For Farah Khan it was Like Deepika Padukone’s Hema Malini ‘Old world charm and chivalry’ which saw her cast in her debut film Om Shanti Om. Today marks 14 years for the 2007 blockbuster film. On this occasion, we revisit the Shah Rukh Khan starrer reincarnation drama and the various stories behind its making.
Farah spoke to Film Companion about being pregnant during the final schedule of Om Shanti Om in 2017. Interestingly, he said that he had a memorable time shooting for the song “Dard-E-Disco”, which saw Shahrukh Sporting six-pack abs for the first time. “I got pregnant at the end of the shoot of Om Shanti Om and we were still to shoot for Dard-e-Disco. So every time Shah Rukh took off his shirt, I would throw it in the bucket kept on the sets! I had to reassure her that it wasn’t her body’s reaction, which was looking fabulous!” she said.
Shah Rukh Khan made his first six-pack abs in Om Shanti Om’s song “Dard-E-Disco”. (Photo: Red Chillies Entertainment)
Om Shanti Om choreographer turned director Farah Khan |Love letter to Bollywood. This is the project he claims he wrote the fastest as the story came from his admiration for Hindi films. even the opponent Arjun RampaliThis look had inputs from Shahrukh. According to Farah, “The mustache that Arjun has sported in the film was Shah Rukh’s idea. I liked it because I thought he looked like Vinod Khanna!”
Om Shanti Om was hailed as a one-of-a-kind project featuring a cameo by 31 Bollywood stars in the song “Deewangi”. This song includes stars like Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, KajolRani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Preeti Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and many others.
Stars of the past like Rekha also brought ‘crazy’ Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, Jeetendra and Mithun Chakraborty Together. Probably the only A-list actor missing Aamir Khan. Farah revealed in the same interview why she could not join the shoot.
“I really wanted to bring Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh together in the song ‘Deewangi’. But Aamir was editing Taare Zameen Par at that time and he said if he would come for an hour’s shoot, he would do his film. It’ll be three months late! Later he told me he didn’t want to come now,” said Farah with a laugh.
Om Shanti Om released in one of the biggest Diwali clashes ever with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. Saawariya introduces two star kids – Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Farah said that if the clash had not happened, “we would have been the first film in the history of Bollywood to earn Rs 100 crore!”
.