Farhan Akhtar: “I Find Love Stories Very Boring!”
The multi-tasking Bollywood hottie gets candid with Cosmo.
FARHAN AKHTAR I find love stories very boring!
If there was an award category for Multi-Tasking Bollywood Hottie, Farhan Akhtar would win it, without much contention. The man is an actor, singer, producer, director, script-writer, lyricist, television host and now social activist, and very successful at each of his roles. His last release, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, was a tremendous hit that proved his mettle as an actor—and won him tonnes of accolades. Ironic, considering Farhan became an actor simply because he “felt like acting!” Here, Mr A talks about date night faux pas, his upcoming projects and his recent social initiative, MARD.
COSMO: What, according to you, makes a relationship work?
FARHAN AKHTAR:
is the biggest thing!” “Honesty! That
C: What’s your biggest turn on?
FA: “A nice, radiant smile—it has the power to light up someone’s face.”
C: And your number-one turn off...
FA: “Probably body odour!”
C: What’s the one thing a woman must never say on a date?
FA: “I don’t know a lot about these things, but certainly not something like, ‘Can I get my mom along?’”
C: What should a woman do to get your attention?
FA: “There are many things a woman can do to get my attention— like just call out my name. That would be a good start I think.”
C: Describe yourself in five words...
FA: “Somebody who lives in Bandra.”
C: What’s the one thing every guy lies about?
FA: “The size of his biceps.”
C: One thing you don’t get about women is...
FA: “Okay, it’s seasonal, but I
witnessed it once and it was very frightening. It’s that zombie-like trance that women get into during sales! I’ve actually been run over by women inside a store during a sale!”
C: What’s keeping you busy right now?
FA: “I’m just wrapping up Shaadi Ke Side Effects, opposite Vidya Balan. I’m also writing dialogues for Zoya’s next film. Apart from this, I’m working with other directors and looking at producing some films. And I’m doing my music concerts as well!”
C: How do you deal with criticism?
FA: “It honestly depends on who it is coming from. If it’s a newspaper or a tabloid, I simply ignore it. But if it’s from people whose opinions I care about, then I listen carefully!”
C: Does your mindset change when you’re producing a movie, rather than directing or acting in it?
FA: “No, there isn’t a major shift, but as a producer, it is slightly more hands-off because you realise it is someone else’s vision that you are supporting. So you don’t get attached to it as deeply as I think you would when you direct a movie. It still is yours, but you know it belongs to someone else.”
C: Is there a genre of movies you like working on the most?
FA: “Not the most, but I can tell you the ones I like working on the least. It’ll be
stories... I those very find true-blue them very love boring.”
C: Fill in the blanks: no-one would think I’m sexy if they knew...
FA: “I bite my nails!”
C: How do you deal with all the attention you get from women?
FA: “I blush.”
C: Tell us about your personal style?
FA: “I don’t know... khichdi, maybe? I don’t know what to call it. It’s retro, snazzy, comfy... whatever you call it.”
C: Can a guy be completely honest in a relationship?
FA: “Well, he can try!”
C: It’s so great that you’ve started a social cause that raises awareness against gender discrimination. Tell us more.
FA: “My initiative is called MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination) and it is something that I hope will make people start questioning the basic attitude our society has towards women. Luckily, there are many people doing some pretty amazing work in this area, but this is a responsibility that every single person should share. That’s how I thought of this.”
COSMO NOTE:
Farhan conceived MARD after a Mumbai lawyer was sexually assaulted and then murdered by her watchman in 2012. Ever since, he has been raising awareness about gender inequality through concerts, tonnes of Tweets and FB updates, and some pretty bold moves—like at IPL this year, Farhan distributed 70, 000 moustaches to raise support.