Farhan Akhtar dons many hats, including that of a singer, actor and director. However, the 50-year-old is best known for his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, that came out in 2001. The coming-of-age movie starred Akshaye Khanna , Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles, and till date, remains one of the best friendship movies Bollywood has seen.
In a recent discussion with Faye D’Souza on her YouTube channel, Farhan Akhtar shared insights about the casting process for the same. Farhan revealed that he initially approached Akshaye Khanna for the role of Akash Malhotra, a part that eventually went to Aamir Khan. When Aamir expressed a preference for playing Akash rather than the more serious role of Sid, Akshaye graciously agreed to switch roles.
His willingness to accommodate Aamir's request was driven by his dedication to the film's success. Farhan opened up and said, “I have experienced true grace from Akshaye Khanna. When I met him for Dil Chahta Hai, I had offered him the role of Akash, which Aamir ended up doing.
” He further explained, “When I approached Akshaye at that point, I wanted to cast two other younger actors, so I went to Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan, who were just one film old at that time. But they had other plans, and that didn’t happen, so I had to go for the slightly older generation of actors for Dil Chahta Hai. After dar dar ki thokrein khake, I showed the script to Aamir.
He told me that since he had done a couple of serious roles, he wanted to play the role of Akash.” Aamir Khan's altered AI video hits cyberspace; 'Mr Perfectionist' issues clarification on 'endorsing' a particular political party Farhan admitted that it was refreshing to see an actor let go off a role so graciously. “Akshaye calmly told me that he loved the film and knew it had to be made.
He said, ‘I will play that part.’ It’s rare to come across actors who let go of roles so gracefully,” Farhan added. In the same interview, Farhan was asked about his opinion on Animal.
While he praised Ranbir's performance, the background score, and Vanga's dedication to directing, Farhan said he wouldn't recommend the film to others. "The film didn't do much for me. Is it something that I would recommend somebody to watch, I guess not," he admitted.
When asked if he would have produced Animal, Farhan responded, "No, I won't. it doesn't resonate with me. For me, I feel that the character is problematic.
" Despite his reservations, Farhan stressed that it's not his place to dictate how other directors should make their films. He believes that every filmmaker has their own journey and creative process. As the director of Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan shared that he doesn't support the practice of imposing rules on filmmaking, as there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
Farhan also expressed that Animal didn't work for him on a personal level, but he still admired Sandeep Reddy Vanga's commitment to the project. He speculated that Vanga must have faced criticism for the storyline but remained determined to bring his vision to life in the 2023 movie..
