Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Farhan Akhtar


Farhan Akthar

Farhan Akhtar at Luck By Chance launch
Born9 January 1974 (age 37)[1] [2]
Mumbai, India
OccupationActor, director, producer, playback singer, lyricist, screenwriter, television host
Years active2001—present
SpouseAdhuna Akhtar
ChildrenAkira Akhtar, Shakya Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar (Hindi: फ़रहान अख़्तर; born 9 January 1974) is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer, and television host. He works primarily in Hindi cinema.
His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai (2001), was highly praised. He made his acting debut with Rock On!! (2008).

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[edit]Personal life and background

Farhan Akhtar was born in Mumbai to screenwriters, Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. His stepmother is the actress Shabana Azmi. He is also the grandson of Urdu poetJan Nisar Akhtar and the cousin of Bollywood film director and dance choreographer Farah Khan. He was brought up atheist.[3] His twin sister, Zoya Akhtar made her directorial debut with Luck By Chance, in which Farhan was the main lead. Farhan is married to Adhuna Bhabani Akhtar, a hairstylist who runs B:Blunt Salon with her brother. They have two daughters: Shakya and Akira.

[edit]Career

He made his writing and directorial debut at age 27 in Hindi cinema with the 2001-hit, Dil Chahta Hai, produced by Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., a production company he co-established along with Ritesh Sidwani in 1999.[4][5] The movie told the story of three friends (played by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna), recently graduated from college and dealing with issues of love and friendship. It was a critical and commercial success, especially popular among the younger generation. It earned quite a few nominations at various award shows, including for Best Screenplay, Direction and Film. It won that year's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.[6]
Akhtar then moved onto his next project, Lakshya (2004), a movie about an aimless youngster finally setting a goal for himself, starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. Though the movie did not do as well at the box-office, it won him much critical acclaim[dubious – discuss][citation needed]. The script of the movie was authored by his father Javed Akhtar. Meanwhile, he also wrote lyrics for Gurinder Chadha's 2004 Hollywood film, Bride and Prejudice.
He then directed a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan film, Don titled Don - The Chase Begins Again which starred Shahrukh Khan in the title role. The film released on 20 October 2006. Though the movie was critically hammered, it proved to be a great success at the box office, grossing over 50 crores, and being the fifth biggest hit of the year.[7] In 2007 he produced the film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. which performed fairly well at the box office.[8]
In 2007, he directed Positive, a 12-minute short film on HIV stigma and the need for family support for the patient. Shot in Mumbai, it was part of 'AIDS JaaGo' (AIDS Awake), a series of four short films, directed byMira Nair, Santosh Sivan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Farhan Akhtar, in a joint initiative of Mira Nair's Mirabai Films and voluntary organisations Avahan and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[9] The film stars, Boman Irani, Shabana Azmi and a debutant actor, Arjun Mathur.[10]
In 2008, Akhtar made his acting debut in Rock On!!. It was critically acclaimed as well as a box office hit, doing exceptionally well particularly in the metros.[11] He also appeared as the male lead in his sister Zoya's directorial debut, Luck By Chance. His film Karthik Calling Karthik was released in 2010 and received decent critical reviews.[citation needed] It also performed moderately well at box office.[citation needed] Two more movies were scheduled to release in 2010: Dhruv and Gulel (his only acting venture which is not his production too). However, Dhruv has reportedly been delayed since Akhtar wanted to complete the filming ofDon 2.[citation needed] Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was released on 15 July 2011 in which he co-stars with Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol.
Akhtar also made his singing debut in Rock On!!, singing in most of the movie's songs. He was even supposed to sing a song for Blue, which has music by A. R. Rahman.[12] However this could not happen as Akhtar was shooting for Kartik Calling Karthik then and could not find the time.
He has appeared as a judge on a few shows on television, including the first season of the dance-reality show, Nach Baliye (2005), and the beauty pageant, Femina Miss India (in 2002). He also hosted a TV show on NDTV Imagine, called Oye! It's Friday!.[13]

[edit]Filmography

[edit]Director/Writer

YearFilmNotes
1998BreathlessMusic video for the single "Breathless"
Co-directed by Zoya Akhtar
2001Dil Chahta HaiNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2004LakshyaNominated — Filmfare Award for Best Director
2006Don
2007PositiveShort film
Director
2011Don 2

[edit]Producer

YearFilmDirectorNotes
2006DonHimselfNominated — for Best Movie
2007Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.Reema Kagti
2008Rock On!!Abhishek KapoorNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
Nominated — Filmfare Award for Best Movie
2009Luck By ChanceZoya Akhtar
2010Karthik Calling KarthikVijay Lalwani
2011Don 2Himself
GameAbhinay Deo
Zindagi Na Milegi DobaraZoya Akhtar

[edit]Actor

YearFilmRoleNotes
2008The Fakir of VeniceAdi Contractor
2008Rock On!!Aditya ShroffFilmfare Award for Best Male Debut
IIFA Star Debut Award
Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Male
2009Luck By ChanceVikram Jaisingh
2010Karthik Calling KarthikKarthik Narayan
2011Zindagi Na Milegi DobaraImraan

[edit]Playback Singer

YearFilmSong
2008Rock On!!
Socha Hai
Pichle Saat Dinon Mein
Rock On!!
Tum Ho Toh
Sinbad The Sailor
2011Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Señorita
Toh Zinda Ho Tum
Señorita (Remix)

[edit]Collaborations

The table details the actors that Farhan has cast in his films/documentaries.
↓Dil Chahta Hai↓Lakshya↓Don: The Chase Begins Again↓Don 2: The Chase Continues↓Positive↓
Amitabh Bachchan
No
Shahrukh Khan
No
No
Aamir Khan
No
Boman Irani
No
No
No
No
Hrithik Roshan
No
No
Saif Ali Khan
No
Akshaye Khanna
No
Om Puri
No
No
No
Kareena Kapoor
No
Priyanka Chopra
No
No
Preity Zinta
No
No
Dimple Kapadia
No
Shabana Azmi
No

[edit]Awards

[edit]References

  1. ^ "Farhan Akhtar- Biography". chakpak.com. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Farhan Akhtar turns 34". rediff.com. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  3. ^ Spirituality, Halo or Hoax - Javedakhtar.com, Spirituality, Halo or Hoax, 26 February 2005. "There are certain things that I would like to make very clear at the very outset. Don’t get carried away by my name – Javed Akhtar. I am not revealing a secret, I am saying something that I have said many times, in writing or on TV, in public...I am an atheist, I have no religious beliefs. And obviously I don’t believe in spirituality of some kind. Some kind."
  4. ^ Official profile, and Filmography Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd..[dead link]
  5. ^ Farhan Akhtar Livemint, Aug 30. 2008.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Lagaan sweeps national film awards". Times of India. 2002-07-28. "Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai won the award for best feature film in Hindi"
  7. ^ "Box Office 2006". BoxOffice India. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  8. ^ "Box Office 2007". BoxOffice India. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  9. ^ Mira Nair, Farhan Akhtar to make films on AIDS Rediff.com, Movies, 22 January 2007.
  10. ^ Farhan Akhtar's Positive outlook on HIV Sify, News, 18 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Box Office 2008". BoxOffice India. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  12. ^ Farhan Akhtar to sing for Rahman - Music News - ApunKaChoice.Com
  13. ^ "Farhan Akhtar to dabble in television production now". The Hindu. 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2009-01-27.

[edit]External links

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