Farhan Akhtar was born in Mumbai, the second child of screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. He has one elder sister, the writer–director Zoya Akhtar. He was very young when his parents divorced; his father married actress Shabana Azmi in 1984.[5] His mother retained the family home in Bandra Bandstand and raised her children there. Akhtar studied at Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai and then pursued a law degree at HR College, also in Mumbai.[6] Akhtar's father, a Muslim by birth and culture, is a socialist and has described himself as an atheist; Akhtar's mother, born into an Irani Zoroastrian family in India, is indifferent to religion, and was content to let her children grow up with no religion. Akhtar has stated that he is an atheist.[7]
Akhtar married Adhuna Bhabani in 2000, after being in a relationship with her for 3 years.[12][13] They first met during the filming of his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, which also marked Bhabani's debut as a Bollywood hairstylist.[14] The couple has two daughters named Shakya and Akira.[15] On 21 January 2016, they announced their separation after 16 years of marriage.[16] Their divorce was finalised on 24 April 2017, with Bhabani having custody of their children.[17] Akhtar started dating VJShibani Dandekar in 2018.[18] On 19 February 2022, they got married in a non-religious ceremony at his Khandala farmhouse.[19]
Career
Akhtar worked as an apprentice in film distribution and direction for Yash Chopra's Lamhe (1991)[20] when he was 17 years old and later moved to an advertisement production house named "Script Shop" to spend an approximate 3 years there.[21] He also assisted Pankaj Parashar as a director in Himalay Putra (1997)[22] before launching himself into direction and writing.[23]
Directing, writing and producing
Akhtar made his writing and directorial debut with the critically acclaimed coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai (2001), produced by Excel Entertainment, a production company he established along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999.[24] It was shot over a period of three months in Sydney, Goa and Mumbai.[25] Due to its acclaim, he called it a "turning point" in his career.[26] The film dealt with the lives of westernised urban youth in Mumbai. Akhtar had written the script based on his trips to Goa and New York City, as well as a narration of a story outline by a friend of his, Kassim Jagmagia, who would eventually become a co-producer at Excel Entertainment in the future.[27] It received international critical acclaim and attained an iconic status, with Akhtar receiving credit for starting a "new wave" in Indian cinema.[28] Critic Ziya Us Salam praised Akhtar's direction and commented for The Hindu: "In his maiden venture, Javed Akhtar's son shows enough glimpses of his pedigree to indicate that promise will attain fulfilment sooner than later."[29] Various award shows conferred accolades on the film and nominated it for several categories. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for 2002, in addition to the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics).[30] It was also screened at the International Film Festival of India,[31] the Palm Springs International Film Festival,[32] and the Austin Film Festival.[33] In the same year, he and his sister Zoya Akhtar assisted their father in writing the English lyrics of a song in Lagaan, for which the soundtrack was scored by A. R. Rahman.[34]
Akhtar's next project was the war drama Lakshya (2004), a film about an aimless youngster finally setting a goal for himself, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. It was shot in Ladakh, Dehra Dun and Mumbai, and marked the beginning of the collaborations between Akhtar and Roshan.[35] He had to research the army before writing the script and directing the venture.[36] The theme of the film, as stated by Akhtar, was about "finding oneself". He also believed that if the same characters and situation were set elsewhere, the main core of the story would remain the same as the film was not about war, as it had been reported.[35] Post-release, the film failed to make a mark at the box office and became a commercial failure.[37] Parul Gupta of The Times of India gave it a negative review and explained that "It's hard to reconcile to such triviality when it comes from Farhan Akhtar, considered the ultimate symbol of cool in Hindi filmdom."[38] On the contrary, Manish Gajjar from BBC wrote, in his positive review: "Young Farhan Akhtar, proves yet again that he is one of the finest directors Bollywood has to date. He has paid full attention to the script and the technical aspects, giving rise to a polished product".[39]
In 2006, Akhtar directed, produced and wrote the screenplay of Don starring Shah Rukh Khan in the title role alongside Priyanka Chopra, a remake of Don (1978), starring Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman.[42] It marked his first project holding the status of a remake. The character of Don became iconic and popular. Despite this, he noted that he did not mean to be a "torchbearer of the remake brigade" and did not feel comfortable with being credited for the trend of remakes in the film industry.[43] The film released on 20 October 2006 and was declared a "hit" at the box office, grossing around ₹1.05 billion (equivalent to ₹3.4billionorUS$40million in 2023) worldwide.[44] The film was particularly noted for its dialogues.[45] However, critics predominantly condemned Akhtar's direction and screenplay. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said Akhtar had "climbed the ladder as far as craftsmanship is concerned [every frame is well decorated and makes a spellbinding impact] but despite a readymade classic at his disposal, the storyteller just doesn't get it right this time."[46]
In 2007, Akhtar produced the film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., directed by debutant Reema Kagti and starring Abhay Deol, Minissha Lamba, Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani. The music for the film was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, marking their first collaboration with him.[47] Akhtar was supposed to make his acting debut with the film, but he had to be replaced by Abhay Deol as he was involved with Don.[48] The film was financed and funded by Exim Bank.[49] This was the first time Excel Entertainment collaborated with a different director as all their previous projects had been involving Akhtar as a director. The story of the film revolved around six couples who went to Goa on a honeymoon.[citation needed] The film opened up on 23 February and received mixed reviews from critics,[50] and ended up with an "average" box office result.[51]
In the same year, Akhtar directed Positive, a film produced by Shernaz Italia and Frenzy Kodaiji, starring Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi.[52] It was a short film running for 12 minutes. Dealing with a family's attitude towards a person suffering from HIV-AIDS, the film was shot in Mumbai and aimed at creating awareness about the problem. It also introduced Arjun Mathur in the film industry. Speaking about the purpose of the project, Akhtar stated that "Just as a social stigma, many people believe that an HIV patient should be isolated. They also have certain misconceptions about dealing with the disease. And since India has a lot of joint families, it becomes very important for them to understand the value of support to the person who has acquired this disease. This is exactly what Positive talks about." The film had its background score composed by Ram Sampath but had no soundtrack.[53] It was a part of the "AIDS JaaGo" ("AIDS Awake"), a series of four short films, directed by Mira Nair, Santosh Sivan, Vishal Bhardwaj and himself, in a joint initiative of Mira Nair's Mirabai Films, voluntary organisations Avahan and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[54]
Akhtar's first project in 2011 as a writer and producer was the mysterythrillerGame, directed by Abhinay Deo.[55] The lead cast consisted of Abhishek Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill. The film received highly negative reviews post release, with critics panning almost all the aspects of it.[56] At the box office, it had a poor opening, and later resulted in giving losses for the distributors, due to a heavily negative word-of-mouth. It was described as a "washout" by trade analysts.[57]
Later that year, Akhtar wrote, produced and directed Don 2, a sequel to his previous venture Don (2006). It marked his return to direction after a gap of nearly 5 years. His decision of making a sequel was explained by him in an interview: "I am wary of sequels having to be made. With Don 2 I could finally make an action thriller the way I wanted to. Good story, classic action and simple plot which has one goal and work towards it effectively and dramatically."[58] The film was a major success in India and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production in overseas markets[59] with a worldwide gross of ₹2.1 billion (equivalent to ₹4.0billionorUS$47million in 2023).[60] It received predominantly positive reviews from critics,[citation needed] with Khalid Mohammed stating: "Throughout, you can't help feeling that Farhan Akhtar could have made three far more valuable films out of the budget squandered on this thriller where cars are smashed as if they were tea cups."[61]
In 2008, Akhtar made his solo acting and singing debut in the musical drama Rock On!!, for which he wrote the script and also produced. The film was directed by Abhishek Kapoor, and co-starred Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli.[65] As he had been learning guitar ever since the start of his directing career, he had been well-versed with it and used it for the film. He played the role of Aditya, the lead singer of the rock band "Magik". He sang five songs for the soundtrack album.[66]Rock On!! received critical acclaim upon release. Gaurav Malani of The Economic Times wrote that the film seemed to be "clearly designed by Farhan Akhar as his own acting debut and he doesn't let himself down. Lending voice to all his songs helps him to get into his character with effortless ease. One could certainly overlook the lisp in his dialogue delivery."[67] Manish Gajjar of BBC wrote of his performance: "Director-turned-actor, Farhan Aktar surprises all with his superb, flawless performance, transforming from a hippy-style lead-singer to a subdued, dismal workaholic banker."[68] Akhtar received several accolades for his debut performance. The film, in addition won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. However, it did not create an impact at the box office and turned out to be an "average" grosser.[69]
After refusing an offer to sing a song for A. R. Rahman's album Blue (2009),[70] Akhtar acted in, and produced his sister Zoya's directorial and written debut Luck By Chance, alongside Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead role.[71] He was cast in the film after being deemed as a "perfect choice" for it.[48] The story of the film revolved around a struggling actor who arrives in Mumbai to become a movie star. It was released on 30 January 2009.[72] Though failing to do well at the box office and being declared a "flop", the film received widespread critical acclaim.[73] Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times said: "It is Mr. Akhtar whose understated performance holds together this far-ranging, cameo-filled film. He manages to remain sympathetic even while wreaking romantic havoc."[74]Rajeev Masand noted: "Farhan Akhtar delivers a simple-enough likeable performance that is just what the film required— no showy flourishes, no loud outbursts, just a straight off spontaneous act that works like a dream."[75]
Following Luck By Chance, Akhtar acted in a film titled The Fakir of Venice, which was initially scheduled to release before Rock On!! and was supposed to be his acting debut. Due to several delays, it was premiered at the 2009 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. It was written and directed by Anand Surapur, and accepted by Akhtar after he described its script as "very powerful", while emphasising that it "touches upon weaknesses and confusions in all human beings".[76] Before release, it premiered at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles,[77] and the Venice Film Festival at the ArcLight Hollywood.[78] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film and felt that "Akhtar, a producer, director and writer making his film debut here as an actor, is talented and handsome enough– and with looks that could translate into any number of ethnicities– to have a huge career ahead of him."[79]
Akhtar acted in, and produced his next film Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), a psychological thriller directed by Vijay Lalwani. He played Karthik, an introvert,[80] paired opposite Deepika Padukone for the first time.[81] Preparation for the role involved working on the Rubik's Cube, which he learnt from the director.[82] The film received mixed reviews, but Akhtar's performance received praise, with Sukanya Verma highlighting that "He conveys the anxiety, simplicity and frailty of Karthik even when the script isn't doing it for him. Perhaps it's his innate filmmaker instinct."[83] The film had a good opening at the box office, as it was targeted towards the youth of the multiplexes.[citation needed] However, it failed to do well at the box office and became a "below average" grosser.[84]
Akhtar produced and appeared as one of the three leads in his sister, Zoya Akhtar's coming-of-age film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara along with Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. He was also credited as the scriptwriter for the film.[85] He was the first actor to be cast in the film,[86] and described his role as a "fun character" and a "guy who for the longest time takes nothing seriously".[87] His real life father, Javed Akhtar wrote poetry for the film, which he performs as a voice-over.[88] His performance received widespread critical acclaim, with Shaikh Ayaz of Rediff.com highlighting his lines as "gentle, they won't make you ROFL; they are more like tender dig in the ribs."[89] Kaveree Bamzai of India Today called his acting "sensitive, soulful", further saying that he was "perfectly capable of reading out his father's poetry."[90] The film made ₹1.53 billion (equivalent to ₹3.2billionorUS$38million in 2023) worldwide and was declared a major commercial success at the box office.[91] It also became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films overseas, earning around US$7.25 million.[92] It won two National Awards for Best Choreography and Best Audiography.[93]
Following Don 2, his next acting venture was the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), based on the Indian athlete Milkha Singh, popularly known as 'the Flying Sikh'. His performance received critical acclaim and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[94] He also had to prepare his looks to depict a 17-year-old army recruit and endure an on-the-spot preparation at an army cantonment.[95]
In 2016, Akhtar played the lead role of an Anti-Terrorism Squad officer in Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir. It was his first action role as an actor, and for which he went through intense physical training and put on eight kilograms of weight.[98][99]Raja Sen in his review called him "pretty good [..] in the initial portions, but his performance starts to unravel once the film hits hysterical gear and he is required to do more than frown."[100] Akhtar also sang the duet "Atrangi Yaari" with Amitabh Bachchan for the flm.[101] The film emerged as a box-office success.[102] Akhtar's final release of the year was the rock musical drama Rock On 2, a sequel to Rock On!! (2008). He reprised his role of Aditya Shroff, the lead singer of his band.[103] The film was Akhtar's attempt to bring Northeast India into popular culture.[104]
In 2017, Akhtar essayed the role of a Dawood Ibrahim-alike mafia don Maqsood in Daddy, co-starring Arjun Rampal.[105] His next release was the prison drama Lucknow Central, co-starring Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal and Deepak Dobriyal. The film was about a prison escape drama planned by a group of prisoners who also form a music band and was inspired by a real incident.[106]Lucknow Central was released on 15 September 2017 and met with mixed reviews and low financial returns.[107][108]
Men Against Rape and Discrimination, or MARD (lit.'Man'), is a social campaign launched by Akhtar. The idea came to him when, in August 2012, Pallavi Purkayastha, a lawyer by profession, was sexually assaulted and then killed by her residence's watchman.[113]
Javed Akhtar is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honours.
Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Farhan Akhtar in his directoral debut. It was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and released under the banner of Excel Entertainment, marking their cinematic debut. The film focuses on a significant transition period in the lives of three college-graduate friends. It also stars Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia.
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy is an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. They have composed music for over 50 soundtracks across five languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and English. Amongst the most critically acclaimed Indian musicians, the trio have won numerous awards, including National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, and IIFA Awards. They are often referred to as the "Amar Akbar Anthony" (AAA) of the Hindi film music industry. They are known for their compositions in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015).
Don: The Chase Begins Again, better known simply as Don, is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Farhan Akhtar. The film was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Akhtar's production company Excel Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as the titular anti-hero and Priyanka Chopra as Roma, while Arjun Rampal, Isha Koppikar, Boman Irani, Pavan Malhotra, and Om Puri appears in supporting roles. Kareena Kapoor makes a special appearance. Don is a remake of the 1978 film of the same title, and follows the titular criminal's look-alike who has been sent on a clandestine mission to impersonate Don after he is wounded in a chase, and to gather intelligence on the drug mafia.
Zoya Akhtar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Born to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, she completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU and assisted directors Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becoming an independent writer and director. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. Akhtar, along with Reema Kagti, founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio in October 2015.
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six Filmfare Awards, of which four were for Best Actor. Starting from 2012, he has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 several times based on his income and popularity.
Luck by Chance is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar in her directorial debut. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, it stars Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma in lead roles, with Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Isha Sharvani, Alyy Khan and Sheeba Chaddha in pivotal supporting roles. Hrithik Roshan makes an extended cameo appearance. Guest stars and industry folk starring as themselves included Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham, Vivek Oberoi, Rajkumar Hirani, Boman Irani and Anurag Kashyap in cameos. The film shows the journey of an aspiring actor who arrives in Mumbai to become a movie star. How he finds himself riding his fortune to becoming one, while struggling to sustain his relationships, forms the story.
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi films. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Socha Na Tha. Deol was praised for his performances in the independent films Manorama Six Feet Under (2007) and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008). His breakthrough role came in 2009 with a starring role in Anurag Kashyap's black comedy Dev.D, a modern-day adaptation of Devdas.
Excel Entertainment is an Indian production company, founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in Mumbai in 1999. They mainly produce Hindi films.
Don 2: The King Is Back is a 2011 Indian Hindi language action thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Farhan Akhtar. It is the second installment in the Don reboot series. Jointly produced by Excel Entertainment and Red Chillies Entertainment, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan as the titular anti-hero, with Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Nawwab Shah, Ally Khan, Sahil Shroff and Kunal Kapoor playing supporting roles. A sequel to Don (2006), the film's story takes place 5 years after the previous film when Don (Khan), a powerful international drug lord, plans to steal currency printing plates from a bank in Berlin to take over the counterfeiting business in Europe, while Roma (Chopra) has joined Interpol to hunt him down.
The 57th Filmfare Awards were held on 29 January 2012 at Film City, Mumbai honoring the best film of 2011 from the Hindi-language film industry. The ceremony was jointly hosted by Shahrukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. Incidentally, both of them have hosted the award ceremonies previously but with different co-hosts, hence making it the first time for this pair to host the show. The 57th Filmfare awards were televised on 19 February 2012 to the public.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language road comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under Excel Entertainment. The film stars an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, and Kalki Koechlin. The film's story follows three childhood friends, Arjun, Kabir, and Imran, who reunite for a three-week road trip. They set off to Spain and meet Laila, who falls in love with Arjun and helps him overcome his compulsion to work. Kabir and his fiancée Natasha experience significant misunderstandings, while Imran wishes to meet his biological father, an artist.
Reema Kagti is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi film industry. She made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), which was followed by the neo-noir, Talaash (2012) and the historical sports drama Gold (2018). Reema along with Zoya Akhtar founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio, in October 2015.
"Ik Junoon (Paint It Red)" (transl. A Passion) is a song by composer trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy for the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The song was performed by Vishal Dadlani, Alyssa Mendonsa and Gulraj Singh while the lyrics was penned by Javed Akhtar.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is the soundtrack album to Zoya Akhtar's 2011 Hindi film of the same name starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar. The film has seven songs and two remixes composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The album marks the second collaboration of the trio with Zoya Akhtar. The music was released on 17 June 2011 by T-Series.
"Señorita" (transl. Miss) is a song from the 2011 Indian film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and performed by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Spanish singer María del Mar Fernández. The lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar. The Latino-flavoured Spanish flamenco song is about being yourself and having fun.
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. As a child, he made uncredited appearances in three films directed by his maternal grandfather, J. Om Prakash, the first of which was in Aasha (1980). In 1986, Roshan played the adopted son of Rajinikanth's character in Prakash's crime drama Bhagwaan Dada. Roshan subsequently worked as an assistant director on four films, including Khudgarz (1987) and Karan Arjun (1995), all of which were directed by his father, Rakesh.
Dil Dhadakne Do is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner. The film has an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar with a voice-over narration by Aamir Khan. The supporting cast includes Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Pawan Chopra, Parmeet Sethi, Dolly Mattdo and Manoj Pahwa. The film tells the story of the Mehras, a dysfunctional family who invite their family and friends on a 10-day cruise trip to celebrate the parents' 30th wedding anniversary and later reconcile.
↑ Dipti Nagpaul-D'Souza (8 December 2011). "Farhan Akhtar's Trade Fare". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
↑ Panicker, Prem; Sen, Raja (17 October 2006). "Farhan, his dad and the Don". Rediff. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
↑ Malani, Gaurav (29 August 2008). "Rock On: Movie Review". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (18 July 2011). "Love, life and friends". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
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