Farhan Akhtar Recalls Slipping Into Depression After Hrithik Roshan Starrer Lakshya Tanked At The Box-Office

Lakshya, starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the makers released a heartfelt video reflecting on the film’s memorable moments. However, many might not know that the movie did not perform well at the box office. Director Farhan Akhtar confirmed this, revealing that the film’s failure left him in a state of depression, as he hadn’t anticipated such a response.

In a conversation with Raj Shamani, Farhan mentioned that after the success of Dil Chahta Hai, he decided to make Lakshya. He put in a lot of effort but it did not go as it was planned.

Farhan shared, “Bachpan se sunte aa rahe hai dil se mahenat karo toh reward milega. I was convinced that in my entire life, I hadn’t worked so hard the way I did for this film. So when that film was released it didn’t do well. Mein itna depressed hua tha ki yaar kaise ho gaya? Itni mehnat meine ki, Dil Chahta Hai meine hardly mehnat ki thi.”

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He added, “Dil Chahta Hai mein the hard work that I did was to cast the right people. I was so depressed it took me a year and a half to come out of that depression,” he was quoted saying.

Released three years after Farhan Akhtar’s successful directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya carried high expectations. Although it didn’t replicate the success of Dil Chahta Hai, it left a lasting impression as a coming-of-age story set against the fictional backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War.

Featuring Hrithik Roshan in the lead role, the film, released in 2004, has now completed 20 years.

Interestingly, Hrithik Roshan wasn’t Farhan Akhtar’s first choice for the role in Lakshya. The part was initially offered to Arjun Rampal, but due to scheduling conflicts, Hrithik ultimately took on the role.

Despite an impressive cast that included Preity Zinta, Boman Irani, and Amitabh Bachchan, the film only grossed 230 million domestically and was labeled a ‘flop.’ However, over the years, Lakshya has developed a cult following and is highly regarded by Hrithik’s fans.