Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan’s life story is like a film itself, full of highs, lows and a powerful comeback.
It all goes back to the night of May 5, 2001. The actor, who was just 26 years old at that time, drove to Juhu-Tara Road in Mumbai. He stopped at an ATM to withdraw Rs 3500 but the machine swallowed his card, as reported by Hindustan Times. Fardeen Khan managed to get the money in another way and went ahead with his plan. That night, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested him for buying one gram of cocaine from a dealer. At that time, he had just finished shooting for the film No Entry and his career was at its peak.
After his arrest, Fardeen Khan spent 2 to 3 days in NCB custody. Later, he was granted bail by the NDPS court. The court case went on for a very long time, for almost 11 years. During this time, Fardeen kept working in films like No Entry, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya, and Heyy Babyy. Then in 2012, the court gave him an option – either go to jail for six months or complete a de-addiction program at KEM Hospital. He chose the second option. With this, he became the first Bollywood actor to be officially sentenced to a detox program. Finally, in 2018, all charges against him were dismissed.
His last film before his long break was Dulha Mil Gaya in 2010. In 2016, some photos of him went viral on the Internet where he looked completely different because he had gained a lot of weight. He was photographed while leaving a building in Mumbai and people started body-shaming him brutally. Fardeen replied to it on Twitter, saying that he was not ashamed, not offended and not depressed. He said he was living the happiest phase of his life, even if he had gained weight.
Talking about his personal life, Fardeen Khan married Natasha Madhvani, daughter of veteran actress Mumtaz, in 2005. They have two children, Diani Isabella and Azarius. In 2023, there were reports that the couple was living separately but they never said anything publicly. In July 2025, Mumtaz spoke about the rumours and said that they are not yet divorced and are still husband and wife. She said she loves Fardeen a lot, adding that every marriage has its ups and downs and maybe they are just not getting along.
In late 2021, people noticed a big change in him when he was photographed outside casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s office looking much slimmer. Mukesh Chhabra confirmed to a leading publication that they were discussing work opportunities and that Fardeen Khan was back and looking good. Reports said that Fardeen had lost 18 kgs to prepare for his comeback.
And the comeback finally happened in the year 2024 when Sanjay Leela Bhansali cast him in his big Netflix series Heeramandi. The show, which was about courtesans in pre-Independence Lahore, was one of the most awaited Indian OTT projects of that year. After Heeramandi, Fardeen Khan was seen in Visfot with Riteish Deshmukh, and then in Khel Khel Mein with Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu and Vaani Kapoor.
At IIFA 2025 in Jaipur, he opened up about his break. He said that after such a long gap, he was not even sure if he would get any work and that he is very thankful to the people who believed in him and gave him a chance.
Recently, Fardeen Khan was seen playing the historical role of Shah Jahan in the 2026 epic historical action-drama film Raja Shivaji, which has been directed by Riteish Deshmukh.
What a comeback by Fardeen Khan after a traumatising phase!
