Farhan Akhtar is a popular Indian actor, producer, director, screenwriter and singer. He is the son of renowned lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar.
Wiki/Biography
Farhan was born on Wednesday, January 9, 1974, in Mumbai (49 years old; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He attended Maneki Cooper School in Mumbai. He joined HR College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, but was suspended from the college in the second year for poor attendance.
Childhood photos of Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar
appearance
Height (approximately) 5’9”
Eye color dark brown
hair color black
family
His father is Muslim and his mother is Parsi.
Parents and siblings
His father Javed Akhtar is a famous lyricist and screenwriter. Farhan’s mother Hani Irani is an actress and screenwriter. He has a sister, Zoya Akhtar, a famous Indian director and screenwriter.
Old photos of Farhan with his father, mother and sister
Farhan Akhtar childhood photos with mother and sister
Farhan Akhtar and his father- Javed Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar with his mother and sister
Farhan’s stepmother is veteran Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi.
Farhan with his father, stepmother and sister
Veteran Indian actress Daisy Irani is his aunt, and ace choreographer Farah Khan and director Sajid Khan are Farhan’s cousins.
Farhan Akhtar’s aunt Daisy Irani and his cousins Farah Khan and Sajid Khan
Farhan Akhtar with Farah, Sajid and Shirish
wife
In 1997, he met Adhuna Bhabani at a disco. Adhuna is a celebrity hairstylist who runs a salon called B-Blunt. Farhan and Adhuna Bhabani lived together for three years and got married in 2000. The couple has two daughters, Shakya and Akira. After 16 years of marriage, Farhan and Aduna decided to part ways.
Farhan Akhtar and his wife- Adhuna Bhabani
Farhan Akhtar and his daughters
On January 21, 2016, the couple divorced and released a statement saying,
We would like to announce that we, Aduna and Farhan, have mutually and amicably decided to separate. Our children remain our top priority and as responsible parents it is important to us to protect them from unwarranted speculation and public attention. We sincerely ask that we be granted the privacy we need at this time so that we can move forward with dignity. “
During the interview, when Farhan was asked if it was easy to reveal the news of the divorce to his children, he said:
Nothing is easy. It’s never easy to tell your child anything you think your child doesn’t want to hear. Your children expect you to do things, and by you doing them, you realize that this is what you expect of them. If you can be honest with your kids, they are not stupid. They understand far more than you or I think. Their feelings for their parents are dynamic. As long as you don’t lie to them and you feel like “It’s okay, I told them and they can do anything now,” things will get better. Eventually, your child will understand why you do what you do. Maybe not yet, but you just have to be honest with them and in turn, they will be honest with you. “
He married Shibani Dandekar on February 19, 2022.
Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar’s wedding photos
Relationships/Affairs
Farhan was in a serious relationship with actress Suman Ranganathan, which ended in 1995. Later, he had a relationship with Riya Jain, but the relationship did not last long.
Suman Ranganathan
The reason for their divorce was reportedly Farhan’s close relationship with his Wazir (2016) co-star Aditi Rao Hydari.
Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari
In 2019, he started dating Shibani Dandekar. Shibani is a famous Indian VJ, model, singer and anchor.
Farhan Akhtar and his girlfriend Shibani
Profession
At the age of 17, he started working as an intern in the cinematography and direction department of Yash Chopra’s film Lamhe (1991). After that, he worked at the advertising production company “Script Shop” for nearly three years. He worked as an assistant director on the Bollywood film Himalayan Putra (1997) with Pankaj Parashar. In 1999, he co-founded a production company, Excel Entertainment, with Indian film producer Ritesh Sidhwani.
Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani
In 2001, he made his screenwriter and director debut in the Hindi film Dil Chahta Hai (2001), for which he won the National Film Award. In 2008, he made his debut as a producer in the Bollywood film “Don-The Chase Begins Again”. Some of his films as a producer and director include 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 movie “Rock On!!”. He has appeared in several Bollywood films such as “Karthik Calling Karthik” (2010), “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (2011), “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” (2013) and “Toofan” (2020).
dispute
- In 2017, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao made negative comments on the controversy surrounding the Tamil film Mersal (2017), saying,
“Indian celebrities have very low IQs and very low common sense.”
Farhan took a dig at him and tweeted:
How dare you sir. ”
- Amid the #MeToo storm of 2018, a girl accused director Sajid Khan of exploiting her. Farhan criticized Sajid on Twitter,
I cannot express enough how shocked, disappointed and heartbroken I was to read the story about Sajid’s behavior. I don’t know how, but he has to find a way to make amends for his alleged actions. “
Farhan was heavily criticized for not understanding his cousin’s behavior.
- A week after the 2019 polls ended, he was attacked by netizens for tweeting “Save Bhopal, vote against Sadhvi Pragya”.
Awards and Honors
Film Audience Award
2002: “Dil Chahta Hai” won the Film Critics Award for Best Film and Best Screenplay
2009: Best Male Vocal Debut for “Rock!”
2012: Best Supporting Actor for “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”
2014: Best Actor for “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”
Farhan Akhtar wins Filmfare Award
national awards
2002: Dil Chahta Hai wins Best Hindi Feature Film
2009: Best Hindi Feature Film “Rock On!!”
Farhan Akhtar wins National Award
Note: There are many more honors to his name.
address
- Ocean Springs Bungalow No. 1, BJ Road, Bandstand, Mumbai – 400050
- Vipassana, near the bandstand, Mumbai
assets/property
Bungalow: Rs 35 crore
Farhan Akhtar Bungalow
Net worth/income
- rupee. Approximately Rs. 1.44 billion (as in 2019)
- rupee. Approximately Rs. 224 million (per year, as in 2019)
car collection
Farhan Akhtar in his Porsche
Farhan Akhtar poses with his car
Farhan Akhtar poses with his Range Rover
sign
Farhan Akhtar’s signature
favorite thing
Food: Homemade food, kebabs, cheesecakes and mutton biryani
Actors: Guru Dutt, Roberto De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Actor: Preity Zetta
Movie: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Sports: Football, tennis, cycling and volleyball
Movie Type: Action
Vegetables: Indian food
Facts/Trivia
- His nanny used to call him “Bulbul” and his girlfriend Shibani called him “Foo”.
- Like his father and sister, Farhan is an atheist.
- He was a fitness freak and would bring a homemade lunch with him when filming, usually consisting of grilled chicken or fish.
- His hobbies include traveling, cooking and reading.
- He has a dolphin/shark tattoo on his right shoulder.
Farhan Akhtar’s tattoos
During an interview, he shared an interesting story related to his tattoos, saying,
I apologize for the tattoo. My editor friend and I, we used to work together. It was the mid-1990s, and one night we got really drunk and decided to start tattooing. By now, if you asked me if I could take you to that place, I wouldn’t remember it, we were both drunk. But he knew a man who was a longshoreman by day and a tattoo artist by night. So, we got in a taxi and I just remember we went into this shed, a place with a very low fan. So this guy opened up a picture of tattoos and asked me which one I liked. I saw this dolphin tattoo and I was very interested in dolphins. So I put it on this shoulder – and it became a shark. “
- He is a dog lover and owns one dog, Jimmy.
Farhan Akhtar plays with his dog
- He is a big fan of former West Indies cricketer Sir Vivian Richards.
Farhan Akhtar and Vivian Richards
- Actor Salman Khan is his childhood friend. Farhan said in an interview,
Salman and I spend a lot of time together and we are very good friends. He was very supportive and caring of me and Zoya, like he would his own brothers. “
- Farhan counts American actor, producer and director Robert De Niro as his inspiration.
Farhan Akhtar and Robert De Niro
- He reportedly suffered from Catridaphobia, a fear of cockroaches.
- In 2002, he served as a judge for the famous beauty pageant “Miss India”.
- He appeared as one of the judges on the dance reality show Nach Baliye (2005).
Farhan Akhtar plays judge in ‘Nach Baliye’
- He was reportedly the first choice of the producers of the film Rang De Basanti (2006), a role that was later played by Aamir Khan.
- Farhan has also appeared in various advertisements for Pureit, Chivas Regal, Britannia Nutri Choice Biscuits, IndusInd Bank, Dulux Paint, Nutrilite and Titan Industries.
Farhan Akhtar advertising for NUTRILITE
- He said in an interview that his friends gave him a lot of support after his parents divorced.
- He has been associated with UN Women, the United Nations entity that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Farhan Akhtar attends UN Women goodwill event
- Farhan launched a social movement called Men Against Rape and Discrimination, or MARD, after a female lawyer was sexually assaulted and killed by a caretaker in August 2012.
Farhan Akhtar at MARD event
- Farhan has participated in various fashion shows.
Farhan Akhtar walks the ramp with girlfriend Shibani Dandekar
- He has appeared on the covers of various famous magazines.
Farhan Akhtar on the cover of GQ magazine
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education