Twenty-five years after Dil Chahta Hai redefined friendship on the big screen, Farhan Akhtar has opened up about the making of the cult classic and some of the unexpected moments that shaped the film. In a conversation with Anupama Chopra, the filmmaker revisited his directorial debut, including Aamir Khan’s initial doubts, his approach to working with actors and one particular incident that saw him lose his temper on set.
Reflecting on the impact of Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan said the film emerged from his desire to present friendship in a way that felt authentic to his generation. “I feel that what Dil Chahta Hai writing embodied was what was happening around us all the time. It’s just that nobody was capturing it and putting it into a script or putting it into a film,” he said. “I just happened to be the right person at the right place at the right time.”
He further explained, “Nothing really represented me, you know. Or my friends,” adding, “It was time to represent it the way that we felt it.” While the eventual casting of Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan became one of the film’s biggest strengths, Farhan had initially imagined a different trio. He eventually came to believe that certain roles and films have their own destinies when it comes to casting.
During the conversation, Farhan also recalled a crucial moment when Aamir Khan suggested that he step in and take over the role himself when Saif Ali Khan was facing date issues. As the production prepared to move ahead, Aamir told him, “You’re going to have to do it here. There’s nobody else.” Farhan recalled his immediate reaction: “Me?”
The suggestion was particularly significant given that Aamir had initially questioned whether Farhan could direct Dil Chahta Hai. However, the filmmaker remained convinced about his vision. “Nobody else can make it the way I’m imagining it.”
Farhan also spoke about his philosophy of improvisation. According to him, actors need to be completely familiar with the written material before they can effectively improvise. “Improvisation is not possible unless you’re completely familiar and sure of the written material,” he said. “Just learn the scene, have that scene down pat, and then you can come there and do what you want.”
One of the most memorable revelations concerned the Tara death scene. Farhan revealed that the camera ran out of film during the first take, prompting an unusually strong reaction from him. “I had never yelled on set. I had never gotten angry on set,” he said. But on this occasion, “I blew my top.” He recalled his frustration: “Why are you putting a magazine on that’s not full?”
Looking back at Dil Chahta Hai after 25 years, Farhan can also identify elements he would change. “I think the one thing that I would change… I would probably resolve the Aamir and Preity relationship slightly differently,” he said, admitting that the wedding drama was “a little bit overplayed.” On Sid’s ending, he added, “I don’t know if I would have left Sid alone at the end.”
Farhan’s reflections offer a fascinating look at the creative instincts, uncertainties and choices behind a film that went on to become a defining coming-of-age story for an entire generation.
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