Farhan Akhtar has successfully made a transition from behind the camera to a bankable Bollywood actor but he feels his acting career has a shelf life as he can’t go on playing such characters for too long.
The 42-year-old actor-filmmaker made his acting debut in 2008 with Rock On and has since starred in films like Luck By Chance, Karthik Calling Karthik, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Dil Dhadakne Do and Wazir.
His love for acting has made him take a break from direction. Farhan, whose last directorial venture was Don 2 in 2011, says he is taking up acting projects because he enjoys being in front of the camera. “It is not a question of getting too comfortable. I am enjoying it for sure. It is as comfortable as doing anything if your heart is in it… So, I think good roles are coming my way and I am happy with the films that I am getting an opportunity to be part of. It is exciting,” said Farhan.
“I feel things like these (acting career) also have a shelf life, I can only play those characters for that long. However, I feel there is no need to rock the boat at the moment.”
Farhan is awaiting the release of the sequel of Rock On, which hits theatres this Friday. The film will mark the return of original stars Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Prachi Desai besides Farhan alongside new additions like Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora.
The story of the upcoming film has shifted out of Mumbai to Shillong, Meghalaya and Farhan say the change in setting reflects the new storyline of his character. “My character has relocated out of Mumbai. He has adopted a village and is working closely with villagers, setting up schools, women empowerment centres. We wanted it to be set in in the hills just for a change of scenery and we were thinking about many places. Himachal Pradesh was also one of them but ultimately we decided on Shillong.”
Besides Rock On 2, there are two other films of Farhan – Don 2 and Dil Chahta Hai, which are speculated to get new instalments. “The demand for Don 3 has been there for too long now. It keeps trending and then there is also a cast list. There is too much speculation. It is not nice to read that some actors have been thrown out from the film as they are (my) friends. As far as Dil Chahta Hai is concerned. Recently, Alia said that she would like to see an all-female version of the film. I think that is an interesting idea and if I do consider making a sequel, then it would be a nice avenue to go down to do.”
