Summarized by AI.
Share Your Feedback
For an entire generation, Dil Chahta Hai wasn’t just a film — it was a feeling. Released in 2001, Farhan Akhtar’s debut directorial changed how Hindi cinema looked at friendship, heartbreak, and growing up. But for Farhan himself, it did something even bigger — it gave him a life.
In a recent conversation with Hindustan Times, the actor-filmmaker looked back on how the film became the turning point of his career. “They took a chance on a 25-year-old with a script and no idea of how to produce a film,” he said. “It gave me this life,” he added simply, calling it the project that set everything in motion.
The movie, starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna alongside Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia, redefined modern storytelling in Bollywood. Dil Chahta Hai tells the story of three close friends — Aakash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), and Sid (Akshaye Khanna) — as they grow up, fall in love, and drift apart before finding their way back to each other. Set between Mumbai and Goa, the film beautifully shows how friendship changes with time. Aakash is the funny one who doesn’t believe in love, Sameer keeps falling for the wrong girls, and Sid, the quiet artist, falls for an older woman, Tara (Dimple Kapadia). It’s a simple, heartfelt story about love, friendship, and growing up.
‘I’d Tell My Younger Self To Enjoy The Journey More’
Farhan also shared how much he has changed since his early days as a filmmaker. “I’d tell myself to enjoy the journey a little more,” he said, admitting that he often got stressed when he was younger. Now, at 50, he looks at success with calm perspective — one that comes from experience and gratitude.
Over the years, Farhan has evolved from filmmaker to actor, musician, and producer — giving audiences memorable works like Rock On!!, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Fukrey, and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.
Farhan Akhtar Upcoming Movies
Farhan will next be seen in 120 Bahadur, releasing this November. The war drama is based on the Battle of Rezang La (1962), where 120 Indian soldiers from the 13 Kumaon Battalion defended Ladakh’s pass against Chinese troops. Farhan plays Major Shaitan Singh, the battalion’s commanding officer.
