Don director Farhan Akhtar, in a recent interview with Faye D'Souza, recalled that Aamir's role as Akash Malhotra was first given to Akshaye Khanna. He also talked about how Akshaye Khanna stepped down for the benefit of the film. Farhan Akhtar told Faye D'Souza, “I have experienced true grace from Akshaye Khanna. When I met him for Dil Chahta Hai, I had offered him the role of Akash, which Aamir ended up doing… When I approached Akshaye at that point, I wanted to cast two other younger actors, so I went to Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan, who were just one film old at that time. But they had other plans, and that didn't happen, so I had to go for the slightly older generation of actors for Dil Chahta Hai.”
“After dar dar ki thokrein khake, I showed the script to Aamir. He told me that since he had done a couple of serious roles, he wanted to play the role of Akash… Akshaye calmly told me that he loved the film and knew it had to be made. He said, ‘I will play that part.' It's rare to come across actors who let go of roles so gracefully,” Farhan said.
Dil Chahta Hai has now completed 23 years since its release, yet it continues to be a favorite Goa trip film and indeed a must-watch for every young crowd out there. On the work front, Farhan Akhtar is now busy developing Don 3. The film will feature Ranveer Singh as the new Don. Kiara Advani has also been roped in for the film.