Farhan Akhtar is a Hindi film star who has earned accolades for his work as an actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and playback singer. He was born in Mumbai, India, on January 9, 1974, and raised by award-winning screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. He made his directorial debut with 2001's Dil Chahta Hai, a wildly successful movie that won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. As his career bloomed, Farhan Akhtar began expanding far beyond his work as a director, serving as a lyricist on 2004's Bride and Prejudice and making his Bollywood debut with the music-focused film Rock On!! Released in 2008, Rock On!! marked Akhtar's debut not only as an actor, but also as a playback singer, and he performed six songs on the film's popular soundtrack. The movie jumpstarted his singing career, with Farhan Akhtar going on to serve as a playback singer on 2011's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, 2014's Shaadi Ke Side Effects, 2015's Dil Dhadakne Do, 2016's Wazir, 2016's Rock On 2, and 2018's Bharat Ane Nenu. While continuing to work in the film industry as a director, producer, and actor, he also released a solo album, Echoes, in 2019.