Triple treat!!!

 

 

Being a gifted choreographer who has made almost everybody in Bollywood dance to her moves, did it ever occur to you to make a movie about a dancer?

Any choreographer can make a story on a dancer. I have tried to make a grand musical though, with Om Shanti Om (OSO). I think it would have been very cliched had I made a movie on a dancer.

Om Shanti Om revolves around the concept of ‘reincarnation’. What was the inspiration behind this idea.

Three years ago, I was doing a show in London called Bombay Dreams. There I thought that something similar in India wouldn’t work because here, slum dwellers don’t become superstars. The concept wouldn’t work unless they are reincarnated and then become stars... the idea just clicked! I penned it down and thought it would be a good story for a movie.

While SRK is a definite pick for your movies, what made you choose Deepika Padukone? What makes you try out fresh actors? How well do you feel Deepika will be accepted by the audiences?

I go by what the script demands. I keep hearing that I shouldn’t take risks with newcomers but with Shahrukh, I feel the movie is safe. A fresh face opposite Shahrukh makes the movie look different. And I believe Deepika will be a huge star one day. She is a confident newcomer and blends well with the character. The movie gets fresh energy because of a new face. You will also see Shreyas in this movie.

So should we always expect Shahrukh to be a part of Farah’s movies?

I hope and wish that he likes and is a part of all my movies in the future. We end up liking the same movies because our bent of mind is the same. And we have a wonderful time working with each other. So I don’t see myself experimenting with other people and replacing Shahrukh. When you have the best then why go looking for anything else? Om Shanti Om has 42 guest appearances. How did you manage to gather almost all of Bollywood and then handle all of them?

I think Shahrukh and I have a lot of goodwill and good friends in the industry. I just had to call them up or meet them once and they all happily became a part of the movie. There weren’t any ego issues on the sets because they all knew that they will be on the screen for about 30 seconds only.

What makes Farah Khan different from any other female filmmaker? Did you ever doubt your abilities in this male dominated industry?

Once I’m on the sets, I don’t think anyone doubts whether I can or can’t do anything. Not my crew, not the people I work with, not the actors and especially not the distributors who are willing to pay a huge sum for OSO. They saw Main Hoon Na (MHN) and they saw the kind of returns the movie got for them.

You were not an established director during the making of MHN. Did you face any sexism, especially from the other directors?

I don’t need to deal with them so how do I care about what they think! The people who are going to watch the movie and who invest in the movie, are what affect me. I don’t think anyone doubted me even before MHN. I had worked in the industry for 10 years with all the top directors so they all knew my capabilities.

You have been a choreographer and now a director. Which one of the two roles do you enjoy more? I definitely enjoy directing much more. I don’t think I am going to enjoy choreography anymore. Especially choreographing a song that is someone else’s concept and someone else’s music. Now I am used to having everything exactly the way I want it. So choreography is out and I will only be directing movies now.

You trained the Latin sensation Shakira for a Bollywood version of Hips don’t lie. How was the experience?

That was something I loved doing because I got to do something different and new. I learnt a lot of new things during that trip. Making Shakira dance was a great experience because it was the first time that an Indian choreographer was doing something for the American MTV awards. It was a very prestigious platform. Shakira is the best dancer in the world right now and she was absolutely lovely to work with.

Known to be upfront and brutally honest, have you ever rubbed people the wrong way?

I don’t think so. I am honest but I try to be subtle. If people fail to handle the truth and my humour then it’s their problem. I’m quite tactful with actors and actresses too... with this movie I’ve become even better at that.

We’ve heard that you are soon going to become a mother of three little ones. How much do you feel your life, especially your career, will change after you have children?

I think that’s the most exciting thing happening in my life right now. I’m looking forward to it much more than anything I’ve waited for ever before. I am just keeping my fingers crossed and desperately waiting for them. Children definitely bring about a change in one’s life and career. I plan to take a break for a year after which I will come back and make more movies. Movies are the only thing that I can think of doing. Also, I don’t think my kids will want me hanging around with them all the time!