Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian film director, actor, producer, singer and screenwriter. His first film as director, Dil Chahta Hai (2001), changed the look and language of Hindi cinema and won the National Film Award for Best Hindi Film. He later became a leading actor, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for playing Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). He co-owns the production company Excel Entertainment.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Farhan Akhtar |
| Born | 9 January 1974, Bombay (now Mumbai), India |
| Age | 52 |
| Occupation | Director, actor, producer, singer, screenwriter |
| Parents | Javed Akhtar, Honey Irani |
| Education | Maneckji Cooper School; H.R. College (left without a degree) |
| Company | Excel Entertainment (with Ritesh Sidhwani) |
| Spouse | Adhuna Bhabani (div. 2017); Shibani Dandekar (m. 2022) |
| Children | 2 daughters (Shakya and Akira) |
| Sibling | Zoya Akhtar |
Early Life
Akhtar is the son of two screenwriters. His parents separated when he was young, and he grew up with his mother and his sister, Zoya. He dropped out of a commerce degree and spent about two years at home watching films, until his mother threatened to throw him out. He then worked as an assistant on Yash Chopra‘s Lamhe and on advertising films.
Career
He wrote Dil Chahta Hai, about three friends from Mumbai’s well-off youth, starring Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan, at 25. He followed it with the war drama Lakshya (2004) and with Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), starring Shah Rukh Khan.
He made his acting and singing debut as a rock band’s lead singer in Rock On!! (2008). He played the copywriter Imraan in Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), reciting his father’s poems, and transformed his body for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Later roles include Dil Dhadakne Do, Wazir, The Sky Is Pink, the boxing film Toofaan (2021), the American series Ms. Marvel and the war film 120 Bahadur (2025). He tours with his band, Farhan Live.
Excel Entertainment has produced Fukrey, Gully Boy, Talaash and the series Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made in Heaven.
Activism
In 2013 he founded MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination). He is a goodwill ambassador for UN Women in South Asia.
Personal Life
He has two daughters from his marriage to the hairstylist Adhuna Bhabani. He married the singer and presenter Shibani Dandekar in February 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Farhan Akhtar born?
Farhan Akhtar was born on 9 January 1974 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India and is 52 years old.
What is Farhan Akhtar’s occupation?
Occupation: Director, actor, producer, singer, screenwriter.
Featured image: Farhan Akhtar performs at Times Litfest, Delhi, November 2016. Photo by Satdeep Gill, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
