Sometimes it’s not what you say but when you say it and that’s exactly what happened with Farhan Akhtar at the Monsoon Film Festival. While sharing an old story from his directorial debut, one throwaway line ended up sparking a whole new conversation online, with fans convinced he was subtly referencing his recent fallout with Ranveer Singh over Don 3.
Farhan Akhtar was reminiscing about the making of Dil Chahta Hai, revealing that Saif Ali Khan almost dropped out of the film just days before shooting began. According to Farhan, Saif ran into a scheduling clash after another project’s dates shifted, leaving him caught between two commitments. With the sets already built and pre-production wrapped, Farhan admitted the thought of losing Saif at that stage left him completely rattled.
He described feeling like there was no one else who could have played that role, calling the entire situation genuinely stressful. What really caught people’s attention, though, was a small aside Farhan added while telling the story, that this kind of last-minute exit “seems to be a pattern nowadays,” and that it wasn’t something that had happened to him only.
The comment got a laugh from the interviewer and Farhan simply shrugged it off, saying these things do happen sometimes.
Why is this comment being read as a dig at Ranveer Singh?
The timing is what’s fuelling the speculation. Ranveer Singh was announced as the lead of Don 3 back in 2023 but he later exited the project following reported delays and scheduling conflicts. What followed wasn’t a quiet parting of ways, it turned into a public dispute between Ranveer and Farhan’s production house, Excel Entertainment, with the matter even reaching the Federation of Western India Cine Employees.
Farhan Akhtar never mentioned Ranveer Singh or Don 3 by name during this conversation. But given everything that’s happened recently, his passing remark about exits becoming “a pattern” has been enough for fans to connect the dots.
Returning to the Dil Chahta Hai memory, Farhan shared that Aamir Khan and others tried convincing Saif to stay on but he was under a lot of pressure at the time. It was Aamir who eventually turned to Farhan and pointed out that there simply wasn’t enough time to cast someone new, the sets were ready, pre-production was done and everyone was set to shoot. So if Saif couldn’t do it, Farhan would have to step in himself.
Farhan recalled being stunned by the suggestion but said it pushed him to try even harder to convince Saif to stay. In the end, things worked out and Saif remained part of the film, something Farhan said he’s endlessly grateful for, even now.
Reflecting on the experience, Farhan added that he genuinely believes films have a kind of destiny tied to the actors who end up playing certain roles, as if a script carries its own energy and it eventually finds the person who matches that frequency.
Was Farhan Akhtar taking a dig at Ranveer Singh with his comment? What do you think?
