11 years after he was charged for the possession of cocaine, Fardeen Khan has been acquitted , albeit conditionally. "Conditions do and have applied," said Fardeen in a relieved tone, his joy at being absolved by the honourable court diluted by a bereavement in the family. Said the softspoken Khan, "There has been a death in the family, a sister died in an accident. So we are kind of mixed in our emotions right now. On the one hand there is grief on the other hand there's relief for the end of an 11-year old ordeal."

Throwing light on the cocaine case and his acquittal Fardeen said, "It was actually the provision under the NDPS, section 64A whereby one can apply for immunity from prosecution as long as you fight the criterion.We made an appeal according to the law under section 64 A. The honourable judge accepted our appeal. And he heard us out. My lawyer and I are truly grateful to the Judge. It takes a lot of conviction to deliver such a fair judgement."

Fardeen seems specially proud of his lawyer. "It is as much my victory as my lawyer Ayaz Khan's. He's been with me every step of the way for 11 years in this case." Now Fardeen says he has kicked all addiction except one. "I am hopelessly addicted to my family.... My mom, sister,my wife, my in-laws, my cousins, uncles...They are my strength. They've been my support through all these trying times."

The actor who has lately been shrouded in troubles warns against substance abuse. "Any mind-altering substance whether it's narcotics or alcohol or prescription pills, creates a lethal dependency. Before you know it you're sucked into a downward spiral. The idea of any addiction is very damaging. People have all kinds of weird addiction, even shopping. My only addiction is the love of my family.They're my life-supporting system. Please educate yourself vis-a-vis the consequences of whatever you are experimenting with. Addiction is not cool."

Adds Fardeen, "It's a huge relief. If I had gone into trial it'd have meant many years of going in and out of court. Hopefully all my other problems are taken care of. We've one of the most comprehensive legal system. Sometimes it's just a question of representation. I was lucky to have a really good lawyer who put forward my case in the right perspective."

Fardeen sums up his ordeal. " It took them about 11 years to charge me. Once I was charged for attempting to purchase...(cocaine) I could apply for an acquittal. My case was very straightforward...Now I can go back to doing what my father brought me up to believe in. Movies. Now I can focus on acting in and making movies."

Fardeen now prepares to do the long-delayed remake of his father's most popular hit 'Qurbani'. Says the excited star-son, "We've just cracked the script finally. Sanjay Dutt and I have shaken hands over the project. He plays Amjad Khan's role.The rest of the cast will be locked in soon."

Fardeen also gets ready to face the camera this year for the sequel to Anees Bazmi's 'No Entry' where he has a double role. He is aware he needs to lose weight. "I am not blind to the excess baggage that I'm carrying around. All that will soon have to go. I'm working on it. Yes, I've had problems. Who doesn't? The important thing is to cope with the problems to the best of one's ability."