Ayub Khan Recalls Dil Chahta Hai: Farhan Akhtar’s Ego-Free Sets, Preity Zinta and a Memorable First-Day Anecdote Ayub Khan takes a trip down memory lane to the making of Dil Chahta Hai, remembering Preity Zinta as a chilled-out co-star and Farhan Akhtar as a director who put human emotions and creative truth ahead of commercial formulas. He also shares a hilarious anecdote involving Niharika Khan’s pregnancy that made his very first day on the sets unexpectedly eventful.
How was it working with Preity Zinta in Dil Chahta Hai?
Very chilled-out person, absolutely no hang-ups and has a great sense of humour.
Farhan as a director, and trivia about Dil Chahta Hai.
Farhan, as a director, completely prioritised real human emotions and truths and didn’t shy away from experimental narratives over guaranteed box-office clichés and the kind of masala storytelling in Dil Chahta Hai.
His pragmatic approach to his work and crew was something that one hadn’t experienced as a commercial film actor, and so I had to deconstruct my mental approach to his approach as a filmmaker.
The great part was that Farhan kept ego out, not only on the sets, but one saw that emanating from the editing room too.
Nothing was sacrificed for the sake of commercial viability.
It was truly a collaborative environment.
At the time of the making of Dil Chahta Hai, though Farhan and his team weren’t acclaimed filmmakers or super popular, their legacy and influence grew with every passing moment on the sets with their modern and pathbreaking approach.
Any trivia from the sets of Dil Chahta Hai?
The best anecdote I can remember was reporting on the sets for the film on the very first day, only to be told I’d have to exit the sets as Niharika had gone into labour.
Something Farhan had jokingly commented before going onto the sets was to please not cancel the schedule due to the pregnancy, as the dates of the delivery and the shoot were similar when the schedule was being planned.
