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Faissal Khan recalls how the failure of Mela ended his acting career and shares that Aamir Khan still supports him with a monthly allowance.
Faissal Khan has opened up about the aftermath of his 2000 film Mela, calling it a career-destroying experience. The actor revealed that his brother Aamir Khan continues to support him financially with a monthly allowance, and revisited the creative tensions that plagued the film’s making.
Back in 1996, Aamir Khan attempted to launch his brother Faissal Khan as a leading man with director Dharmesh Darshan’s Mela. Intended to be a grand Bollywood spectacle, the film instead went down in history as one of the most infamous flops of its era. Taking nearly four years to complete, Mela was plagued by creative disagreements, production delays, and mounting pressures for Faissal, whose acting debut in the 1994 film Madhosh had already failed at the box office.
In a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, Faissal revisited the turbulent journey of Mela, the challenges he faced, and his complicated equation with Aamir. Now living on a monthly allowance from his superstar brother in one of their family’s Pali Hill apartments, Faissal says his career never quite recovered after the film’s collapse.
Preparing for the Test of a Lifetime
After Madhosh, Faissal says he was determined to improve his craft before stepping in front of the camera again. “I was critical about myself and decided to start from scratch. I knew I was not a great actor, so I took lessons. I practised singing to open up my voice, learned to dance and fight. It was after all this that my performance in Mela came through,” he recalled.
The film boasted a stellar supporting cast including Johnny Lever, Asrani, and Archana Puran Singh. For Faissal, the biggest challenge was sharing the screen with Aamir at the height of his fame. “Dharmesh told me, ‘I’m pitting you against Aamir because he’s the best. If you can stand out against him, you’ll prove your mettle.’ They had just delivered Raja Hindustani, which was the biggest hit of their careers,” Faissal said.
Aamir’s Plan and the Long Delay
According to Faissal, Aamir was keen to do a film together, inspired by the trend of brothers teaming up on screen, such as Sunny and Bobby Deol in Dillagi and Salman and Arbaaz Khan in Hello Brother. “Aamir thought, if nobody wants to feature Faissal alone, we should do a film together. Dharmesh liked the idea and it became a test for me,” he explained.
But as shooting progressed, tensions flared between Aamir and Dharmesh, leading to repeated delays. “I had promised producer Ratan Jain I wouldn’t sign any other film until Mela was completed. Aamir even threatened to walk out at one point due to his differences with Dharmesh. Dharmesh, meanwhile, tried to get me on his side. Eventually, they’d patch up and resume work. But the film took four years to finish and finally released in 2000,” Faissal said.
Dharmesh Darshan and Aamir Khan on Mela
Over the years, Dharmesh Darshan has publicly admitted the film was compromised. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, he said, “I was very strict in Raja Hindustani, but I became very soft in Mela. It got diluted. There was also a major casting issue. I’m not a magician, but I think Faissal did very well. From Madhosh to Mela, there’s growth. In some scenes, he’s better than Aamir, giving a very real performance.”
Aamir, on the other hand, has confessed in past interviews that he regrets making Mela. After the film’s box office debacle, he and Dharmesh Darshan never worked together again.
What was meant to be a grand launchpad for Faissal instead became a cautionary tale in Bollywood — a film remembered as much for its behind-the-scenes conflicts as for its on-screen shortcomings.
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun…Read More
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun… Read More
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