Happy Birthday Farhan Akhtar: Actor, singer, filmmaker, father, husband, activist…

Farhan Akhtar wears many hats. He plays many roles simultaneously, not all of them equally well. But there is hardly a more prolific artiste in Hindi cinema.He acts, he sings, he performs live on stage.He helms an organization called MARD that monitors domestic abuse . Everyone wants to know when he will direct a film next. There is _Jee Le Zaraa_ with Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt on the anvil. But there is no certainty as to when it will be made. Farhan isn’t afraid to fall and rise. I am not particularly fond of his Don series. And I don’t really look forward to the next one. But I look forward to what Farhan will do next. He has already covered directing, acting, writing and singing. Where does he go next? Is he more versatile than his sister Zoya? Or even his amazing father Javed Akhtar who after years of prodding, cajoling, threatening and bullying by his family (wife Shabana included) and friends (your truly included) has not been persuaded to turn director. What galvanizes Farhan into exploring new cinematic avenues constantly? Is he just curious? Or hungry for new experiences? Farhan’s unique position in the Bollywood hierarchy affords him a view into a multitude of fascinating vocations associated with cinema. He is at once an auteur and a traditionalist. An insider and an outsider. He is the lonely outsider forging his own path in the chaotic creativity of our film industry. He is also a consummate star kid born and brought up in the film industry attending as a child the birthday parties of Abhishek Bachchan. Farhan would always envy Abhishek at these kiddie parties because he got to be every kid’s favourite superhero. Amitabh Bachchan.

How was Farhan to know that one day he would direct his childhood idol in the war film Lakshya and share screen space as a co-actor in Wazir? Once upon a time, Farhan’s father wrote some of Mr Bachchan’s most memorable lines. Farhan now carries the legacy of his father ahead by remaking and renewing Don one of Javed Saab’s best-known Amitabh Bachchan starrers. It’s a formidable legacy to carry. But Farhan manages it with graceful nonchalance. As if success doesn’t really matter because you know what waits at the end of that long winding road. Speaking on his various vocations, Farhan had once said to me, “I don’t think one can ever script one’s life. One can only hope to realize one’s dreams. I don’t allow myself to be bogged down by self-expectations. But it will have to be one thing at a time. If I am directing, then I won’t be acting. The emotions I feel while acting are very different from what I feel when I am directing. Actors have done both simultaneously in the past. I’ve tremendous respect for them. I can’t. As for singing, it is an extension of my acting vocation.” What I’d like to see Farhan do is play Javed Akhtar in the biopic on the latter. He was born to play that particular role. Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram