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Akshaye Khanna is probably one of the calmest actors Bollywood might have ever seen. No controversies, no gossip, and definitely no fights. The closest he was to being a scoop was the time he was about to get married to Karisma Kapoor. However, Akshaye once grabbed a headline that said he had turned an Angry Young Man for Farhan Akhtar, his Dil Chahta Hai producer.
Dil Chahta Hai was Farhan Akhtar’s debut film as a director. However, despite being great friends, Akshaye and Farhan never worked together after Dil Chahta Hai. The film earned a cult tag over the years.
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Years after Dil Chahta Hai’s release, Akshaye Khanna, in one of his interviews, said that he was very disappointed in his friends who never worked with him again. During one of his interviews with NDTV, he was asked whether it bothers him when Farhan Akhtar makes a film without him. He said, “Of course, I’m angry with all of them (including Abbas Mustan, who directed Race starring Akshaye).”
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Akshaye further said, “When any filmmaker I’ve worked with doesn’t cast me again, I do get angry.” Later, Farhan Akhtar reacted to this quote and dismissed it as Akshaye’s humor. However, when asked why Akshaye was not a part of any of his projects, the director said, “I would love to work with him again, and he knows that. We have tried to make things work (in the past), but they just haven’t. It’s a matter of time (before we work together).”
Farhan even clarified Akshaye’s ‘I am angry’ remark and said, “He has told me the same thing in person, ‘I am very upset with you. You have never worked with me again.’ But that’s Akshaye, and he’s a dear friend.”
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For the unversed, Akshaye Khanna was the first actor who was approached by Farhan Akhtar for his debut film Dil Chahta Hai. In fact, when he approached Akshaye, he offered him the main boy Akash’s role, and Akshaye instantly agreed. Farhan planned to approach Hrithik Roshan for Sameer and Abhishek Bachchan for Sid’s role next. He was confident they’ll say yes since they were friends since childhood. However, the world came crashing down for Farhan when Abhishek and Hrithik rejected the film since it was a three-hero film.
When he approached Aamir Khan, he demanded Akash’s role since he was already doing Sarfarosh and Mann, where he played serious roles. So, Aamir wanted the relaxed guy, Akash’s role. Farhan was courteous enough to keep Aamir on hold and told him since Akshaye was offered the role first, only he could take a call. Being the sorted guy Akshaye was, he said, “I just want to do the film.” He agreed to play Sid’s part, and Sameer’s part went to Saif Ali Khan.
However, despite Akshaye being so accommodating for Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan could never work with him again, and the actor’s joke about being angry with directors for not working with him went over the board.
For more such throwbacks, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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