Multi-faceted Farhan Akhtar is known for choosing films with elements of surprise. And keeping that streak intact, in his next — Toofan — the actor tackles the role of a boxer for which he has prepped hard. Farhan has completely metamorphosed as a boxer for the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film, and the images that he is sharing on social media bears testimony to the hard work and dedication that the 45-year-old actor has put in to build the physique.
The script of a film should move him as an actor, feels Farhan. “Putting this level of effort is only possible, if the story motivates you to give your best. At the end of the day, we’re not making a film to showcase a great physique, but to emotionally engage the audience with the journey of the character. To make that experience believable, all efforts are worth it,” he says.
Farhan has worked hard to ace the look of a professional boxer. However, he has also essayed the role of another sportsperson, sprinter Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). So, how was the prepping different this time? “Running and boxing are two extremely different disciplines that bring their own set of challenges,” he explains.
The actor always sports a unique look in each of his films — be it Rock On (2008), Luck by Chance (2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Lucknow Central (2017) or last year’s The Sky is Pink. And now even the audience has begun to expect that from him. “It’s strange, but as an actor, you want the audience to have expectations from you, and yet one must try and find a way to surprise them. I feel grateful for all the love and support that I’ve received over the years. It gives me the courage and confidence to follow my heart,” he shares.
Going by his filmography, Farhan has clearly managed to maintain a variety. When asked if it is by plan or luck, the actor says, “The kind of stories you are drawn towards are the stories that somehow find their way to you. There is some kind of serendipity in how this happens.”
Toofan is Farhan’s second collaboration with director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra after the hit sports biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). “Toofan is a story that will move and motivate all of us. It’s so much fun to collaborate with Farhan yet again. He does not act the part, but becomes one. I can’t wait to share the film with the audience,” says Mehra.
