There is never a dull moment for Farah Khan. She knows her craft well and has always been the one to explore and experiment to give her audiences total ‘paisa vasool’ entertainment. Without losing her grip on the content, she has given the audience delectable, larger-than-life cinema that has songs, dance and emotions in generous proportions. She hosts Flipkart Video Original’s new quiz show Backbenchers that has managed to hit all the right notes.
“I was a bit tired of television, because the hours are really long and I have done enough. So, when I was approached for Backbenchers, I was pretty excited. It’s something I totally love and it’s on an app which I found really exciting. And I was the first to start a reality show in India with Indian Idol. So it feels really nice to be a groundbreaker,” Farah explains. “The app has about 150 million subscribers and it’s the first time they have put a show on their app and now they’re planning season 2. It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s educational and something even my kids would enjoy watching,” she adds.
OF MOVIES
Today, there is a surge in the number of films that reinforce a sense of patriotism. On the other hand, there was a Main Hoon Na, her first directorial debut, which was an out and out entertainer and yet spoke of a Project Milaap and had subtle undertones of the Indo-Pak conflict. Farah lights up at its mention, “See the kind of influence that movies hold. It’s been 15 years since Main Hoon Na and since then I am preaching Indo-Pak peace, Project Milaap… A movie does not have to be necessarily preachy just so that it delivers a strong message.”
So is a sequel in the offing, we ask. She’s quick to reply, “I wish it was. I had an idea but SRK hasn’t responded yet. Though I haven’t narrated a script to him. I just told him it’s a great idea. The same people with a new storyline. See, sometimes actors don’t like to do the same thing again.”
Her equation with friends like Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan has evolved over the years. “I’m going to be for them forever. We started our careers around the same time. It’s just that we don’t meet that often now. All of us have kids and I rarely ever socialise after 8 o’clock and avoid going for screenings or parties at night. I’d rather be at home with my kids,” she explains. She recently shot a song Tip Tip Barsa Paani for Sooryavanshi, starring Akshay and Katrina.
Her latest outing is a musical actioner with Rohit Shetty. Speculation has been rife about who they would be casting. “All that Rohit and I gave out was that we’re coming together and he wanted me to direct a film under his banner. That was the only official announcement that came out. After that the press only decided what we are making, who we are taking, how we are making it. Every third day, there was a new girl in the movie. Everyone who came to have lunch at my place was there in the movie,” she laughs.
It’s hard though to draw parallels between her style of filmmaking and the kind of movies Shetty makes. His movies are often very action-oriented while she serves a blend of emotions. Farah is quick to respond. “It’s been a long time since I made a movie and this one’s gonna be really big. Even Rohit says that it’s probably one of the biggest films under his production. It will have a lot of people in the cast ensemble. Plus, I am getting to learn a lot from Rohit. He’s so good with mass connect. Every time I digress, he gives me an idea which I can build upon in my own style. He is fully involved and I’m happy to have a producer who’s actually a creative producer.”
Having worked with someone as accomplished as SRK, we wonder how different it is to direct younger actors. She recently shot a special song for Kartik Aaryan-starrer Pati, Patni Aur Woh. She says with a grin, “When Ananya called me Farah Aunty, I was like I will cut your dance or I will make you dance behind in the last row. But, then they know I am very bindaas and we get along very well. You need to have more patience and teach them a bit but they are good. You just have to keep up with the times — their energy, what they’re thinking; they may not want it to be so filmy, and you may have to tone down that a little and it’s all good.”
Farah has always enjoyed making long films just like old times. Despite the fact that people are now more inclined towards films of shorter durations, she has no regrets about making long, elaborate movies. Herself a good writer, she feels the need to collaborate. “I need to talk about it and take it forward like a conversation,” she says.
THE DIGITAL PLATFORM
With her focus being more on the digital platform, what’s her take on web series, we ask. She smiles and confesses her love for well-made web series. She follows quite a few and it’s the scale and the writing that leaves her awestruck. “Yeah, some of them are really fabulous; Mirzapur is one of the best web series I have seen. The writing, acting, casting, the way it was shot, the twists and turns and the unpredictability, also the shock value of a lot of scenes. And the language which is in context of the area they live in,” she elaborates enthusiastically with that unmistakable glint in her eyes.
Farah however is not ready to make a web series yet given the long commitment it requires. Though she feels it would be cool to make a biopic set in the ’70s. One depicting the rise of Manmohan Desai had also come to mind. In fact, she has been toying with a lot of ideas though nothing concrete yet. The filmmaker however does have a very interesting wish list. “I would love to make an international web series. Also, I want to work with Tom Cruise. Yeah, that’s on my wish list,” she concludes.
