Dil Chahta Hai

About the film

Dil Chahta Hai (transl. The Heart Desires) is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language coming of age comedy drama film written and directed by Farhan Akhtar in his directorial debut, and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani under the newly formed Excel Entertainment banner. The film stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna as three inseparable college friends navigating adulthood, relationships, and diverging life paths. It also features Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia in pivotal supporting roles. Set in contemporary urban India, the film explores themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery among upper-class youth.

Akhtar wrote the film based on personal diaries detailing his experiences travelling to different cities, with inputs on the story from creative associate Kassim Jagmagia. Shot on location in India and Australia, Dil Chahta Hai was one of the first Hindi films to use sync sound. Cinematography was handled by Ravi K. Chandran, with sound design by Nakul Kamte and H. Sridhar. The music was composed by the trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

Plot

Sameer is a hopeless romantic, who struggles with a domineering girlfriend, Priya. His friend, Akash, engineers their breakup, and then whisks Sameer away on a road-trip to Goa with another friend, Sid. They run into Akash's 'two-week' ex-lover, Deepa, who refuses to let go. Akash keeps her at bay, and Deepa finally decides to move on from him after an encouraging chat with Sid by the beach. Sameer stays back alone in Goa, hoping to finally hook up with his new girlfriend, Christine, of Swiss-origin. After Akash and Sid depart, Sameer is alone with Christine in his hotel room, where she robs him with the help of a local. Sameer returns to Mumbai in a truck, and vows to stay away from women. His parents, however, want him to meet Pooja - a family friend's daughter - for a potential arranged marriage.

Sid helps new neighbour, Tara, move into a house next-door. Despite her being older, Sid becomes smitten with her. He discusses his feelings with Akash and Sameer, who immediately taunt him. Akash mockingly suggests Sid wants an older woman because of her (sexual) 'experience', causing Sid to slap him. The friends go their separate ways, and Akash soon leaves for Sydney after his parents insist he learn about the family's vast offshore business. In Mumbai, Sid leaves town after an argument with Tara ends badly. Left to himself, Sameer befriends Pooja, despite her being with boyfriend, Subodh, a strict disciplinarian. Sameer finds Subodh's inflexibility tiresome, and is delighted when Pooja breaks up with him. He and Pooja start going out soon after.

In Sydney, Akash has grown fond of Shalini, the fiancée of his college batchmate, Rohit. Shalini and Akash go sightseeing together, and Akash is forlorn when Rohit escorts Shalini back for their wedding. Alone, Akash mistakenly dials Sid's house, hoping to chat with Sameer. Feeling lost, he finally returns home, where he proposes to Shalini. Shalini ditches her wedding with Rohit, as she wishes to be with Akash too. Sid is forced to rush Tara to a hospital, after she develops liver cirrhosis from a dependence on alcohol. Sid waits at the hospital, inviting Sameer over for company. Akash drops by in the morning, and the three friends are reunited. Tara soon dies in the hospital, with only Sid by her side. A few months later, Sid is in Goa, where he meets a woman at a picnic spot. He smiles to approach her, and is later seen enjoying dinner with her, along with Akash, Sameer, and their respective partners.

Production

Dil Chahta Hai originated from Farhan Akhtar's personal experiences and observations during his travels to Goa and a six-week stay in New York City in 1996. Initially conceptualized as a romantic narrative focusing on the characters Akash and Shalini, Akhtar found the story lacking in excitement and depth. Encouraged by his parents, Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, who appreciated the concept but suggested enhancements, he expanded the narrative to include the dynamics among three friends, thereby shifting the focus to themes of friendship and personal growth.

While co-directing music videos for Shankar Mahadevan's album Breathless alongside his sister Zoya Akhtar in 1998, Farhan began scripting the film under the working title Hum Teen. The script, reflecting his own friendships and concerns, was initially penned in English and later translated into Hindi over two months. The project marked the cinematic debut of both Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani under their newly formed banner, Excel Entertainment. Kassim Jagmagia, a friend of Akhtar's, contributed to the story and joined the team as a creative associate.

The casting process underwent several iterations. Farhan Akhtar initially approached Akshaye Khanna for the role of Akash Malhotra. However, upon Aamir Khan's interest in portraying Akash instead of the more reserved Siddharth "Sid" Sinha, Khanna agreed to switch roles, taking on the character of Sid.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack and background score of Dil Chahta Hai were composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, after A. R. Rahman declined the offer due to date issues. The lyrics were penned by Javed Akhtar. The vocals were performed by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Caralisa Monteiro, Srinivas, Shaan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Mahadevan, Clinton Cerejo, KK, Harvey, and Sonu Nigam. Noorani stated that the trio went to Khandala along with Farhan Akhtar, Javed Akhtar, and Sidhwani to compose six songs from a total of nine for the film in three-and-a-half days. Mendonsa described the experience as 35% of work and 65% fun and added that they had a "fantastic time". After staying in Khandala, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy subsequently booked a studio to finish the recording in three weeks.

Key details