Farhan Akhtar revisits ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ with rare storyboards on 25th anniversary

Farhan Akhtar has shared rare, hand-drawn storyboards from ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ as the cult film marks 25 years. The actor-filmmaker revealed his meticulous approach to planning scenes, while reflecting on the movie’s enduring legacy and Excel Entertainment’s journey

Mumbai: Filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar treated his Instagram family to a glimpse of his storyboards for his beloved movie, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, which clocked 25 years of release on Wednesday.

Farhan had carefully broken down the scenes, along with mentioning the shots he wanted to make the scene most impactful, showing his love for detailing.

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He wrote on the photo-sharing app, “Long before AI and before software was easily (think affordable) available, this was how I did my storyboards on Dil Chahta Hai. Hand drawn with every character looking like a fingerprint. Maybe that’s what made them unique. (sic).”

Farhan even urged the netizens to guess the scene, saying “Any guesses on which scene? Comment below”

Actor Karanveer Sharma guessed the scene. He mentioned in the comment section, “Yaaar tu priya se itna darta kyun hai ? Mard bann! Be a man !! I can’t believe i still remember all the dialogues that too after so many years. What a legendary film.”

As ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ turned 25 on Tuesday, Farhan and producer Ritesh Sidhwani issued an official statement that read, “Twenty five years ago, we started Excel Entertainment and began work on a film called ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. We had a simple belief – New voices and a different way of telling stories, will find an audience. We were 26 years old. We didn’t have all the answers but we had an idea we believed in, the courage to take risks and the tenacity to make it happen (sic).”

“As we look back at everything this journey has given us, we also find ourselves thinking about what the next 25 years has in store for us. We believe it will include Excel empowering young, aspiring filmmakers with bold ideas and the courage to tell stories differently,” they further shared.

With Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna as the leads, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ also starred Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia in supporting roles.