When Farhan Akhtar revealed how he fooled his classmates into believing he went to school in a helicopter

Farhan Akhtar, who turns 48 on Sunday, made several revelations about being a mischievous kid, in an old interview. Farhan had recalled hilarious incidents from school and revealed how he managed to convince his classmates that his mode of transport was a helicopter.

“It was just an overworked creative mind, I guess,” Farhan had told Simi Garewal in a 2013 interview. The show host was curious about the actor-filmmaker’s helicopter story from his school days, when he elaborated on it. Recalling his conversation with his friends, Farhan said: “I was like, ‘How do you come here?’ And they’d be like ‘My mummy sends me by bus.’ And I’d be like ‘What?’ And they’d be like ‘Why? How do you come?’ And I’d be like ‘I come by helicopter and land on the roof. And that’s how I’m here before all of you guys’. And they’ll all go home and cry to their parents and say like ‘He comes by helicopter and we don’t have one’.”

Narrating the incident to Simi, Farhan continued: “So the parents called the school and complained because all the kids were like frying their parents. So I was called to the office and they said ‘Have you been telling kids that you come by helicopter to school?’ And I was like ‘No.’ And they’d be like ‘Don’t lie, you are a liar.’ And I’d be like ‘No, I’m just a fooler.’ Liar was a bit extreme. How could people believe me? I’d be in the bus with them, telling them this. I was pretty criminal back then, actually.”

Sharing more anecdotes from his school days, Farhan added: “I’d keep fainting in school. Whenever I wanted to go home early, I’d just faint. And they’d take me home and I’d open my eyes in the car. So I kept doing stuff like that.”

Also read: Farhan Akhtar performs in Goa, crowd sings along to Dil Chahta Hai title song; fan says ‘still having goosebumps’. Watch

Farhan Akhtar made his directorial debut with the 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai and stepped into the world of acting with the 2008 movie Rock On. He has directed films such as Lakshya and the two Don movies starring Shah Rukh Khan. Farhan has also starred in films helmed by his sister Zoya Akhtar – Dil Dhadakne Do and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Wazir, The Sky Is Pink and Toofaan are also some of his best-known movies.

Farhan’s next directorial project is a film titled Jee Le Zaraa, starring Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra.