‘Toofaan’ directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, starring Farhan Akhtar has been released on Friday. In conversation with ETimes, the director revealed that he had offered a role to Farhan in ‘Rang De Basanti’ because he had always seen an actor in him.
When the director was asked about Farhan Akhtar’s growth from ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ to ‘Toofaan’, he said, “Over time, I have come to learn that either you are an actor or not an actor. I have always seen an actor in Farhan and I did offer him a role in ‘Rang De Basanti’, nearly 16 years ago. At that time he was amused and it didn’t occur to him that he will be acting one day, at least he didn’t share, and said, “No, I have not thought about that”.
Further, he said, “He read the script and even responded to it, not as an actor but as a friend. So, for me, there is an actor in him. But how deep can we dive into him and get out what we want? I think he is as deep as an ocean and the deeper you go, you find more depth. So it is up to the challenge we throw at him and I am sure he relishes challenges. The more difficult the part, the better he performs.”
Talking about Farhan’s casting in Toofaan, he said, “We had done ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ together, which gave us a lot of recognition, critical acclaim, and box office success. Post that, there was always hunger to collaborate again. So, for the next couple of years, we discussed ideas, and then one day I got a call from Farhan who told me this story of Toofaan, and it’s an amazing character. The idea germinated from Farhan and the writers sprinkled gold dust all over it.”
Farhan Akhtar made his acting debut with the 2008 movie, Rock On, directed by Abhishek Kapoor. Since then, he gave some of his brilliant performances in movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara, Dil Dhadakne Do, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Wazir, and many others.
