Farhan Akhtar is undoubtedly an all-rounder known for acting, direction, production, and singing. From Dil Chahata Hai to his upcoming highly anticipated films Don 3: The Chase Ends, he has come a long way in his filmmaking career and has established himself as a prominent figure in the industry. Let’s revisit the time when he shared how he suffered from depression after Lakshya underperformed at the box office. Read on to know more.
Farhan Akhtar About His Journey After Dil Chahta Hai Success
In an interview with Raj Shamani, Farhan opened up about slipping into depression after his first flop, and how he dealt with it. He shared, “Toh pehli jab film bani Dil Chahta Hai woh logo ko bohot pasand aayi aur sabne taarif kari, and it felt great. When I made Dil Chahta Hai, mera koi aisa plan nahi tha ki mera career hone wala hai film mein. When the film did well and when everybody said, ‘What’s next, what’s next?’ That’s when I started thinking that this is a possibility aur talent hai mere me”.
He continued, “Then I made Lakshya, and it took me to a place in the efforts of making a movie. Bachpan se sunte aa rahe hai ki dil se mehnat karo toh reward milega. I was convinced that in my entire life, I hadn’t worked so hard the way I did for this film. It was a very difficult and challenging film to make. Ek aisi bhi film thi jisne mujhe apne comfort zone se bahar nikala kyunki ek army ki duniya mein mai film bana raha tha. I had no understanding how they function, so I learned and understood that and displayed it.”
Farhan Akhtar About First Flop At The Box Office & Battling Depression
Farhan also mentioned that they were about to head to a special screening with Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij, and he wanted to impress the Indian army and make them feel that they had never seen such a movie before in terms of depiction of the film. However, it didn’t turn out as expected, and the film failed at the box office. “When the film didn’t do well, mai itna depressed ho gaya ki yaar, yeh kaise ho gaya? Itni mehnat ki maine.”
Akhtar added, “Dil Chahta Hai mein maine hardly mehnat ki thi. Dil Chahta Hai mein zayada mehnat jo maine ki woh thi casting. Dhoonte dhoonte ki kon karega? Finally, yeh, kismat hai ki this kind of cast came into place, but it wasn’t easy at all. Lakshya to put together was easy but to make was very difficult. And I was genuinely very depressed, and it took me about a year and a half to come out of depression,” he concluded.
More About Farhan Akhtar’s Filmmaking Career
Farhan Akhtar marked his directorial debut in 2001 with the film Dil Chahta Hai. The film was a big hit at the box office and featured Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles. Three years later, Lakshya was released and starred Hrithik Roshan and Priety Zinta in pivotal roles. However, the film was a box office failure. On the work front, he is gearing up for his upcoming release, 120 Bahadur, which is slated to release on November 21, 2025. His next directorial venture is Don 3, a third chapter in the famous Don series. This installment will see Ranveer Singh replacing Shah Rukh Khan in the leading role.
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