Dil Chahta Hai, directed by Farhan Akhtar, starred Sonali Kulkarni, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Aamir Khan. The film redefined urban Hindi cinema with its refreshing take on friendship, relationships, youth, and contemporary storytelling, becoming a generation-defining classic

Dil Chahta Hai, which completed 25 years on Tuesday, continues to hold a special place in Hindi cinema. Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut not only captured the changing aspirations and relationships of urban India but also introduced a new storytelling language that felt fresh, contemporary and different from what audiences were used to at the time. For actress Sonali Kulkarni, who was part of the film, its eventual status as a landmark was something nobody could have predicted while making it.

In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, Sonali revealed her casting in the film came about in an almost filmi manner.

"Someone was carrying my photoshoot pictures and they accidentally fell down. Zoya Akhtar saw them. She had already seen my earlier films that had made to international film festivals, and she said, 'I know Sonali Kulkarni, but does she look this modern, the way she looks in these photos?' She reached out to me for an audition. I went to Excel Entertainment's office, and Zoya and I improvised a scene," the actress said.

"It was such fun. I just count my blessings that I got cast in Dil Chahta Hai when the casting director was Zoya," she recalled.