‘Dil Chahta Hai’ at 25: How Farhan Akhtar’s breezy style created a new Bollywood coolth

In 2001, three friends forged a new on-screen connection. Juggling across glittery nightlife, bantering through leisurely afternoons, and casually road-tripping to Goa on a whim, Akash, Siddharth, and Sameer liberated Bollywood friendships from the sacrificial, brotherly depictions of the preceding generation, making way for a breezy coolth that splintered harmoniously into its design. The filmmaking relied less on aesthetic excess and more on nurturing likeability towards the three by placing them in mindfully created spaces and giving them clothes that reflected their inner lives without making a fashion statement. The effect was disarmingly gleeful. It represented the urban aspirations of being young at the turn of the century by creating a style that was as easygoing as it was vibrant.