Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter who works in Hindi films. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, Akhtar after establishing a production company named Excel Entertainment along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999, made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age comedy-drama Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and received widespread critical acclaim for portraying realistic modern Indian youth in the film, which won the National Award for Best Hindi Film and the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics). Following this, he directed the cult war film Lakshya (2004) and made his Hollywood debut through the soundtrack of Bride and Prejudice (2004), for which he and sister Zoya Akhtar served as lyricists. Next came the commercially 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 initiated his acting career with a delayed release in the drama The Fakir of Venice, Akhtar's official screen debut came with the musical drama Rock On!! (2008) for which he won a second National Film Award for Best Hindi Film as producer and the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. He wrote the dialogues and produced for the critically and commercially successful buddy-road film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor; the same year, he directed a sequel to Don titled Don 2 (2011), which remains his highest-grossing film till date. Akhtar then played Milkha Singh in the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Later, he received praise for starring in the ensemble family comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and the crime thriller Wazir (2016). He has since headlined the dramas Lucknow Central (2017), The Sky Is Pink (2019) and Toofaan (2021). Early and personal life Farhan Akhtar was born in Mumbai, the second child of screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. He has one elder sister, the writer–director Zoya Akhtar. He was very young when his parents divorced; his father married actress Shabana Azmi in 1984. His mother retained the family home in Bandra Bandstand and raised her children there. Akhtar studied at Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai and then pursued a law degree at HR College, also in Mumbai.