India, Nov. 10 -- Farhan Akhtar may be one of the most accomplished names in Bollywood today - actor, writer, director, producer - but long before Dil Chahta Hai or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, he was a nervous 17-year-old learning the ropes on film sets. During a recent conversation on Aap Ki Adalat, the 120 Bahadur actor shared a story that could have ended his career before it ever started - involving the legendary Sridevi.

The incident happened on the sets of Yash Chopra's Lamhe, where Farhan was working as an assistant to cinematographer Manmohan Singh. "I was Man Ji's seventh or eighth assistant," he recalled. "It was a passionate dance sequence choreographed by Saroj Ji. While Sridevi was rehearsing, Manmohan Singh noticed a stain on...