How Farah Khan didn’t let box-office flops pull her down – the inside story of the crowd-favourite choreographer-turned-director
She makes the who’s who of Bollywood dance to her tunes both as a choreographer and a director, and more impressively, as a friend. Safe to say Farah Khan has been living her dream ever since she came to Bollywood. An ardent fan of Gene Kelly and ’70s Bollywood, and a five-time winner of Filmfare award for best choreography, Khan has now completed 23 years in the industry, and has quite the story to tell.
Directing her first movie, Main Hoon Na, was not easy. There were naysayers but Farah went ahead with it, with her characteristic boldness, and what a success that turned out to be. “When I wanted to direct a film, I was expressly told not to. People who wanted me to work with them asked me why I would want to make films when I was doing so well in choreography. That was not advice that I bothered with,” she says.
Since then, there has been no looking back for this star director. She is now a mother of three, and manages her personal and professional lives enviously well. There is, however, one piece of advice that Khan did take seriously. Her husband, film editor Shirish Kunder, advised her to start her own production house. Three’s Company was founded in 2010, named after her triplets — Czar, Anya and Diva. It can get hectic. Has she ever wanted to throw in the towel? “I don’t really give up, but one does need to take a break. Sometimes, maybe standing still and introspecting about what went wrong in a particular situation is required,” says Khan.