Learnt to expect the unexpected: Farhan Akhtar breaks silence on Don 3 limbo
Farhan Akhtar has addressed the uncertainty around Don 3 after its lead cast moved on. He said the setback has taught him to expect the unexpected and take challenges in his stride.
Actor-director Farhan Akhtar has spoken about the uncertainty around Don 3, saying he has learnt to “expect the unexpected” while dealing with the film’s casting issues. The project, which was initially set to star Ranveer Singh and Kiara Advani, has now been put on the backburner as both actors moved on after reportedly reassessing their personal and professional benchmarks.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the 54-year-old described the situation as a "challenging moment" that he is taking in his “stride”. Asked what he had learnt from the "Don 3 chaos," Akhtar said, "What I've learnt is just to expect the unexpected. Nothing can be taken for granted until you have it on film. That’s really what it is."
Akhtar said that looking back at his journey since his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai in 2001, he feels fortunate about the people he has worked with and the projects he has been able to pursue. "It's just been working with the people I want to work with - whether directing them or acting in films that I want to act in with directors. It’s been amazing," he said.
He added that he has made peace with the fact that creative careers also bring difficult phases. "And you realise that at some point, there will be a period that’s going to come around that will be a bit more challenging. You've had it good - it's okay. Just take it in your stride. You've learnt a lot, or at least inculcated a lot, from the experiences of people who came before you," he said.
"And you realise that it’s part and parcel of what you do - there will be this moment that will come along that will be challenging: creatively, at times existentially, where you are wondering, 'Oh my God, do I still have those dates?' All those challenges," he explained.
Farhan Akhtar on industry relationships
Akhtar also said that this phase had come at a time when he had already built lasting professional relationships. “It has happened at a moment... I am very thankful for the moment that brought me here. I’ve created enough relationships with people, worked with enough people who know what kind of person I am, what I bring to the table every single time I go into work," he added.
Speaking about setbacks earlier in his career, Akhtar recalled how hard Lakshya had hit him after its release in 2004. The war drama, starring Hrithik Roshan, is now considered a cult film but did not do well at the box office when it released. He said he took a long time to deal with that experience and that it affected him deeply.
Dealing with Lakshya's box office failure
"This time, I could process it a lot faster when it happened. But I have been through life where things didn’t work the way I wanted them to work. And it has really depressed me. I have spoken about it. Like for Lakshya, for example, it really hit me hard when it didn’t kind of do what I had imagined a film like that would do," he revealed.
He said the response to Lakshya had even made him question himself at one point. "And it took me a long time to work my way out of it, and I really felt like 'is this something that is for me,'" he said.
Akhtar added that he is now better placed to deal with disappointments because he understands how volatile the film industry can be. "I've learnt from that experience. Meeting so many people since then, seeing the ups and down of people over the years - people who've been written off are suddenly back or people who were flying really high are suddenly nowhere to be seen - that happens all the time," he said.
Akhtar said that perspective has made him focus on what remains possible even when plans do not work out. “In the midst of all that, now what I see and understand is that we are still fortunate that we can get up and go to work at the end of the day. Maybe it didn’t work out the way you had imagined, but you can still do something else. Many people don’t have that option,” he concluded.
Even as Don 3 and Jee Le Zara remain announced projects that are not shaping up as imagined for now, Akhtar said he is looking forward to playing Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes’ upcoming four-part biopic series on The Beatles. In the same interview, he called the opportunity a “huge responsibility” and described it as a “lifelong manifestation coming true.”
Actor-director Farhan Akhtar has spoken about the uncertainty around Don 3, saying he has learnt to “expect the unexpected” while dealing with the film’s casting issues. The project, which was initially set to star Ranveer Singh and Kiara Advani, has now been put on the backburner as both actors moved on after reportedly reassessing their personal and professional benchmarks.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the 54-year-old described the situation as a "challenging moment" that he is taking in his “stride”. Asked what he had learnt from the "Don 3 chaos," Akhtar said, "What I've learnt is just to expect the unexpected. Nothing can be taken for granted until you have it on film. That’s really what it is."
Akhtar said that looking back at his journey since his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai in 2001, he feels fortunate about the people he has worked with and the projects he has been able to pursue. "It's just been working with the people I want to work with - whether directing them or acting in films that I want to act in with directors. It’s been amazing," he said.
He added that he has made peace with the fact that creative careers also bring difficult phases. "And you realise that at some point, there will be a period that’s going to come around that will be a bit more challenging. You've had it good - it's okay. Just take it in your stride. You've learnt a lot, or at least inculcated a lot, from the experiences of people who came before you," he said.
"And you realise that it’s part and parcel of what you do - there will be this moment that will come along that will be challenging: creatively, at times existentially, where you are wondering, 'Oh my God, do I still have those dates?' All those challenges," he explained.
Farhan Akhtar on industry relationships
Akhtar also said that this phase had come at a time when he had already built lasting professional relationships. “It has happened at a moment... I am very thankful for the moment that brought me here. I’ve created enough relationships with people, worked with enough people who know what kind of person I am, what I bring to the table every single time I go into work," he added.
Speaking about setbacks earlier in his career, Akhtar recalled how hard Lakshya had hit him after its release in 2004. The war drama, starring Hrithik Roshan, is now considered a cult film but did not do well at the box office when it released. He said he took a long time to deal with that experience and that it affected him deeply.
Dealing with Lakshya's box office failure
"This time, I could process it a lot faster when it happened. But I have been through life where things didn’t work the way I wanted them to work. And it has really depressed me. I have spoken about it. Like for Lakshya, for example, it really hit me hard when it didn’t kind of do what I had imagined a film like that would do," he revealed.
He said the response to Lakshya had even made him question himself at one point. "And it took me a long time to work my way out of it, and I really felt like 'is this something that is for me,'" he said.
Akhtar added that he is now better placed to deal with disappointments because he understands how volatile the film industry can be. "I've learnt from that experience. Meeting so many people since then, seeing the ups and down of people over the years - people who've been written off are suddenly back or people who were flying really high are suddenly nowhere to be seen - that happens all the time," he said.
Akhtar said that perspective has made him focus on what remains possible even when plans do not work out. “In the midst of all that, now what I see and understand is that we are still fortunate that we can get up and go to work at the end of the day. Maybe it didn’t work out the way you had imagined, but you can still do something else. Many people don’t have that option,” he concluded.
Even as Don 3 and Jee Le Zara remain announced projects that are not shaping up as imagined for now, Akhtar said he is looking forward to playing Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes’ upcoming four-part biopic series on The Beatles. In the same interview, he called the opportunity a “huge responsibility” and described it as a “lifelong manifestation coming true.”
