Farhan Akhtar is a popular Indian actor, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer. He is the son of the famous lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Farhan was born on Wednesday, 9 January 1974 (age 49 years; as of 2023), in Mumbai. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He did his schooling at Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai. He joined H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai but was suspended from the college in the 2nd year due to his short attendance. [1]India Today
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.) 5’ 9”
Eye Colour Dark Brown
Hair Colour Black
Family
He was born to a Muslim father and a Parsi mother. [2]Amar Ujala
Parents & Siblings
His father, Javed Akhtar is a renowned lyricist and scriptwriter. Farhan’s mother, Honey Irani is an actress and screenwriter. He has an elder sister, Zoya Akhtar, a well-known Indian director and screenwriter.
Farhan’s stepmother is the veteran Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi.
Veteran Indian actress, Daisy Irani is his maternal aunt, and ace choreographer Farah Khan and director Sajid Khan are Farhan’s first cousins.
Wife
In 1997, he met Adhuna Bhabani in a disco. Adhuna is a celebrity hairstylist and runs a salon B- Blunt. Farhan and Adhuna Bhabani were in a live-in relationship for three years and got married in 2000. The couple has two daughters, Shakya and Akira. After 16 years of their marriage, Farhan and Adhuna decided to part ways.
On 21 January 2016, the couple got divorced and released a statement stating,
This is to announce that we, Adhuna and Farhan, have mutually and amicably decided to separate. Our children remain our priority and it is immensely important to us, as responsible parents, that they are protected from unwarranted speculation and public glare. We sincerely request that we are given the privacy that is required at this time to move forward in a dignified manner.”
In an interview, when Farhan was asked was it easy to tell his children about his divorce, he said,
Nothing is easy. Anything you tell your child which you think your child doesn’t want to hear is never going to be easy. The thing that your child expects you and by you doing it, you will realise that this is what you expect from them. If you can be honest with your child, they are not dumb or stupid. They understand way more than you and I can imagine. They have a sense of energy about how their parents are feeling. As long as you don’t lie to them and you feel ‘it’s okay, I have told them, they can now do whatever’, things will come around. Eventually, a child will understand why you have done what you have done. Maybe not at the moment, but you just have to be honest with them and in turn, they will be honest with you.”
On 19 February 2022, he got married to Shibani Dandekar.
Relationships/Affairs
Farhan was in a serious relationship with the actress Suman Ranganathan, which ended in 1995. Later, he was in a relationship with Riya Jain, which did not last long. [3]Telegraph India
Reportedly, the reason for their divorce was Farhan’s closeness with his Wazir (2016) co-star Aditi Rao Hydari. [4]Times of India
In 2019, he started dating Shibani Dandekar. Shibani is a well-known Indian VJ, model, singer, and anchor.
Career
When he was 17 years old, he started working as a trainee in cinematography and direction department of Yash Chopra’s film Lamhe (1991). After that, he worked with ‘Script Shop,’ an advertisement production house for almost three years. He worked as an assistant director with Pankaj Parashar for the Bollywood film Himalay Putra (1997). In 1999, he started a production company, Excel Entertainment, along with Ritesh Sidhwani, an Indian film producer.
In 2001, he debuted as a writer and director in the Hindi film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (2001) and won the National Film Award for the same. In 2008, he debuted as a producer in the Bollywood film ‘Don-The Chase Begins Again.’ Some of his films as a producer and director are Don 2: The King Is Back (2011), Fukrey (2013), and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015).
In 2008, he debuted as a singer and actor in the film ‘Rock On!!’ He has acted in many Bollywood films like Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), and Toofan (2020).
Controversies
- In 2017, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao passed a negative comment on the controversy of Tamil film ‘Mersal’ (2017), he said,
“Indian stars have very low IQ and very low general knowledge.”
Farhan took a dig on him and tweeted,
How dare you, sir.” [5]Hindustan Times
- In the #MeToo storm in 2018, a girl accused director Sajid Khan of exploiting her. Farhan criticised Sajid by tweeting,
I cannot adequately stress how shocked, disappointed and heartbroken I am to read the stories about Sajid’s behaviour. I don’t know how but he will have to find a way to atone for his alleged actions.”
Farhan received huge criticism for not knowing about his cousin brother’s behaviour. [6]India Today
- He was trolled by the netizens for tweeting ‘Save Bhopal, vote against Sadhvi Pragya‘ a week after the voting was done in 2019. [7]New Indian Express
Awards & Honours
Filmfare Awards
2002: Critics Award for Best Movie, Best Screenplay for Dil Chahta Hai
2009: Best Male Debut for Rock On!!
2012: Best Supporting Actor for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
2014: Best Actor for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
National Awards
2002: Best Feature Film in Hindi for Dil Chahta Hai
2009: Best Feature Film in Hindi for Rock On!!
Note: He has many more accolades to his name.
Address
- Sea Spring Bungalow No 1, B J Road, Bandstand, Mumbai – 400050
- Vipassana, Near Bandstand, Mumbai
Assets/Properties
Bungalow: Rs 35 crore [8]Times Now News
Net Worth/Income
- Rs. 144 crore approx. (as in 2019)
- Rs. 22.4 crore approx (Annually, as in 2019) [9]Times Now News
Car Collection
Signature
Favourite Things
Food: Homemade food, Kebabs, Cheesecake, and Mutton Biryani
Actor(s): Guru Dutt, Robert Di Nero, Martin Scorsese, and Ridley Scott
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Actress: Preity Zinta
Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Sports: Football, Tennis, Cycling, and Volleyball
Film Genre: Action
Vegetable: Bhindi
Facts/Trivia
- Just like his father and sister, Farhan is also an atheist. [11]India Times
- He is a fitness freak and takes his homemade lunch with him while he is shooting, which usually consists of grilled chicken or fish. [12]Hindustan Times
- His hobbies include travelling, cooking, and reading books.
- He has got a dolphin/shark tattoo inked on his right shoulder.
In an interview, he shared an interesting story related to his tattoo, he said,
I have one apology for a tattoo. My editor friend and me, we used to work together. It was during the mid-1990s when one night, we got very drunk and decided we should make tattoos. Till date, if you ask me if I can take you to that place, I won’t remember, we were so drunk. But he knew somebody, who was a dock worker by day and a tattoo artist by night. So, we got into a taxi and I just remember that we entered this shack kind of a place where the fan was really low. So this guy opens a tattoo chart and asked which one I liked. I saw this dolphin tattoo and I have a thing for dolphins. So I got it on this shoulder — and it became a shark.”
- He is a dog lover and owns a dog, Jimmy.
- He is a big fan of the West Indies former cricketer, Sir Vivian Richards.
- Actor, Salman Khan is his childhood friend. In an interview, Farhan said,
Salman and I have spent a lot of time together and we were really good friends. He was really supportive and caring towards me and Zoya just like he was towards his own brothers.”
- Farhan considers American actor, producer, and director, Robert De Niro as his inspiration.
- Reportedly, he has Katsaridaphobia, i.e. the fear of cockroaches.
- In 2002, he judged Femina Miss India, a famous beauty pageant.
- He appeared as one of the judges on the dance reality TV show Nach Baliye (2005).
- Reportedly, he was the first choice of the makers of the film Rang De Basanti (2006) to play the lead role, later, that role was played by Aamir Khan.
- Farhan has also appeared in various advertisements like Pureit, Chivas Regal, Britannia Nutri Choice Biscuits, IndusInd Bank, Dulux Paint, Nutrilite, and Titan Industries.
- He said in an interview that after his parents were divorced, his friends were a great support to him.
- He has been associated with UN Women (The United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women).
- Farhan launched a social campaign, ‘Men Against Rape and Discrimination’ or ‘MARD’ in August 2012, after a female lawyer was sexually assaulted and killed by a watchman.
- Farhan has walked the ramp for various fashion shows.
- He has featured on the cover of various renowned magazines.
References