When Saif Ali Khan Had Almost Rejected Dil Chahta Hai But Here’s What Changed His Mind: “I Signed On Just Because Of The Two…”

The 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai remains a landmark film when it comes to the theme of friendship. The Farhan Akhtar directorial starred Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles and still remains etched in the hearts of all the cinema enthusiasts. However, did you know that Saif had almost rejected the film? Yes, you heard that right! The actor had turned down the film initially because he was not convinced about the length of his role.

In an interaction with journalist Nilufer Qureshi in 2001, Saif Ali Khan revealed that he had turned down Dil Chahta Hai at first and that it was only after the reassurances from Dimple Kapadia and Javed Akhtar, that he decided to change his decision. And the rest we know is history! The Kal Ho Na Ho actor said, “I’ve realized that the length of a role isn’t important. I signed on just because of the two scenes in the restaurant and in the car. I knew Sameer wouldn’t be forgotten. I worked very very hard. Though I did expect a response, I didn’t imagine it would be so overwhelming.”

The actor was so delighted about his character Sameer from the film receiving so much love from the masses and the industry fraternity, that he compared it to winning an Oscar. Saif Ali Khan added, “Even co-stars who hadn’t kept in touch have called. It feels good when your work is appreciated.”

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Later, in an interaction with Faye D’souza, Dil Chahta Hai director Farhan Akhtar revealed another interesting anecdote about the casting of the film. He revealed that Akshaye Khanna was initially supposed to play Aamir Khan’s character Akash in the same. However, Akshaye gave up on the role and played Siddharth instead after Aamir had refused to play a more serious character.

Dil Chahta Hai marked the directorial debut of Farhan Akhtar. Apart from Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan, and Akshaye Khanna, it also starred Preity Zinta, Dimple Kapadia and Sonali Kulkarni in the lead roles. The movie was also penned by Akhtar.

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