Fifteen years after Don 2, Farhan Akhtar has confirmed that he still intends to return to the director’s chair. The filmmaker, who made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 and followed it with Lakshya, Don: The Chase Begins Again and Don 2, has spent the past decade-and-a-half exploring acting, singing and producing. But, as he marks 25 years of his landmark debut, Akhtar says direction remains firmly on his agenda.
“I intend to direct soon. When the time is right, we will talk about it,” Akhtar told. His return to direction has been a long-gestating one. Akhtar had announced Jee Le Zaraa in 2021, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif, but the road-trip film has remained on the back burner amid scheduling and logistical challenges. He had previously maintained that he did not consider the film shelved, even as its original casting and timeline have remained uncertain.
Don 3, meanwhile, was expected to mark his return behind the camera. The film, announced in 2023 with Ranveer Singh stepping into the role previously played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, hit a major roadblock after Singh's exit. The fallout subsequently escalated into an industry dispute, with the matter being taken up by film bodies.
Yet Akhtar's latest comments suggest he has not moved away from filmmaking. In fact, he says the urge to direct continues to come from the same instinct that drove him towards Dil Chahta Hai in the first place, finding a story that excites him.
Speaking about whether he has consciously chosen different kinds of stories over the years, Akhtar told The Indian Express, “To a certain extent, yes. It stems more from what I find exciting. It’s not that I don’t want to make another film that would be about friendship or the army. In fact, I acted in 120 Bahadur (2025), that’s about the army.”
His career since Don 2 has taken him considerably further away from the director's chair. He made his acting debut with Rock On!! in 2008, followed it with films such as Luck By Chance, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and has continued to act while also producing projects through Excel Entertainment. He has also expanded into music and live performance, using music as a means to engage with young audiences on issues including gender equality.
But direction remains the role that established his identity in Hindi cinema. Dil Chahta Hai was followed by Lakshya in 2004 and the two-part Don franchise, with Don 2 releasing in 2011. His filmmaking hiatus has now stretched to 15 years.
Interestingly, Akhtar's latest confirmation comes after he was asked about Saif Ali Khan's observation that he was “born to direct”. Rather than taking it as a straightforward compliment, Akhtar joked about what his longtime friend may actually have meant. “That’s a sweet way of telling me: ‘Stop acting’,” he told The Indian Express, laughing.
For now, he isn't revealing which project will finally take him back behind the camera. But after years of waiting, Akhtar has made one thing clear - the director in him isn't done yet.
