Akhtar directed his first film, "Dil Chahta Hai" (2001) and received critical acclaim for portraying modern youth in the film, which won the National Award for Best Hindi Film the next year. Following this success, he directed the cult war film "Lakshya" (2004) and had his Hollywood debut through the soundtrack of "Bride and Prejudice" (2004), for which he and sister Zoya Akhtar served as lyricists. Next came the commercial successful "Don" (2006), his third directorial venture, post which he directed a short film titled "Positive" (2007) to spread awareness on HIV-AIDS.