From a corporate career in Dubai to carving a place for himself in the world of acting, Adnan Khan’s journey is one of courage, conviction and an unwavering love for storytelling. Today, the actor continues to win appreciation for his nuanced portrayal of Aman/Vikrant in Mannat – Har Khushi Paane Ki, a role that has allowed him to explore multiple shades of a constantly evolving character.
For Adnan, acting is more than being in front of the camera. It is about chasing a feeling — the same feeling that inspired him to leave his corporate career after watching Will Smith’s Seven Pounds. Over the years, that pursuit has taken him from television and films to writing, directing and exploring his own stories as a filmmaker.
In this exclusive conversation with Downtown Mirror Magazine, Adnan Khan opens up about the unpredictable world of television, his chemistry with Ayesha Singh, the role spirituality plays in dealing with rejection, his ambitions as a filmmaker, and the personal realisation that life extends far beyond the pursuit of a career.
Excerpts…
Q1. You are currently earning immense praise for your portrayal of Aman/Vikrant in Mannat – Har Khushi Paane Ki. You’ve mentioned that the show’s highly unpredictable and changing arcs keep your motivation alive. How do you prepare yourself for a character whose identity and circumstances shift so dramatically on screen?
Adnan Khan. The good thing about television is that it gives you the scope to ease into a character. The reason I say that is because television allows you to explore so many different sides of a character. In comparison, when you work on a film or a series, you often have to prepare extensively and then jump into major scenes. With television, by the time you reach those emotionally intense scenes, you have already gone through a journey with the character.
Believe it or not, I think that actually makes it easier in television compared to films and series. The preparation happens organically on set before you reach those important moments where you are required to show the soul or emotions of the character. By then, you have already lived through different situations with the character, so when the major scenes come, there is an emotional foundation to build on. In that sense, television gives you a very interesting way of preparing for a character.
Q2. Television requires shooting nearly 12 hours a day, 25 days a month. For an actor like you who values the sheer craft over just chasing the final rating results, how do you protect your artistic integrity from burning out under such relentless schedules?
Adnan Khan. That is actually a beautiful question because it is something I constantly battle with. It is an ongoing challenge. I keep saying that, especially for leads in television, it is not a sprint; it is a marathon. When you are working every day for 12 hours, there are obviously going to be moments in that race when your drive to perform at your absolute best becomes a little low.
But sometimes the challenge is not even within your control. It is almost like you are standing on a basketball court, but the game being played in front of you is not really in your area of the court. There are times when you are simply there, observing and moving through the story because the emotional core of the track belongs to other characters.
I remember one particular sequence where I felt like I was just floating through the story because the emotional side of it was primarily based on other characters, and I was more of a bystander. Then suddenly, I was given a sequence where I was drowning underwater while being paralysed. That completely woke me up. It was such a rush. For some people, jumping out of a plane might be that kind of adrenaline rush; for me, that sequence gave me something similar.
With Mannat, it has been relatively easy because the creators, producers and the channel have consistently come up with such unpredictable and challenging arcs. So even if there is a moment or two where I am more of an observer, I am suddenly plunged into something that feels like bungee jumping. Those moments keep the excitement alive and remind me why I love the craft.
Q3. Your on-screen chemistry with your co-star Ayesha Singh in Mannat has developed a massive fanbase. What goes into building that effortless comfort and creative equation off-camera to ensure it reflects so powerfully on screen?
Adnan Khan.I think the first thing you need is a good connection and an easy, flowing relationship with the actor you are working with. That does not necessarily mean becoming close friends outside the set. It is more about developing a sense of comfort with each other as actors.
When the director says cut, the two people standing there are no longer the characters; they are the actors. It is important to have an easy and natural relationship with the person you are sharing the screen with. The reason I emphasise the words “easy and flowing” is because it is extremely important to be vulnerable in front of each other.
I think that vulnerability is one of the biggest keys to creating great chemistry on screen. When two actors are comfortable enough to trust each other and be vulnerable in a scene, that comfort naturally translates to the audience.
Q4. You recently opened up about a significant personal realisation: that for nearly a decade, acting was a matter of “Life and Death” for you, which caused you to miss important milestones like your friends’ weddings. What was the exact turning point that made you step back and say, “Life is also important”?
Adnan Khan. I think that turning point came when Ayushman landed and then we went through COVID. We suddenly had enough time to slow down and think about our lives. During that period, I would see my friends talking to each other and sharing stories, and I realised that I had missed out on so many of those stories.
I wasn’t there for so many important moments in their lives. That gave me a major sense of FOMO. I remember thinking, “Damn, I missed so much.” It made me realise that while acting had been extremely important to me for years, there was an entire life outside of it that I had not been experiencing fully. That realisation helped me understand that life is important too.
Q5. Incorporating spirituality has helped you ground your identity amidst the noise of the industry. How does this grounded, spiritual perspective change how you handle professional rejections or the constant anxiety of “What’s Next” in show business?
Adnan Khan.That is such a beautiful question. There is something from the Quran that has stayed with me deeply. I believe it is from Surah Al-Hadid, around Ayahs 22 and 23, although I may be slightly off on the exact numbers. The essence is that every calamity that occurs on the earth or within ourselves has already been written before it happens, and the following verse reminds us not to grieve excessively over what we have lost or become overly proud of what we have received.
I knew these verses long before, and I had even memorised them. But at one point in my life, their meaning really hit me. There was another extremely important project I was working on—not acting-related—which was probably the most important thing to me at that time. When it fell apart, I experienced a level of regret I had never felt before. I would find myself thinking at different times, “Damn, I messed up. I messed up.”
That was when I revisited the verse and really understood what it was telling me. I realised that what is not meant for you is not meant for you. And even if something was meant for you but you made a mistake, perhaps that mistake was also meant to happen.
That gives me a tremendous sense of ease. Whether it is a project, a meal, a paycheque, a friendship or a relationship, if something is not meant for me, then it is okay. I can accept it and move forward. That perspective has helped me immensely with rejection and with the constant uncertainty of wondering what comes next.
Q6. Beyond being a television heartthrob, you wrote, directed, and starred in your independent short film Imagine. How deeply satisfying is it to step behind the camera, and do you eventually see yourself transitioning into a full-time filmmaker or storyteller?
Adnan Khan. Absolutely. You definitely got me excited with this question because I have so many things in my mind that I want to create. I already have another short film that I am planning to make. I am still figuring out whether I should make it now or wait until I have a little more funding.
There is also a feature film that I have been working on. I had a problem with the climax, but I think I have finally figured it out. I have not written it yet, but I have the entire thing in my head.
I have some really ambitious projects that I want to explore. There is a zombie film, a fantasy film, a very difficult and personal film about my mother, and even a sci-fi romantic story that incorporates spirituality. There are probably six ideas in my head at the moment, and they are all quite big.
Films take time, of course, but yes, absolutely — I see myself becoming a full-time filmmaker and storyteller eventually. There is a lot that I want to say through stories, and I would love to explore that side of myself more deeply.
Q7. You famously left a corporate job as an HR Manager in Dubai because watching Will Smith’s Seven Pounds “hit you like a truck” and made you choose acting. Looking back at that leap of faith today, does the reality of the Indian entertainment industry match the dream you had when you packed your bags?
Adnan Khan. Can I be honest with you? When I watched Seven Pounds, I remember the experience as if it happened yesterday. I was eating a sandwich after work at an arcade where I used to spend time playing computer games. We used to play games like World of Warcraft, Dota and Counter-Strike. I had finished playing and put on a movie because I was hungry.
I watched the film and, by the time it ended, it had moved me so deeply that I thought, “This is what I want to do.” At the time, I couldn’t completely articulate what that feeling was. I realise it now. I wasn’t necessarily chasing that particular movie; I was chasing the feeling that the movie created in me.
And yes, absolutely, I think the reality has matched the dream and in some ways, it has gone beyond it. There have been days when I have performed scenes that gave me an even stronger feeling than I experienced that day while watching Seven Pounds.
I eventually realised that I was not chasing the movie itself. I was chasing the effect that the movie had on me. And I can experience that feeling anywhere during an audition, while performing a scene on a theatre stage or while working on a film.
I have now also worked on a film that made it to the big screen. But even that wasn’t necessarily the entire dream. Perhaps seeing a film on the big screen was one version of the dream, but the bigger dream the one my soul was actually asking me to pursue was that feeling. And yes, I have found that feeling.
Q8. You’ve candidly shared that you are quite traditional when it comes to relationships and would prefer an arranged marriage when the time is right. In a modern, fast-paced world, what are the primary values you look for in a life partner?
Adnan Khan. It is actually quite simple. I want somebody who is simple and kind. Someone who can apologise when they make a mistake and doesn’t feel that apologising makes them a lesser person.
I don’t like people who think they are better than others. I don’t mind confidence, but I absolutely don’t like cockiness. I really value someone who doesn’t look at life as a competition with everyone around them.
I try to follow the same principle myself that you should always strive to be the best version of yourself, rather than trying to be better than someone else. I was actually telling someone this recently.
Five people can be beautiful at the same time. You don’t have to be more beautiful than somebody else to feel beautiful.
That is a value I really admire. I also admire compassion and someone who is comfortable being soft and warm. I think we are slowly losing that quality in today’s world.
Men are increasingly being told that it is okay to be emotional, to cry and to talk about mental health, which I think is a good thing. But I also feel there is a pressure on women to become less soft and less emotional.
So I would want someone who is comfortable with her feelings and isn’t afraid of them.
And, of course, if my partner knows how to cook, that would probably be one of the best things in the world because I absolutely love food!
People make promises about feeding me and then don’t follow through, so I take food very seriously. And if she’s a movie buff, that would be amazing too.
