Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan recently opened up about launching Deepika Padukone in Om Shanti Om. Farah said she could afford to launch Deepika because she already had Shah Rukh Khan as the male lead in the film.
Farah was in conversation with casting director Mukesh Chhabra on Mashable India’s show The Bombay Dream.
When Mukesh told Farah Khan that she has also launched newcomers like Deepika Padukone, Farah said, “To launch a hero is on another level because who will give you the money? I launched her because Shah Rukh Khan was there. So, I could take that risk.”
Farah, who started out as a choreographer in Bollywood, also imparted wisdom on the mindset that an aspiring actor needs to have when they try their luck in Bollywood.
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“Your mindset has to be very strong in the sense that you have to face rejection every day. So you need to have really thick skin and your belief in yourself has to be next level,” said Farah.
The choreographer-filmmaker further noted that it is important to be self-aware and alert at all times. Farah gave her example and said that she observed choreographer Saroj Khan when she would choreograph actors in films.
Farah Khan said, “It’s important to be self-aware. When you go out, you need to see who your competition is. Then you will be able to understand that there are better people here or ‘I can do better than them’. When I was an assistant in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Saroj ji had come for ‘Pehla Nasha’. I used to give clap, watching her work. I was self-aware that I could do it and this song I can do better because I won’t do it in a filmy way. I will do it in a new way.”
She added, “You can get a break any time, but are you prepared for that break or not? I feel everyone says you wait for the right role. I feel those days are gone. You have to keep acting. You take whatever you get, be it small or big. No one is going to give you a launch unless you are a big star’s son. Sorry to say, but that is the truth.”
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