Speaking to The Juggernaut, Akhtar recalls, "Casting Aamir Khan wasn't an easy task. Everyone said, 'I don't want to do a multi-hero film' ... At the time, everyone wanted to do a love triangle."
The filmmaker stated that he was determined not to fall back on the familiar trope of pitting friends against each other for a woman because friendship itself was always meant to be the emotional anchor of the film. "For me, the core of the film was about friendship and I wouldn't have two guys fighting over a girl."
Akhtar also revealed how difficult it was to bring Aamir Khan on board. Despite Farhan’s father, Javed Akhtar, having worked with the superstar on ‘Lagaan’, being a first-time director, he preferred not to seek an introduction, rather waiting patiently for months to narrate the script. "I didn't ask for any special introduction. I kept knocking on doors and waited eight months before Aamir agreed to hear the full script," Akhtar added that the actor later told him he was glad he fought so hard because it showed how much he wanted him for the role.
Released in 2001, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ went on to redefine friendship in mainstream Hindi cinema, giving the generations something to call their own. But as Akhtar's recollections show, convincing the industry that three friends could carry a film was the first hurdle he had to overcome.
