Akshaye Khanna Slapped Aamir Khan 17 Times During Dil Chahta Hai Shoot, Left His Face ‘Swollen’

Last Updated:September 04, 2026, 14:36 IST

Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir Khan 17 times while shooting Dil Chahta Hai. Farhan Akhtar revealed the real slaps left Aamir’s face swollen.

Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir Khan 17 times while shooting Dil Chahta Hai.

Dil Chahta Hai, one of the most-loved films of Bollywood, recently completed 25 years, and on this special occasion, the cast and makers reunited to share funny and interesting anecdotes from the film’s shooting days. During the chat, the cast of the film recalled the slap scene where Akshaye Khanna slapped Aamir Khan 17 times and revealed that they were actual slaps and, at the end of the shoot, his face was red and swollen.

In a chat shared by Yuvaa, Farhan recalled how Aamir Khan was expecting a slap at the end of the scene, but he made a change at the last minute to get the surprise reaction. Farhan recalled, “I told Akshaye that he is expecting it to happen at the end of this line. Do it while he is saying the line so you get the element of surprise on his face. After that, Aamir said that even when we were doing it in the OTS (over-the-shoulder shot), let him just slap me because he is bringing me into a frame of mind which is really helping me. So then he just insisted on getting slapped.”

Aamir further continued and shared that he believed that a real slap for every shot would have made a difference and said, “But it works. And even his angle, because when you actually slap someone, it makes you feel differently.”

To this, Farhan recalled how Aamir’s face was swollen at the end of the shot and said, “When we were finished, I remember there was a full mark. He was all swollen on one side of his face.”

Why Did Farhan Choose The Slap Scene?

The moment Sid admits he loves Tara, Aakash says something unsavoury about their relationship, and Sid slaps him. But why a slap? Why not more violence? Explaining the scene, Farhan said, “I think between friends, when a friend slaps another friend, it’s a massive happening, so I don’t think you need to push it any further than that. At most, we could have added some digital reverb to make it more dramatic,” and added, “I mean, between friends, a slap is more than enough. It doesn’t need to be more.”

About Dil Chahta Hai

Released in 2001, Dil Chahta Hai marked Farhan Akhtar’s debut as a director. The film followed three close friends, Aamir Khan’s Akash Malhotra, Saif Ali Khan’s Sameer Mulchandani and Akshaye Khanna’s Siddharth “Sid” Sinha, as they navigated adulthood, love and the evolving nature of their friendship. Their Goa trip became a pivotal chapter in the story, as the three began to find themselves on different paths.