After years of treating acting as an all-consuming pursuit, Adnan Khan has learnt to view his career as just one part of his life. The actor, currently seen in Mannat – Har Khushi Paane Ki, spent nearly a decade focused on establishing himself, but says missing important personal milestones, enduring professional setbacks and later finding spirituality changed his priorities. Adnan says, “Earlier, work was life and death for me. Now, it is not. I realised that life was also important, and I needed to give equal importance to my relationships and myself. Ten years went by and I missed every single wedding of my friends and other crucial occasions because I was shooting continuously. When I went on stage to win awards, the euphoria lasted for just a few seconds, and I came back down thinking, ‘This is what it was? This is what I was waiting for?’ It made me ask myself, ‘What did I achieve?’ I know all this is time pass, kuchh bhi itna serious nahi hai.”The perspective comes from a journey that was far from easy. Adnan relocated from Dubai to India in 2014 to pursue acting, leaving his job as an HR manager. It took him nearly five years to land his breakthrough with Ishq Subhan Allah in 2018. Recalling those years, he says, “When you fail for as long as I did and reach your wits’ end, the lesson you learn stays with you. Initially, I didn’t get paid for the roles I played, and a big show I had been signed for didn’t see the light of day. Five years went by, money ran out, and my dad passed away. My mother told me, ‘It’s been five years now, and it’s time to go back,’ so I told her that if nothing worked out by the end of 2018, we would return to Dubai. Then luck turned, and I got Ishq Subhan Allah.”He adds, “I failed for so long that I still get scared. Those five years have made me very grounded, to the point where I know that right now is also a phase. There are hundreds of guys who look better than me and are more talented than me, but I am just lucky right now. The phone could stop ringing at any point. So, I’m always wondering, ‘Is this the last one?’ I’m enjoying life more now.”A difficult phase during the pandemic also led him towards spirituality, which he credits with helping him confront his fears and insecurities. Adnan shares, “A project I had put my entire life into fell apart, and it broke me completely. I went deep into my fears and insecurities, and with nowhere else to turn, I looked upwards. I felt that started changing me from within in a nice way. God was there with me during that time, so I became very spiritual. Today, I am in a happy space, having found balance and learnt to value the journey as much as the destination.”
