- Farah Khan never dared to scold Amitabh Bachchan on set
- Shah Rukh Khan encouraged Farah to shout at him during shoots
- Farah choreographed songs in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham including Say Shava Shava
There are actors, and then there are Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. The names have long stood in a league of their own. Their screen presence is undeniable. What is equally intimidating is their sheer command over a set, the way they carry themselves and the respect they command from everyone around them.
Even among Bollywood's biggest stars, the equation can be different depending on who is standing opposite them. Farah Khan recently talked about her working relationships with both Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
Farah revealed that while she could freely shout at Shah Rukh Khan on set, she never dared to scold Amitabh. She shared the anecdotes on Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi's talk show Double Date. She was joined by tennis star Sania Mirza.
Farah said that she had always been comfortable calling out actors when they did not follow her instructions, but Big B was different. “The only person I never had the courage to scold was Amit ji,” she recalled.
Her contrasting experience with Shah Rukh Khan came during the making of Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Farah choreographed several songs for the 2001 film, including the popular track Say Shava Shava, which featured Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji.
According to Farah, Shah Rukh himself encouraged her to shout at him if he made a mistake. He wanted the entire crew to see that even a superstar was not exempt from her instructions.
Shah Rukh Khan Told Farah Khan To Shout At Him
Recalling the incident, Farah said Shah Rukh approached her and told her to treat him like everyone else.
“Shah Rukh was very sweet. He came to me and said, ‘What you do is, you shout at me. Whatever you have to say, just shout at me. Then everybody will get the message that if you can shout at Shah Rukh too, you must be mad,'” she said.
Recalling the moment when Shah Rukh Khan changed her choreography, Farah said, “SRK, how dare you change the step? Just do whatever I taught you.”
Farah clarified that she did not actually need to scold Shah Rukh very often. She described him as one of the sweetest, nicest and hardest-working actors she had worked with.
She also recalled that Shah Rukh would often joke about her approach to filmmaking.
Farah's long-standing friendship with Shah Rukh goes back to Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa in 1994, where she worked as a choreographer. She later made her directorial debut with Shah Rukh in Main Hoon Na in 2004, followed by Om Shanti Om and Happy New Year.
Shah Rukh Khan will be next seen in King. The film also features his daughter Suhana and Deepika Padukone.