Farhan Akhtar has finally opened up on the ongoing row with Ranveer Singh over the fate of his long-awaited, next directorial, Don 3. The actor-filmmaker admitted the disagreement became “messy”, but having learnt from past setbacks, he chose to count his blessings instead. Farhan also opened up about his learnings from the episode.
“What I’ve learnt is expect the unexpected. You can’t take anything for granted until it’s on film,” said Farhan in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter India. Completing 25 years in the film industry this year, Farhan recalled how he was incredibly lucky when stars like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, and Dimple Kapadia instantly said yes to him for his 2001 seminal debut, Dil Chahta Hai.
“You realize at some point there’ll be a period that would come that would be a bit challenging. You’ve had it good. It’s okay, just take it in your stride. I inculcated a lot from the experiences of people who came before me. There will be these moments which will come along that’ll be challenging creatively and existentially. You’d wonder, do I have what it takes?,” Farhan said.
Ranveer Singh in the announcement video of Don 3.
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‘This time, I could process it a lot faster’
But he also pointed out that his most defining success in Dil Chahta Hai was followed by his most crushing failure in his 2004 sophomore directorial, Lakshya, starring Hrithik Roshan. That box-office failure took time to heal, but has eventually made him stronger to tackle similar uncertainties. “This time, I could process it a lot faster. I’ve been through times in my life where I really wanted things to work, but they didn’t. And it’s really depressing. Like Lakshya, for example. It didn’t do what I imagined a film like that would do. And it took me a long time out of it and really feel, is this something that is for me?,” added Farhan.
He argued that having spent 25 years in the film industry, and being born to prolific screenwriter parents Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he’s witnessed a lot of ups and downs across. “There are people who were written off and are suddenly back. Or people flying really high and are nowhere to be seen. It happens all the time. Of course, it’s brutal. Maybe the dream didn’t work out. But you can wake up and do something else,” said Farhan.
Hrithik Roshan in Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya.
‘When roadblocks happen, I feel I should go back to acting’
That “something else” for Farhan isn’t the buddy road movie he’s been planning to direct for five years now. After announcing Jee Le Zaraa, starring Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, and Alia Bhatt, on his 20th anniversary at the movies in 2021, Farhan hasn’t been able to get that film on track since. And that misfortune continues with Don 3. “Sometimes, when roadblocks happen, I feel I should just go back to acting. I wouldn’t have to deal with all this stuff,” said Farhan, laughing.
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But he maintained that he still has the intention to tell the “incredible stories” of Jee Le Zaraa and Don 3. “And the synergy with whoever’s going to eventually come in and play those parts is going to be right for the film,” said Farhan, indirectly confirming Ranveer’s exit from the latter. He recalled how this isn’t the first time an actor has opted out of his film, but the one who eventually played that role made it unforgettable.
Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, and Katrina Kaif were supposed to star in Jee Le Zaraa.
Farhan’s past casting troubles
Even in his directorial debut, Farhan famously wanted to cast Aamir as Siddharth, the role eventually bagged by Khanna. But Aamir insisted on playing Akash instead, making Khanna switch roles, which worked out wonderfully later. “Similarly, I’ve been cast in films where many actors have said no. And then I’ve got that thing and I’m so grateful because it’s changed my life in so many ways. So, you just take them as part and parcel of this journey,” said Farhan.
After turning actor with Abhishek Kapoor’s 2008 hit musical Rock On!!, Farhan was cast as the lead in his sister Zoya Akhtar’s 2009 directorial debut Luck By Chance after a host of top actors said no to the part. “She had Luck By Chance written by the time Dil Chahta Hai was done. The next thing we thought we’d do is Luck By Chance, but she just couldn’t cast that movie. And it took her seven years to put that film together, from 2002 to 2009,” said Farhan, underlining how he’s been a witness to long-drawn casting troubles at home itself.
About Don 3 row
Three years ago, Farhan announced he’d be directing a threequel in the popular Don franchise, in which Ranveer will replace Shah Rukh Khan as the titular character. After the pre-production was wrapped by early 2026, it was reported that Ranveer was no longer a part of the film. This happened shortly after the humungous success of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar.
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Farhan and his producing partner at Excel Entertainment, Ritesh Sidhwani, have demanded a compensation from Ranveer. A number of mediators, including the Producers Guild of India, have been trying to resolve the issue. While the situation is still status quo, Farhan has now moved on to doing other projects, including playing the role of legendary sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar in one of the four biopics being made on The Beatles by Sam Mendes.
