When Farhan Akhtar was compared with Raj Kapoor, he called incident ‘too embarrassing to speak about’

Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar was once compared with late actor Raj Kapoor when a team of Italian media group came to interview him. The incident took place in 2011 and as reported by Hindustan Times, Farhan had called it ‘too embarrassing to speak about’. As Farhan Akhtar clocks his 49th birthday, we take a trip down memory lane. (Also Read | Farhan Akhtar poses with Shibani Dandekar, his daughters Akira and Shakya Akhtar in adorable family photo)

The Italian media persons while interviewing Farhan for a documentary on Bollywood kept talking about Raj Kapoor. They had a list with Farhan’s name on it but as they were not very comfortable with English, Farhan opted for an interpreter to help with the interview. During the conversation, the team talked about Raj Kapoor but the interpreter asked him the question making no reference to the late filmmaker-actor.

Farhan was initially confused but after asking the interpreter for clarification, he was told that the group was giving examples of Raj Kapoor. It later surfaced that the group had no idea whether Raj Kapoor was more famous as an actor or director. As quoted by Hindustan Times, Farhan had said, “It’s too embarrassing to speak about.”

His spokesperson, present during the interview, had said, “We all kept wondering how they were referring to Raj Kapoor constantly. Finally, we understood the reference only once they explained it.”

Farhan made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai (2001) followed by Lakshya, Don, Positive, and Don 2. He has featured in many films such as Rock On (2008), his Bollywood debut as an actor. He then starred in Luck by Chance, Karthik Calling Karthik, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Dil Dhadakne Do, Wazir, and The Sky Is Pink. He also lent his voice to many tracks in several movies.

Farhan was last seen in a sports drama film Toofan alongside Mrunal Thakur and Paresh Rawal which streamed exclusively on Prime Video and received mixed reviews from the audience. He will be next directing a road trip film Jee Le Zara which stars Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles.

Farhan was previously married to Adhuna. They parted ways a few years ago. The duo is parents to two daughters–Shakya and Akira. In 2022, Farhan tied the knot with television personality Shibani Dandekar after dating for several years.