PremiumHappy Birthday Farhan Akhtar! Check out these five iconic performances by the multi-talented actor
Farhan Akhtar needs no introduction, either to the millenials or to Gen Zs. He's been an equal part of both's cinematic journey, from directing Dil Chahta Hai to starring in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
Last Updated: 09.31 AM, Jan 09, 2024
Farhan Akhtar is the deserving scion of Javed Akhtar’s legacy, along with his sister Zoya. As a filmmaker, producer, writer, songwriter, and actor, Akhtar is a highly creative and moody individual who has made the world a better and more artistic place since his arrival.
Luckily for the film industry, he also had the looks to go along with his brains and was adept at bringing characters to life both in front of and behind the camera. On his birthday, these five iconic performances of his are not to be missed.
Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
In this family comedy drama, narrated from the perspective of their pet dog Pluto Mehra, voiced by Aamir Khan, the Mehra family goes on a luxury cruise with their friends and family for their parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, the film examines important themes of love, relationships, family, marriage, and social validation. Farhan Akhtar plays an important character, Sunny Gill, who is an old flame and an eternal champion of Mehra's daughter, Ayesha, who is now unhappily married.
The film is available on Prime Video and Netflix.
The Sky is Pink (2019)
The film is a poignant exploration of the themes of illness, death, grief, motherhood, love, and rejuvenation. The Sky is Pink is a Shonali Bose directorial, starring the talented likes of Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Rohit Saraf, and Zaira Wasim. Based on the true story of Aisha Chowdhury, a late teen who suffered from severe combined immunodeficiency and pulmonary fibrosis, which resulted in a very short lifetime for her and left a nearly devastating effect on her loving parents’ relationship. Farhan Akhtar potently plays a heartbroken father here, reeling from the aftermath of knowing life and family will never be the same after his daughter’s diagnosis and eventual demise.
The film is available on Netflix.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
The ultimate friendship film of the 2010s, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, is a coming-of-age film that explores the adventures of three friends, Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), Kabir (Abhay Deol), and Imran (Farhan Akhtar), as they set out to fulfil their longstanding pact, a three-week roadtrip bachelor party in Spain, with three surprise adventure sports, chosen by each during it, to which the others must commit. Though initially the trip seems impossible and might even suffer an early demise, it endures and manages to change each friend’s life by not only bringing them closer but also by sprinkling their lives with a touch of cosmic magic that they never knew they needed.
The film is available on Prime Video and Netflix.
Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)
The film was one of the earliest to boast of Farhan Akhtar’s versatility in acting. Here, he plays the role of Karthik, a mild and introverted character who is constantly derided by his boss and feels trapped in his job and life. He is in love with Deepika Padukone's Shonali, but she is barely aware of his existence. Tired and troubled by life, with therapy offering no respite, Karthik decides to kill himself. But at the moment he is about to, he is stopped by a call from someone who sounds like himself and infuses him with hope.
The film is available on Prime Video and Netflix.
Wazir (2016)
This neo-noir action thriller was directed by Bejoy Nambiar of Shaitan fame and produced by the renowned director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Wazir further boasts a stellar cast, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and Manav Kaul. Farhan Akhtar plays a grief-stricken, suicidal, suspended officer of the Anti-Terrorism Squad who blames himself for his daughter’s demise while chasing terrorists with his family still in the car and holds his own well against an acting stalwart like Mr. Bachchan.
The film is available on Prime Video and Sony Liv.