Farhan Akhtar was born on 09 Jan 1974 to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani in Mumbai. He is the grandson of renowned Urdu poet Jan Nisar Akhtar and great-grandson of poet Muztar Khairabadi. Shabana Azmi is his stepmother. His sister is writer-director Zoya Akhtar. He is also the cousin of Farah Khan and Sajid Khan. He did his schooling from Maneckji Cooper school in Mumbai and went on to study for a law degree from the HR College, also in Mumbai. He married Adhuna Bhabani (Hairstylist) in 2000 and got separated on 21 January 2016. The couple has two daughters named Shakya and Akira.
He began his career in Bollywood by working as an assistant director in Lamhe (1991). He made his writing and directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film Dil Chahta Hai (2001), produced by Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., a production company he established along with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999. The film also won a National award. He made Hollywood debut through the soundtrack of Bride and Prejudice (2004), for which he wrote the lyrics. In 2008, Akhtar made his acting and singing debut in a musical film titled Rock On!!
He launched social campaign Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD). He was the highest paid director of the world in the year 2015.