Director Farhan Akhtar candidly opened up about the “stressful period” of waiting for the stalled Jee Le Zaraa, admitting he rejected two years of acting roles and battled personal insecurities about his directorial skills after a 12-year gap.
November 22, 2025: Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has revealed the surprising personal and professional toll taken by the indefinite delay of his highly anticipated directorial venture, Jee Le Zaraa, which stars Bollywood’s top trio: Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif.
In a recent interview, Akhtar confessed that the prolonged scheduling conflicts—widely reported as the primary reason for the film’s postponement—created a deeply “stressful period” for him, leading to self-doubt about his abilities as a director.
Two Years of Opportunities Lost
Akhtar, whose last directorial feature was Don 2 in 2011, had cleared his calendar immediately after the release of his acting project, Toofan, in 2021, to focus solely on Jee Le Zaraa.
“It just kept getting delayed, and for those two years, I kept saying no to all other opportunities that came my way,” Farhan explained. “I did that because when you have to direct, you can only focus on that. If an acting role came, I told them, ‘No, I am soon going to be directing.’”
He added, “It was such a stressful period because I thought that I was wasting time, and before I knew it, two and a half years had gone by.”
A Battle with Insecurity
The inability to get the road trip film off the ground despite its stellar cast and finalized script began to erode the filmmaker’s confidence, triggering professional insecurities.
“There are some personal insecurities as well,” Akhtar admitted. “I started feeling that maybe people will think that I wouldn’t be able to direct. It had been 12 years since I had directed a film, and maybe people would doubt my skills.”
Akhtar credited therapy with helping him understand the source of this anxiety, which stemmed from his reluctance to abandon the project.
Current Status
While Jee Le Zaraa is co-written by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti and has reportedly completed location scouting and music recording, it remains on the back burner. Farhan is now focusing on other ventures, including the recent release of his military drama, 120 Bahadur, and his next confirmed directorial project, Don 3, set to star Ranveer Singh and begin production next year.
Meanwhile, 120 Bahadur, in which Farhan stars as Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, is currently in theaters, having earned ₹2.35 crore on its opening day.