Seeing the world through women’s eyes is important: Farhan Akhtar

For an industry that has explored diverse genres, Bollywood has only had a handful of films based on female friendship. Farhan Akhtar states that ‘Jee Le Zaraa’, written by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and him, is his attempt to see the world through the gaze of women, reports Bollywood Hungama.

He said, “Whether it’s a drama, comedy or thriller, there should be films made about women. That balance is healthy for the creative world. Where you have the male point of view, you also have the female point of view on things. Emotionally, the construct of the two is similar on a certain plane yet different. To see the world through women’s eyes is important in popular culture. The more we embrace it, the healthier it will be for society.”

Akhtar said that juggling his acting, music and directorial career is not easy for him and that he hopes to take the road-trip movie, slated for a 2023 release, on the floors next year.

“The plan is to get into production in the latter part of next year. I am overjoyed at the response to the announcement. It goes to show that there is space for stories about girls going out and doing their thing,” he added.

Shooting in the post-pandemic world will be a novel experience for him, believes the director-actor. While he is glad that the wheels of the entertainment industry are turning again, Akhtar believes the emotional repercussions of the pandemic will be understood at a later stage.

In August, on the twentieth anniversary of ‘Dil Chahta Hai (2001)’, Akhtar introduced that he’ll return to the director’s chair with ‘Jee Le Zaraa’, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.

The film is produced by Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby, who have also produced films like ‘Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Gully Boy’.

Farhan Akhtar made his directorial debut 20 years ago with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, starring Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan. Akhtar has directed ‘Lakshya’ (2004), ‘Don’ (2006) and ‘Don 2’ (2011), but has chosen to focus on acting in recent years. He most recently starred in the boxing drama ‘Toofan’, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.