Happy birthday Farhan Akhtar: Why dad Javed used to be worried about his future, is happy he's not doing ‘ghatiya' work

On Farhan Akhtar’s birthday, we bring you excepts from an interview in which his father, Javed Akhtar, talked about him and his success.

The talented Farhan Akhtar turns 47 on Saturday and we are celebrating with a spotlight on his relationship with his father, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar. The two share not just a special bond as father and son, but also as artists who have worked on multiple projects together.

Farhan Akhtar with his father, lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Farhan shot to fame when his 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai became a massive critical and commercial success. Starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna as three best friends, the film changed how Hindi cinema shows warm and complex relationships between men. After that, Farhan minted one hit film after another. He directed Lakshya and the Don movies, and even established himself as one of the most talented actors in Bollywood.

Talking about the success of his two kids, he said, “I am very proud of them. I am happy that both of them are successful but what makes me happier is that yeh kaamyaabi ghatiya kaam karke nahi hain (they aren’t successful by doing cheap things). For success, they have not compromised on their ethics, decency. You will not find cheap, dirty dialogues and scenes in their movies. They have maintained a certain standard for themselves.”

Speaking about how they were as children, he said that Zoya had always been the sharp one. She was the rebel, one who would fight with him and give him witty replies and debate with him over everything. She was so good with words that his friends would call her Rani Jethmalani, after the famous lawyer and activist. Javed, therefore, thought that she would indeed amount to something someday. “Ispe bahut darr lagta tha Farhan pe (I used to be scared for Farhan). I thought that this boy doesn’t fight with me, doesn’t disagree with me, stays quiet, is a simple soul. Will he be able to do anything?”

While he could not witness the talented side of Farhan, others did praise him. “Sometime people used to tell me that ‘Your son dances so well, does such good mimicry’. And I thought I have never seen this. But when he turned 19-20, he changed his gears and then he became another person. So he was the one to surprise me,” he said.

As for Farhan, he has also credited his father for having taught him a lot. He was once asked to talk about his favourite memory with his father at a photo exhibition on Javed’s life, when he said, “When you really love and respect a human being then it is very difficult to point out one best memory. I feel fortunate that he is my father. I have learned a lot from him about life, work, relationships, culture, etiquettes and languages. I will keep learning from him, so I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be my father.”

Farhan has worked in films such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Rock On, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and others. He is currently working on Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Toofan.

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