An accomplished and award-winning producer-director-writer-actor-singer, Farhan Akhtar is the
ultimate Bollywood multi-hyphenate.
Born in 1974 to prolific Indian film writer and poet, Javed Akhtar and writer-director, Honey
Irani, Farhan was raised in an environment where creativity and originality of thought were
encouraged. This has made him a maverick whose films reflect refreshingly new content that
easily strikes a chord with filmgoers.
In 1999, Farhan collaborated with Ritesh Sidhwani, a friend who shared his passion for good
cinema, to form Excel Entertainment, a production banner that has become synonymous with
excellence in film-making.
Debuting at the age of 26, as a writer, director, and producer with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (2001), a
coming-of-age film that has gained cult status, Farhan came to be lauded for his honest,
path-breaking writing and his ability to extract mature performances from his cast. The film won
Farhan his first National Award for ‘Best Hindi Feature Film’ along with Filmfare awards for
‘Best Feature Film – Critics Choice’ and ‘Best Screenplay’. Almost two decades later, this film
continues to influence a generation of filmmakers.
Seven years after his dream debut as a writer-director, Farhan debuted as an actor-singer in
‘Rock On!!’ Yet another runaway success, the film secured him a second National Award for ‘Best
Hindi Feature Film’ and a Filmfare award for ‘Best Debut Performance’.
