Farhan Akhtar, a celebrated director, fine actor, successful produce, sought after singer/performer, an aware celebrity is a rare gem to be found in the Bollywood industry turn 44 today. He ventured into the film industry as a filmmaker with his directorial debut film Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 and other films like Lakshya and Don. His firtsa film as an actor was Rock On!! In the year 2008 in which he sang 5 songs that are still a hit today. He went on to ace his acting skills in films such as Karthik Calling Karthik, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Lucknow Central among others.
Akhtar is surely gifted with a unique and mesmerizingly beautiful husky voice which he uses for his songs, concerts, coke studios and even to recite the famous poem writer by his father Javed Akhtar and swaying you off your feet every time he performs and rules the stage. Not just singing, he has picked up some challenging roles, such as Milkha Singh in the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, for which his hardwork and originality was beyond perfection which won him Filmfare best actor award along with many other awards.
But someone who still lingers in my mind is Imraan Qureshi from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a happy go lucky dreamer, full of humour and turmoil. Farhan’s character was of a writer, a poet, philosopher and one with a funny cap on his head. Apart from his impeccable dialogue delivery, what still stays in our mind, and create a strong impact, is the poems the character narrates. Even though these poems are originally written by his father Javed Akhtar, junior Akhtar pours his heart into them while he narrates with such passion, determination, love and (looking for a word to best explain how I feel). Here are the poems
1. Apne Hone Par Mujhko Yaqeen Aa Gaya
Pighle neelam sa behta hua ye sama
Neeli-Neeli si khamoshiyaan
Na kahin hai zameen, na kahin Aasmaan
Sarsarati hui tehniyaan, pattiyaan
Keh raheen hai ki bas ek tum ho yahaan
Sirf main hoon
Meri saansein hain aur meri dhadkanein
Aisi gehraiyaan, aisi tanhaiyaan
Aur main sirf main
Apne hone par mujhko yaqeen aa gaya
2. Dil Aakhir Tu Kyun Rota Hai
Jab jab dard ka baadal chhaya
Jab gham ka saya lehraaya
Jab aansoo palkon tak aaya
Jab yeh tanha dil ghabraaya
Hum ne dil ko yeh samjhaya
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai?
Duniya mein yun hi hota hai
Yeh jo gehre sannate hain
Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain
Thoda gham hai sabka qissa
Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa
Aankh teri bekaar hi nam hai
Har pal ek naya mausam hai
Kyun tu aise pal khota hai
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai
3. Yeh Jaane Kaisa Raaz Hai
Ik baat honthon tak hai jo aayi nahin
Bas ankhon se hai jhaankti
Tumse kabhi, mujhse kabhi
Kuch lafz hain woh maangti
Jinko pahen ke honthon tak aa jaaye woh
Awaaz ki baahon mein baahein daalke ithlaaye woh
Lekin jo yeh ik baat hai
Ehsaas hi ehsaas hai
Khushboo si hai jaise hawa mein tairti
Khushboo jo be awaaz hai
Jiska pata tumko bhi hai
Jiski khabar mujhko bhi hai
Duniya se bhi chhupta nahin
Yeh jaane kaisa Raaz hai
4. Toh Zinda Ho Tum
Dilon mein tum apni betabiyan leke chal rahe ho.
Toh zinda ho tum!
Nazar mein khwaabon ki bijliyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum!
Hawa ke jhonkon ke jaise aazad rehna seekho
Tum ek dariya ke jaise, leharon mein behna seekho
Har ek lamhe se tum milo khole apni baahein
Har ek pal ek naya samaa dekhiye
Jo apni aankhon mein hairaniyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum!
Dilon mein tum apni betabiyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum!
Magical wasn’t it? Gives goose-bumps every time you listen to it and makes so much sense when you dive into the depth of those words. Very conveniently Farhan’s character shows you the zest of life and asks you to live the best possible life, the life which is ultimately in your hands.
On the work front, Farhan will next be seen in Shonali Bose’s The Sky Is Pink, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Zaira Wasim. We wish this dynamic star a lot of success and warm birthday wishes.
