Early work (1998–2002) Khan made his acting debut in 1998 with a leading role in the romance film
Prem Aggan, which garnered him the
Filmfare Best Debut Award. He then starred in the survival thriller
Jungle, in 2000.
Rediff.com wrote, "Fardeen redeems himself, after the disaster that was
Prem Aggan." His career marked a turning point after he received critical recognition for the 2001 romantic thriller
Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya.
Screen magazine noted, "Fardeen Khan as the happy-go-lucky photographer, is pleasing on the eye, light footed and comfortable with the part." His other films of the year were the crime comedy
Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega and the romantic drama
Hum Ho Gaye Aapke, both box office failures. Khan had three releases in 2002:
Kitne Door Kitne Paas,
Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein, and
Om Jai Jagadish.
Career progression, acclaim, and hiatus (2003–2023) Khan again worked on three projects in 2003. The romantic comedy
Khushi and the romantic thriller
Janasheen both failed at the box office. For
Khushi,
Bollywood Hungama praised his performance and noted, "Fardeen Khan's performance is a revelation. The actor not only looks smashing, but does an equally smashing job in emotional sequences mainly, which were his weak points earlier." The supernatural horror
Bhoot was his only successful film that year. Film critic
Taran Adarsh wrote, "Fardeen Khan registers an impact in a small but significant role." Khan received critical acclaim for both his films in 2004. In
Dev, he played a misguided law graduate. Bollywood Hungama noted, "Fardeen Khan springs a surprise by enacting a difficult role with flourish. His scenes with the two veterans are proof enough that the youngster has evolved into a fine actor." Rediff.com wrote, "Fardeen portrays the transformation of the innocent but troubled youngster to jihadi sharpshooter with conviction." He next played a hacker and thief in
Fida. Rediff.com stated, "Fardeen is his usual suave self." Khan had his career's highest grosser in 2005, with
No Entry, which became the
highest-grossing film of 2005.
Planet Bollywood noted, "Fardeen Khan shows a great flair for comedy at his first attempt. He shares stellar situations with Anil Kapoor in the latter half of the film." He went on to appear in
Heyy Babyy (2007),
Life Partner (2009), and
All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), among others. In 2010, after his last starring role, in
Dulha Mil Gaya, Khan took a break from the movie business in order to focus on his family. In December 2020, speculation arose that he may be planning a comeback to acting after being spotted outside the office of film director
Mukesh Chhabra. Chhabra later confirmed that the two were exploring opportunities and that they would begin working on a new project in 2021.
Return to acting (2024–present) In 2024, Khan made his return to acting with the web series
Heeramandi, which premiered on
Netflix. Dhaval Roy of
The Times of India stated that Khan made a "strong impression" with his performance. Khan subsequently returned to the screen with
Khel Khel Mein, where he played a cricket coach. Despite a positive response, the film was a
box-office bomb. Vinamra Mathur of
Firstpost expressed appreciation for Khan's "sensitive and mature performance". In his last release of the year,
Visfot, Khan played a taxi driver. In 2025, Khan played a billionaire's son in
Housefull 5. ==Personal life==