Actor Imran Khan famously walked away from the film industry over a decade ago after not getting the kind of roles he had hoped for. In his time away, the actor braved a divorce and a mental health battle. In a new interview, Imran opened up on how a mental health ‘scare’ forced him to make changes in his life.
Imran Khan opens up on his mental health scare
Speaking with the Times of India, Imran recalled how he realised nothing in his life was right during that phase, calling it a ‘wake-up call’. He said, “I had a mental health scare. You know, people have health scares. They’re like, suddenly, something goes wrong, I’m going to change my diet. I’m going to change my lifestyle. Oh, it’s all boiled vegetables. And I had a mental health scare. I looked, and I said none of this is right. I have to address this consciously. The way that you would start caring for your body if you suddenly had a health issue. I have to engage with it consciously.”
In the same interview, Imran explained that he always thought of himself as a chill person with no baggage, but later realised that his self-image was not who he really was. “My self-image was, I’m a really chill guy. But I realised that I whatever I think of myself, I’m not actually that guy. If I look at the way I was interacting with the world at that point was different, and it was not lining up with who I think I am. I was interacting with the world out of a sense of great fear and trepidation, tremendous crippling anxiety. It was the exact opposite of easy-going, chill guy,” said Imran.
Imran Khan’s film career
A nephew of actor Aamir Khan and director Mansoor Khan, Imran made his Bollywood debut in uncle Aamir’s production Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na in 2007. The film was a hit, and Imran became an overnight star. He found niche success with the cult classic Delhi Belly, but beyond that, his films failed to find an audience at the box office. He appeared alongside the top female stars of his generation, such as Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut, Katrina Kaif, and Kareena Kapoor, but none of those films performed well at the box office. After Katti Batti failed in 2015, Imran stepped away from acting.
The actor is now making a comeback to films. Earlier this year, he appeared in a cameo in friend Vir Das’ directorial Happy Patel. He is now set to return as a lead actor in Adhure Hum Adhure Tum opposite Bhumi Pednekar. The film is slated to release on Netflix sometime this year.
