Wikipedia:VideoWiki/Farhan Akhtar

Introduction
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, playback singer, producer, and television host.

Film career (direction and production)
Akhtar worked as an apprentice in film distribution and direction for Yash Chopra's Lamhe in 1991, when he was 17 years old and later shifted to an advertisement production house named "Script Shop" to spend an approximate 3 years there.

Assistant Director
He also assisted Pankaj Parashar's direction for Himalay Putra in 1997 before launching himself into direction and writing.



Directional debut
Akhtar made his writing and directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film Dil Chahta Hai, produced by Excel Entertainment, starring Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, and Akshaye Khanne. It received international critical acclaim and attained an iconic status, with Akhtar receiving credit for starting a "new wave" in Indian cinema.





Lakshya
Akhtar's next project was Lakshya in 2004, a film set in a military backdrop, starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta.





Don
In 2006, Akhtar directed, produced and wrote the screenplay of Don starring Shah Rukh Khan in the title role, a remake of 1978 film Don starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film released on 20 October 2006 and was declared a "hit" at the box office, grossing around ₹105 crore worldwide.



Game
In 2011, Akhtar produced a film named 'Game'', directed by Abhinay Deo. The film received highly negative reviews after release, with critics panning almost all the aspects of it.

Don 2
Later that year, Akhtar wrote, produced and directed Don 2, a sequel to his 2006 Don. It marked his return to direction after a gap of nearly 5 years. The film was a major success in India and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production abroad with a worldwide gross of ₹210 crore.



Talaash & other productions
Next year, Akhtar produced and wrote the dialogues of the neo-noir thriller Talaash. His production work was followed by the comedy films: Fukrey in 2013, Bangistan in 2015, Baar Baar Dekho in 2016, Raees and Fukrey Returns, both in 2017.



Film career (acting and singing)
In 2008, Akhtar made his acting and singing debut in a musical film titled Rock On!!, for which he wrote the dialogues and also produced.

Karthik calling Karthik
Akhtar acted in, and produced his next film Karthik Calling Karthik in 2010, a psychological thriller directed by Vijay Lalwani. He played Karthik, an introvert character, starring alongside Deepika Padukone for the first time. Preparation for the role involved working on the Rubik's Cube, which he learnt from the director.



ZNMD
Akhtar produced and appeared as one of the three male leads in his sister, Zoya Akhtar's coming-of-age film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara along with Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol. The film made ₹153 crore worldwide and was declared a commercial success at the box office. , and also won two national awards.



Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Following Don 2, Akhtar was signed up for the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. He plays the role of Milkha Singh. He also had to prepare his looks to depict a 17-year-old army recruit and endure an on-the-spot preparation at an army cantonment.



Dil Dhadakne Do
Next year, Akhtar featured in the supporting role in his sister Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, an ensemble comedy-drama starring Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.







Wazir
In 2016, Akhtar played the lead role of an Anti Terrorist Squad officer in Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir. It was his first action role as an actor, and for which he went through intense physical training and put on eight kilograms of weight.



Rock On
Akhtar's final release of the year was the rock musical drama Rock On 2, a sequel to the 2008 critically acclaimed Rock On!!.



Lucknow Central
His next release was the ensemble drama Lucknow Central, co-starring Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal and Deepak Dobriyal. The film was about a prison escape drama planned by a group of prisoners who also form a music band and was inspired by a real incident.



Men Against Rape and Discrimination
Men Against Rape and Discrimination or MARD is a social campaign launched by Akhtar. The idea came to the mind of Akhtar when in August 2012, Pallavi Purkayastha, a lawyer by profession, was sexually assaulted by her watchman and then killed by him.

Awards and nominations
His official acting debut, Rock On!! won him a National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi as producer. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in 2011 which won him four Filmfare Awards, including Best Supporting Actor. The 2013 film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.