Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian film actor, director, screenwriter, playback singer, producer, and television host. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he grew up under the influence of the Hindi film industry. He began his career in Bollywood by working as an assistant director in Lamhe (1991)[3] and Himalay Putra (1997).[4]

Farhan Javed Akhtar
Akhtar in 2016
Born (1974-01-09) 9 January 1974[1]
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation
  • Actor
  • Director
  • Singer
  • Producer
  • Writer
Years active2001–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2016)​
Partner(s)Shibani Dandekar (2018—present)
Children2[2]
Parent(s)Javed Akhtar
Honey Irani
RelativesSee Akhtar family
AwardsFull list

Akhtar, after establishing a production company named Excel Entertainment along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999,[5] made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai (2001)[6] and received critical acclaim for portraying modern youth in the film, which won the National Award for Best Hindi Film the next year.[7] Following this success, he directed the cult war film Lakshya (2004) and had his Hollywood debut through the soundtrack of Bride and Prejudice (2004), for which he and sister Zoya Akhtar served as lyricists. Next came the commercial successful Don (2006), his third directorial venture, post which he directed a short film titled Positive (2007) to spread awareness on HIV-AIDS.

Although he initially started his acting career with a delayed release in the Anand Surapur-directed drama The Fakir of Venice, Akhtar made his official screen debut with Rock On!! (2008) for which he won a second National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi as producer, and indulged in further experimentation with Zoya's directorial debut Luck By Chance (2009) and the Vijay Lalwani-directed Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), before he wrote the dialogues and served as producer for the critical and commercial success Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) starring him in a leading role, which won him 4 Filmfare Awards, including Best Supporting Actor. The same year, after directing a sequel to Don titled Don 2 (2011), which remains his highest-grossing film till date, he achieved further success by portraying Milkha Singh in the 2013 film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Later, he received praise for starring in Zoya's ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and Bejoy Nambiar's crime thriller Wazir (2016).

Early and personal life

Farhan Akhtar was born to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani in Bombay (present-day Mumbai). His sister is writer–director Zoya Akhtar. His parents divorced during his early days, and his father married Shabana Azmi in 1984.[8] Akhtar has termed his parents the "harshest" critics in his career, and also considered Robert De Niro as an "inspiration" in the film industry.[9][10] Akhtar is of Zoroastrian Irani origin, from his mother's side.[11] Akhtar grew up in an agnostic environment and along with his sister Zoya and father Javed Akhtar; he does not believe in any religion.[12][13]

Farhan Akhtar with his ex-wife Adhuna Akhtar.

He is the grandson of Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar and great-grandson of poet Muztar Khairabadi. Muztar Khairabadi was grandson of Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, who was a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, notably edited the first diwan of Mirza Ghalib on his request, and later became an important figure during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in his native Khairabad. [14] .[15] He is also the cousin of Farah Khan and Sajid Khan.[16][17] He studied at Maneckji Cooper school in Mumbai, and went on to study for a law degree from the HR College, also in Mumbai.[18]

He married Adhuna Bhabani in 2000, after being in a relationship with her for 3 years.[19][20] They first met during the filming of his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, which also marked Adhuna's debut as a Bollywood hairstylist.[21] The couple have two daughters named Shakya and Akira.[22] On 21 January 2016, the couple officially announced their separation after 16 years of marriage.[23]

Akhtar has been in a relationship with Indian VJ Shibani Dandekar since 2018.[24]

Career

Akhtar worked as an apprentice in film distribution and direction for Yash Chopra's Lamhe (1991)[3] when he was 17 years old and later moved to an advertisement production house named "Script Shop" to spend an approximate 3 years there.[25] He also assisted Pankaj Parashar as a director in Himalay Putra (1997)[4] before launching himself into direction and writing.[26]

Directing, writing and producing

Akhtar made his writing and directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film Dil Chahta Hai (2001), produced by Excel Entertainment, a production company he established along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999.[27] It was shot over a period of three months in Sydney, Goa and Mumbai.[28] Due to its acclaim, he called it a "turning point" in his career.[29] 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, as well as a narration of a story outline by a friend of his.[30] It received international critical acclaim and attained an iconic status, with Akhtar receiving credit for starting a "new wave" in Indian cinema.[31] 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."[32] Various award shows conferred accolades on the film and nominated it for several categories. The year's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for 2002 was won by the film.[33] It was also screened at the International Film Festival of India,[34] the Palm Springs International Film Festival,[35] and the Austin Film Festival.[36] 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.[37]

Akhtar’s next project was Lakshya (2004), a film about an aimless youngster finally setting a goal for himself, starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. It was shot in Ladakh, Dehra Dun and Mumbai, and marked the beginning of the collaborations between Akhtar and Hrithik.[38] He had to research the army before writing the script and directing the venture.[39] 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.[38] Post-release, the film failed to make a mark at the box office and became a commercial failure.[40] 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."[41] 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".[42]

Meanwhile, Akhtar wrote the English lyrics of Gurinder Chadha's Hollywood film Bride and Prejudice (2004), along with his sister, Zoya Akhtar, after being recommended by his father.[43] The music for the film was composed by Anu Malik and consisted of a mixture of Hindi songs, West side story, Fiddler on the Roof and Grease.[44]

In 2006, Akhtar directed, produced and wrote the screenplay of Don starring Shah Rukh Khan in the title role, a remake of 1978 film Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan.[45] 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.[46] The film released on 20 October 2006 and was declared a "hit" at the box office, grossing around ₹1.05 billion (equivalent to ₹2.7 billion or US$38 million in 2019) worldwide.[47] It became widely known for its script lines.[48] 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."[49]

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.[50] Akhtar was supposed to make his acting debut with the project, but he had to be replaced by Abhay Deol as he was involved with Don.[51] The film was financed and funded by Exim Bank.[52] 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.[53] The film opened up on 23 February and received mixed reviews from critics,[54] and ended up with an "average" box office result.[55]

In the same year, Akhtar directed Positive, a film produced by Shernaz Italia and Frenzy Kodaiji, starring Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi.[56] 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.[57] 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.[58]

Akhtar's first project in 2011 was the drama thriller Game, directed by Abhinay Deo. The lead cast consisted of Abhishek Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill. He wrote the script and produced the venture.[59] The film received highly negative reviews after release, with critics panning almost all the aspects of it.[60] 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.[61]

Later that year, Akhtar wrote, produced and directed Don 2, a sequel to his 2006 Don. 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."[62] The film was a major success in India and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production abroad[63] with a worldwide gross of ₹2.1 billion (equivalent to ₹3.2 billion or US$45 million in 2019).[64] It received mixed to positive reviews from critics,[65] 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."[66]

Next year, Akhtar produced and wrote the script of the neo-noir thriller Talaash: The Answer Lies Within.[67] His production work was followed by the comedy films: Fukrey (2013) and Bangistan (2015), Baar Baar Dekho (2016), Raees and Fukrey Returns (both in 2017).[68][69]

Acting and singing

In 2008, Akhtar made his solo acting and singing debut in a musical film titled Rock On!!, for which he wrote the script and also produced. The film was directed by Abhishek Kapoor. Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli co-starred along with him.[70] 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. The role played by him was that of Aditya, lead singer of the rock band "Magik". He sang five songs for the soundtrack album.[71] The film was acclaimed by critics and received positive reviews 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."[72] 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."[73] Akhtar received several accolades for his debut performance. The film, in addition won the National 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.[74]

After refusing an offer to sing a song for A. R. Rahman's album Blue,[75] Akhtar acted in, and produced his sister Zoya's directorial and written debut Luck By Chance, which had Hrithik Roshan and Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead roles.[76] He was cast in the film after being deemed as a "perfect choice" for it.[51] The story of the film revolved around a struggling actor who arrives in Mumbai to become a film star. It was released on 30 January 2009.[77] Though failing to do well at the box office and being declared a "flop", the film received generally positive reviews from critics.[78] 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."[79] 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."[80]

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."[81] Before release, it premiered at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles,[82] and the Venice Film Festival at the ArcLight Hollywood.[83] 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."[84] The film was released theatrically in India on 8 February 2019.

Akhtar acted in, and produced his next film Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), a psychological thriller directed by Vijay Lalwani. He played Karthik, an introvert character,[85] starring alongside Deepika Padukone for the first time.[86] Preparation for the role involved working on the Rubik's Cube, which he learnt from the director.[87] The film received mixed reviews and praise for Akhtar’s acting from critics, 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."[88] The film had a good opening at the box office, as it was targeted towards the youth of the multiplexes.[89] However, it failed to continue on its business and went on to become a "below average" grosser.[90]

Akhtar with Abhay Deol promoting Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Akhtar produced and appeared as one of the three leads in his sister, Zoya Akhtar's coming-of-age film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara alongwith Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. He was also credited as the scriptwriter for the film.[91] He was the first actor to be cast in the film,[92] and described his role as a "fun character" and a "guy who for the longest time takes nothing seriously."[93] His real life father, Javed Akhtar wrote poetry for the film, which he performs as a voice-over.[94] His performance was favourably received by critics, 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."[95] Kaveree Bamzai of India Today called his acting "sensitive, soulful", further saying that he was "perfectly capable of reading out his father's poetry."[96] The film made ₹1.53 billion (equivalent to ₹2.5 billion or US$36 million in 2019) worldwide and was declared a commercial success at the box office.[97] It also became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films overseas, earning around US$7.25 million.[98] It won two National Awards, the Best Choreography and the Best Audiography.[99]

Following Don 2, His next, a biopic on Indian athlete Milkha Singh, popularly known as 'the Flying Sikh', was entitled 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'. He essayed the role with such integrity that it set the standard for other actors considering to play titular protagonists in biopics. Akhtar swept all awards that year for 'Best Actor' as did the film for 'Best Film'. It also claimed the National award for 'Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment.'.[100] 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.[101] In 2014, Akhtar acted for the romantic comedy Shaadi Ke Side Effects alongside Vidya Balan, a film directed by Saket Chaudhary and produced by Pritish Nandy. It was a sequel to Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006).[102] Next year, Akhtar featured in the supporting role in his sister Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, an ensemble comedy-drama starring Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.[103]

In 2016, Akhtar played the lead role of an Anti Terrorist 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.[104][105] Raja Sen in his review called him "pretty good [..] early on in the film, but his performance starts to unravel once the film hits hysterical gear and he is required to do more than frown."[106] Akhtar also sang the duet "Atrangi yaari" with Amitabh Bachchan for Wazir.[107] The film was a box-office success.[108] Akhtar's final release of the year was the rock musical drama Rock on 2, a sequel to the 2008 critically acclaimed Rock On!!. He reprised his role of Aditya Shroff, the lead singer of his band.[109] The film was Akhtar's attempt to bring northeast India into popular culture.[110]

In 2017, Akhtar essayed the role of a Dawood Ibrahim-alike mafia don Maqsood in Daddy, co-starring Arjun Rampal.[111] His next release was the ensemble 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.[112] Lucknow Central was released on 15 September 2017 and met with mixed reviews and financial failure.[113][114]

Akhtar's next release, The Sky Is Pink (2019), co-starring Priyanka Chopra, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience at the Roy Thomson Hall. The film received critical acclaim, but failed to do well commercially. Akhtar is currently going through boxing training for his next release Toofan, a sports drama, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.[115]

Non-film work
Farhan Akhtar at a tree planting event in 2012.

Akhtar appeared as one of the nine judges in the beauty pageant Femina Miss India (2002).[116] He was the judge on the first season of the dance-reality show Nach Baliye (2005). He hosted a TV show on NDTV Imagine, called Oye! It's Friday! in the same year.[117] He has endorsed several brands as a part of his career, especially after the release of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. These include Hindustan Unilever's water purifier product titled Pureit, Chivas Regal, Britannia Nutri Choice Biscuits, IndusInd Bank, Dulux Paint and Titan Industries.

Men Against Rape and Discrimination
Main article: Men Against Rape and Discrimination

Men Against Rape and Discrimination or MARD is a social campaign launched by Akhtar. The idea came to the mind of Akhtar when in August 2012, Pallavi Purkayastha, a lawyer by profession, was sexually assaulted by her watchman and then killed by him.[118]

Filmography
TitleYearCredited asRoleDirector(s)Notes
Lamhe 1991 Assistant director – Yash Chopra
Himalay Putra 1997 Assistant director – Pankaj Parashar
Dil Chahta Hai 2001 Director, Producer, Writer – Himself National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
Lakshya 2004 Director – Himself Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
Bride and Prejudice 2004 Lyricist – Gurinder Chadha
Don – The Chase Begins Again 2006 Director, Producer, Writer, Lyricist – Himself Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. 2007 Producer – Reema Kagti
Positive 2007 Director, Producer – Himself Short film
Rock On 2008 Actor, Producer, Writer, Playback singer Aditya Shroff Abhishek Kapoor National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Luck by Chance 2009 Actor, Producer Vikram Jaisingh Zoya Akhtar
Karthik Calling Karthik 2010 Actor, Producer Karthik Narayan Vijay Lalwani
Game 2011 Producer – Abhinay Deo
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara 2011 Actor, Producer, Writer, Playback singer Imran Habib Zoya Akhtar Filmfare Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film
Don 2 – The King Is Back 2011 Director, Producer, Writer – Himself Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
Talaash: The Answer Lies Within 2012 Producer, Writer – Reema Kagti
Fukrey 2013 Producer – Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 2013 Actor Sardar Milkha Singh Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Shaadi Ke Side Effects 2014 Actor, Playback singer Siddharth Roy Saket Chaudhary
Dil Dhadakne Do 2015 Actor, Producer, Writer, Playback singer Sunny Gill Zoya Akhtar
Bangistan 2015 Producer – Karan Anshuman
Wazir 2016 Actor Danish Ali Bejoy Nambiar
Baar Baar Dekho 2016 Producer – Nitya Mehra
Rock On 2 2016 Actor, Producer, Writer, Playback singer Aditya Shroff Shujaat Saudagar
Raees 2017 Producer – Rahul Dholakia
Daddy 2017 Actor Maqsood/Dawood Ibrahim Ashim Ahluwalia
Lucknow Central 2017 Actor Kishan Mohan Girhotra Ranjit Tiwari
Fukrey Returns 2017 Producer – Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Bharat Ane Nenu 2018 Playback singer – Koratala Siva Telugu film
Gold 2018 Producer – Reema Kagti
K.G.F: Chapter 1 2018 Distributor – Prashanth Neel Kannada film
Gully Boy 2019 Producer – Zoya Akhtar
The Fakir of Venice 2019 Actor Adi Anand Surapur
The Sky Is Pink 2019 Actor Niren Chaudhary Shonali Bose
Toofan 2020 Actor, Producer TBA Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Filming

Discography
  • 2019 – Echoes (Album)

Songs from the album:- Rearview Mirror, Seagull, Solitary Childhood, My Friend Who Was, Why Couldn't It Be Me?, If Love Isn't Enough, Pain Or Pleasure, Bird On A Wire , Be All You Can Be, Let's Be Friends Again, Don't Say It's The End, Rearview Mirror- Ash Howes Mix, Seagull- Ash Howes Mix.

Playback singer
YearTitleSong
2008 Rock On!![119]
"Socha Hai"
"Pichle Saat Dinon Mein"
"Rock On!!"
"Tum Ho Toh"
"Sinbad The Sailor"
2011 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara[120]
"Señorita"
"Toh Zinda Ho Tum"
"Señorita" (Remix)
2014 Shaadi Ke Side Effects "Yahaan Wahaan"[121]
"Bawla Sa Sapna"
"Aahista Aahista"
2015 Dil Dhadakne Do "Dil Dhadakne Do"[122]
"Gallan Goodiyan"[122]
2016 Wazir "Atrangi yaari"
2016 Rock On 2 "Jaago"
"You Know What I Mean"
"Manzar Naya"
"Woh Jahaan"
2018 Bharat Ane Nenu[123] "I Don't Know"

Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Farhan Akhtar

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