Farhan Akhtar Says He Might’ve Scrapped Dil Chahta Hai if Dimple Kapadia Refused

Farhan Akhtar's directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai marked 20 years since its release, on Tuesday.

Dimple Kapadia played Tara in Farhan Akhtar's film Dil Chahta Hai.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/ @FarOutAkhtar)

Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai completed 20 years since its release on Tuesday. Farhan took the social media to thank the cast and crew. He expressed his gratitude to the leads Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Aamir Khan. He also revealed that he wrote the role of Tara for Dimple Kapadia and would probably not make the film if she’d turned it down.

Farhan shared a picture of Saif, Akshaye, and Aamir, who play three college friends in the film, and quoted a Dil Chahta Hai dialogue, “Ya toh dosti gehri thi ya ye photo 3D thi (Either the bond was deep or the photo was 3D).. thank you Aamir, Saif & Akshaye for your belief in the script, in a first time writer/director & for bringing Akash, Sameer & Sid to life in your own uniquely amazing way. Love you guys. #20YearsOfDilChahtaHai.”

In a following tweet, Farhan thanked Preity Zinta, who played Shalini. “It could only be you @realpreityzinta as Shalini.. so thank you for saying yes way before a final draft and anyone else being cast .. your faith meant so much to me. #20YearsOfDilChahtaHai,” he tweeted.

Farhan also said that Sonali Kulkarni, who played Pooja, was an ‘absolute joy to work with’. Sharing a picture of Dimple Kapadia, he wrote, “I think if you had said no, I’d probably have had to scrap making the film. Tara was written for you and thank my lucky stars that you said yes. Forever grateful. #DimpleKapadia #20YearsOfDilChahtaHai.”

He extended his gratitude to lyricist Javed Akhtar, and music composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. “And finally a massive thank you to the incredible supporting cast & our amazing crew. You made every day of the shoot feel like a breeze and every scene the best it could be,” Farhan Akhtar shared. He also thanked Suzanne Caplan Merwanji for the set design.

On Tuesday, the makers of Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara announced their upcoming film Jee Le Zaraa, starring Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif. The movie also revolves around a road-trip.