Farhan Akhtar is among a bunch of rare Bollywood stars who have broken the stereotype of a ‘hero’. For the roles that he played on screen, Farhan has time and again picked characters that are real, relatable and come across as vulnerable. On his 49th birthday, we revisit five roles by Farhan Akhtar that have him as a sensitive man coming to terms with his insecurities.

Sunny in Dil Dhadakne Do: The guy who has your back

A fun guy who’s great to be around, is a loyal friend, calls out sexism, holds his head high and still has a thing for his first love – no wonder Farhan’s Sunny in Zoya Akhtar’s 2015 film Dil Dhadakne Do is the dream man of many. The slow burn between Sunny and Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) is the brightest part of this ensemble film set on a cruise ship packed with family members and friends of the wealthy businessman Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor). And Farhan’s quiet chemistry with Priyanka did full justice to this romantic track.

Imran in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: The livewire buddy

In Zoya Akhtar’s 2011 road movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Farhan had the goofiest role among the trio of childhood best friends (the other two were played by Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol). Imran Qureshi, played by Farhan, is a bundle of contradictions but that is not apparent to those who know him as wacky and impulsive. Imran hides a part of himself behind the veil of a happy-go-lucky person, and Farhan struck a fine balance between the character’s joie-de-vivre and the piercing intensity of his pain and his search for the father who had abandoned him.

Niren in The Sky is Pink: The doting dad

Farhan reunited with Priyanka Chopra as a couple in Shonali Bose’s 2019 film The Sky is Pink, which tells the story of a terminally-ill teenager Aisha (Zaira Wasim) who wants to enjoy every moment of her life. The grief-stricken parents deal with the inevitability of their daughter’s death by putting on a brave face and joining in her celebrations. As Niren, a doting husband and a supportive father, Farhan kept it real and stripped his performance of any melodrama.

Siddharth in Shaadi Ke Side Effects: The confused husband

In Saket Chaudhary’s 2014 film Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Farhan teamed up with Vidya Balan to give us a couple that felt straight out of real life. Farhan’s Siddharth Roy is happily married to Trisha (Vidya Balan) until they have a baby and their conjugal life goes for a toss. Feeling neglected by Trisha, Siddharth begins to lead a double life on the advice of his brother-in-law (Ram Kapoor), bringing their marriage to the brink of collapse. With his impeccable comic timing, Farhan made this character of a frustrated and confused husband believable and heartfelt.