but he was very authentic, one of the most authentic people I have met. He would make sure you knew how he felt about things and if he was wrong, he'd say yes, ‘okay, fine, I was wrong’ and move on. But yes, of course, he had a bit of a temper. People were weary of that, and it's a well-known fact in the industry. But he kind of cooled off as quickly as he exploded. But he is a unique man. I'm not saying it as a son, but just having observed him as a person. He was one of a kind in many aspects. It was just the way he conducted himself, the way he lived his life, the way he interacted with people, his values, his life approach, it was not apologetic.”

“When he was 13 or 14, he used to walk down the lane in Cooke town in Bangalore dressed as a cowboy. So that was his childhood dream and ambition to make a western film and be a part of cinema in some way or shape or form. So obviously, he had no idea how he was going to do it, but he just had a dream, and he just had a vision. He had a very clear idea of the way he saw himself and his personality. It was authentic. He was naturally larger-than-life, even in the house, he could sit in the lungi, and he would be larger-than-life just by virtue of his aura and his personality. It was a hell of an experience, being close to him as a son, observing him as a friend, observing him as a person,” he added.

Further talking about working together in Janasheen, a film that despite releasing on the same day as Shah Rukh Khan’s Kal Ho Naa Ho, had a great opening at the box office. "We did Prem Aggan before Janasheen. That was my debut, which he produced and directed. And then, of course, we did Janasheen many years later. So having done quite a few films in between, our working relationship was obviously more mature. I was offering more as an actor, having worked at least 10-15 movies at that point, so I was not as raw and horrible as I was in Prem Aggan. For me, the daunting bit was to act opposite him. So that was what gave me sleepless nights. For one, he's got a very powerful presence and he's got this very strong on-screen personality, very, very powerful,” he said.