Birthday Special: When Imran Khan candidly spoke about his divorce with Avantika Malik

Imran Khan and Avantika Malika Pic/AFP

Bollywood actor Imran Khan, who has been rumoured to make his Bollywood comeback for a while now, celebrates his birthday on January 13. Imran made his foray into acting with the hit film 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' in 2008. The audience was crazy about him and he had a lot of female fans in the late 2000s and early 2010s -- all thanks to his charming looks. A few years ago, he was in the news for his marriage with Avantika hitting a rough patch. The two are parents to daughter Imara. In 2024, he confirmed his divorce as well as finding love once again with Lekha Washington.

Imran Khan on his divorce from Avantika Malik

In an interview with India Today, Imran Khan said, "Without going too much into that part, because I'm hesitant to add a lot of fuel to the gossip fire, but as I was dealing with all of this baggage and my internal struggle, I did find that my marriage and my relationship were not helping any of that."

He added, "In an ideal, healthy dynamic between two people, you are both making each other better, healthier, stronger, and supporting each other to be the healthiest, best, strongest version. We were not in that place."

Imran Khan on Lekha being labelled a 'homewrecker'

Speaking to Vogue, Imran said, The speculation that I'm romantically involved with Lekha Washington is true. I'm divorced and have been separated since February 2019. There's this narrative of Lekha being a homewrecker, which infuriates me because not only is it misogynistic but it also takes away my agency as an individual."

"Lekha and I grew close during the lockdown, a year and a half after I had been separated from Avantika and almost a year after she had separated from her partner, not husband as it has been widely reported," the actor added.

Imran Khan's acting journey so far

After featuring in films like 'Kidnap, 'Luck', ' Delhi Belly', 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan', 'Ekk Main Aur Ekk Tu', 'Break ke Baad', ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara', and 'I Hate Love Storys' among others, Imran disappeared from the public eye and quit acting. His last release was ‘Katti Batti' in 2015.