Farhan Akhtar, Checkmating Bollywood Wazirs at 42

It's a double celebration for actor Farhan Akhtar whose film Wazir released just a day before his birthday on Janaury 9. The actor, who made his film debut in 2008 with the smash hit Rock On!!, will be seen in the much-awaited sequel to the film this year. NDTV toasts with a pictorial journey through his life as he turns a year older.

Farhan, who was born on January 9, 1974 in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, has a filmy lineage. He has an elder sister, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, and is cousin to filmmakers Farah Khan and Sajid Khan.

Farhan went to Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai and then went on to study law in HR College. After dropping out in his second year, Farhan decided to follow his passion for films.

He married hair stylist Adhuna Bhabani in 2000, after a relationship of three years. The couple have two children - Shakya and Akira.

Farhan started his film career at the age of 17 by assisting in cinematography and direction for Yash Chopra's Lamhe. He also worked for the production house ‘Script Shop' for some time and worked on the movie Himalaya Putra.

Farhan made his directing debut with the runaway hit Dil Chahta Hai in the year 2001. He also wrote and co-produced it with Ritesh Sidhwani under the name Excel Entertainment Pvt Ltd. The movie was hailed by critics and audiences alike.

In 2004, Farhan directed the Kargil war-based Lakshya, which also marked a long association with Hrithik Roshan.

He also wrote the English lyrics of Gurinder Chadha's Hollywood film, Bride And Prejudice, along with his sister Zoya Akhtar.

In 2006, Farhan directed, produced and wrote the screenplay for the remake of the 1978 blockbuster, Don, which featured megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The 2006 remake starred Shah Rukh Khan.

The movie did not impress the critics.

2008 proved to be a turning point in Farhan's career. He made his acting and singing debut in the musical Rock On!!. He wrote the dialogues and also produced the movie. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, the film also starred Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli. Though the movie was an average grosser at the box office, it won rave reviews from critics.

Farhan won the award for the best debut of the year at the National Awards and many other award shows.

In 2009, Farhan acted in the movie, Luck By Chance which was originally slated to be released before Rock On!!. He was praised for his performance.

This was followed by Karthik Calling Karthik in 2010, which did not do that well at the box office. However, his portrayal of the character of the underachiever was praised.

He also wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the 2011-thriller, Game.

In 2012, Farhan produced and acted in sister's Zoya Akhtar's cult movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He also wrote dialogues for the movie. Farhan's portrayal of a fun spirited and carefree young man earned him accolades from all over the world. The movie went on to become one of the major box office hits of the year and also went on to win two National Awards – one for choreography and the other for audiography.

Farhan won awards for dialogues and supporting role at many award functions including IIFA and Screen.

Later that year, Farhan returned to direction, after a gap of 5 years with the sequel to his 2006 movie Don, which featured Shah Rukh Khan.Though the movie grossed more than Rs 200 crore, it received mixed reviews from the critics.

In 2013, he portrayed the role of the ‘Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh in the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The movie not only became the fifth largest grosser of the year but also earned Farhan rave reviews for his performance.

2014 saw Farhan Akhtar showing off his comic side to the audiences in the romantic comedy Shaadi Ke Side Effects alongside Vidya Balan. A sequel to the 2006 movie Pyaar Ke Side Effects, the film was directed by Saket Chaudhary and produced by Pritish Nandy.

In 2015, Farhan was seen in his sister Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do in which he co-starred with actors Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma. The film was a smash hit at the box office.

Farhan has also been associated with the small screen as he hosted a talk show called Oye! Its Friday.

He launched a social campaign, MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination) in 2012, which looks into protection of women rights.

The multi talented Farhan is the brand ambassador of many leading brands including Hindustan Unilever, United Spirits and Titan.

We wish him a very happy birthday and a wonderful year ahead.