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 romantic lives of 3 college-graduate friends. It also stars Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia.
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, playback singer and lyricist who works in Hindi films. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. After establishing a production company named Excel Entertainment along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999, he made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and received widespread critical acclaim for portraying realistic modern Indian youth in the film, which won the National Award for Best Hindi Film and the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics). Following this, he directed the cult war film Lakshya (2004) and made his Hollywood debut through the soundtrack of Bride and Prejudice (2004), for which he and sister Zoya Akhtar served as lyricists. Next came the commercially successful Don (2006), his third directorial venture, post which he directed a short film titled Positive (2007) to spread awareness on HIV-AIDS.
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).
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.
Excel Entertainment is an Indian production company, founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in Mumbai in 1999. They mainly produce Hindi films.
Vishakha Singh is a former Indian actress, producer and entrepreneur
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.
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.
Dil Chahta Hai is the soundtrack album to the 2001 Hindi film Dil Chahta Hai, directed by Farhan Akhtar, starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. Since its release, the music has received widespread critical acclaim and is considered a milestone in the history of Bollywood film music. It was featured in the BBC Asian Network's Top 40 Soundtracks of All Time list and Planet Bollywood's 100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks list.
Kritika Kamra is an Indian television actress. She is known for playing Arohi Sharma in Kitani Mohabbat Hai, Dr. Nidhi Verma in Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, Ananya Kashyap in Reporters, and Princess Chandrakanta in Prem Ya Paheli – Chandrakanta. In 2014, she participated in the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7. In 2018, she made her Bollywood debut with the film Mitron. She also appeared in the web series Tandav (2022), Kaun Banegi Shikharwati (2022), and Bambai Meri Jaan (2023).
Fukrey (transl. Slackers) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language comedy thriller film, directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, and starring Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Varun Sharma, Ali Fazal, Priya Anand, Vishakha Singh, Pankaj Tripathi and Richa Chadda. The story and dialogues are written by Vipul Vig and the screenplay is written by Vig and Lamba. Produced under the Excel Entertainment banner, the film was released on 14 June 2013. Despite a poor opening, the film went on to become a sleeper hit. Its first installment in Fukrey franchise. The film is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar.
S. Hussain Zaidi is an Indian author and former investigative journalist. His works include Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Black Friday, My Name is Abu Salem and Mumbai Avengers.
Sharib Hashmi is an Indian actor, writer, producer and director who works in the Hindi cinema. He is best known for portraying J.K. Talpade in the Amazon Prime Video series The Family Man (2019-2021) for which he won several awards including a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Avinash Tiwary is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and series. Tiwary had his first major roles in the television series Yudh (2014) and in the film Tu Hai Mera Sunday (2016). He gained recognition for starring in the romance Laila Majnu (2018) and the supernatural film Bulbbul (2020). Tiwary has since starred in the crime series Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022), Bambai Meri Jaan (2023) and Kaala (2023), and in the comedy film Madgaon Express (2024).
Tiger Baby is an Indian film production company owned by film directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. The company was founded in October 2015.
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Arjun Varain Singh, in his directorial debut. Written by Singh, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Akhtar, Kagti, and Farhan Akhtar under the banners of Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby Films, the film stars Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, and Adarsh Gourav as three friends who navigate their goals and relationships against the pressures of social media. Kalki Koechlin, Anya Singh and Rohan Gurbaxani appear in supporting roles.
Bambai Meri Jaan is an Indian Hindi-language period crime thriller television series produced under the banner of Excel Entertainment. The series stars Kay Kay Menon, Avinash Tiwary, Kritika Kamra, Nivedita Bhattacharya, and Amyra Dastur. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
