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Farah Khan raises a toast to new beginnings with her favourite star.
Is Happy New Year the return of Shah Rukh and Farah Khan as friends? Yes, and it couldn't have been a grander comeback. Jai and Viru are back! We both missed each other. The reason our combo works is because he spends too much money without me. I keep him within a budget.
Who came up with the title? My husband (Shirish Kunder) had written a script on the Khandhar hijack titled Happy New Year. I took the title from him.
Were you upset over the failure of Tees Maar Khan? No, I was very happy! (Laughs). Naturally, I was devastated. If you're not bothered about the box-office, you shouldn't be making movies. I was flooded with offers but I refused to sign anything. Instead, I started reworking Happy New Year, which I was supposed to make with SRK after Main Hoon Na.
But you were still not on the best of terms with SRK then? Just as I completed the script, we sorted out the differences. Soon after he called to say, "Make a film with me." I mailed him the script of Happy New Year. After a few days, Gauri (Khan) asked me to fly to London to meet him. We met in his new house and finalised the deal.
Was Gauri there? No, but she was instrumental in our patch-up. My brother (Sajid Khan) had called her and she said I should drop by at their house whenever I want. A few days later, Shirish, Sajid (Nadiadwala) and I went and settled the dispute. After that she came to my new house. She kept the friendship going.
Was Deepika Padukone signed because you needed a star? Deepika came on board three weeks before we were to roll. I'd auditioned 100 girls before her. Then, I felt that a newcomer wouldn't work. I wanted a star who can hold her own against five men.
Isn't HNY a desi Oceans Eleven? Far from it. The genre is the same, but there have been so many films on pulling off a heist.
While SRK and Sonu Sood are flaunting their packs, Abhishek Bachchan is looking scrawny... Abhishek plays a good for nothing drunk, so he doesn't need any packs. Initially, I had only wanted Sonu to reveal his abs but SRK's shirtless scene in Om Shanti Om had proved lucky for me. So we have him baring his body in a song and in his introduction scene. We redid the latter so he could show off his packs.
There's a school of thought that VFX is the secret behind the star's perfect bodies...It is impossible to have a body like SRK with VFX. He was working on it for over four months. The day he undid his shirt, we were astounded. He did it because he loves me more than others.
You had lost weight for Shirin Farhad but then ... (Interrupts) I had undergone a tummny tuck, but then I piled on the kilos again. Now, I am lighter again. Recently, I danced during a promotional tour without panting for breath.
Is your next film after HNY going to star SRK? Yes.
Is Happy New Year the return of Shah Rukh and Farah Khan as friends? Yes, and it couldn't have been a grander comeback. Jai and Viru are back! We both missed each other. The reason our combo works is because he spends too much money without me. I keep him within a budget.
Who came up with the title? My husband (Shirish Kunder) had written a script on the Khandhar hijack titled Happy New Year. I took the title from him.
Were you upset over the failure of Tees Maar Khan? No, I was very happy! (Laughs). Naturally, I was devastated. If you're not bothered about the box-office, you shouldn't be making movies. I was flooded with offers but I refused to sign anything. Instead, I started reworking Happy New Year, which I was supposed to make with SRK after Main Hoon Na.
But you were still not on the best of terms with SRK then? Just as I completed the script, we sorted out the differences. Soon after he called to say, "Make a film with me." I mailed him the script of Happy New Year. After a few days, Gauri (Khan) asked me to fly to London to meet him. We met in his new house and finalised the deal.
Was Gauri there? No, but she was instrumental in our patch-up. My brother (Sajid Khan) had called her and she said I should drop by at their house whenever I want. A few days later, Shirish, Sajid (Nadiadwala) and I went and settled the dispute. After that she came to my new house. She kept the friendship going.
Was Deepika Padukone signed because you needed a star? Deepika came on board three weeks before we were to roll. I'd auditioned 100 girls before her. Then, I felt that a newcomer wouldn't work. I wanted a star who can hold her own against five men.
Isn't HNY a desi Oceans Eleven? Far from it. The genre is the same, but there have been so many films on pulling off a heist.
While SRK and Sonu Sood are flaunting their packs, Abhishek Bachchan is looking scrawny... Abhishek plays a good for nothing drunk, so he doesn't need any packs. Initially, I had only wanted Sonu to reveal his abs but SRK's shirtless scene in Om Shanti Om had proved lucky for me. So we have him baring his body in a song and in his introduction scene. We redid the latter so he could show off his packs.
There's a school of thought that VFX is the secret behind the star's perfect bodies...It is impossible to have a body like SRK with VFX. He was working on it for over four months. The day he undid his shirt, we were astounded. He did it because he loves me more than others.
You had lost weight for Shirin Farhad but then ... (Interrupts) I had undergone a tummny tuck, but then I piled on the kilos again. Now, I am lighter again. Recently, I danced during a promotional tour without panting for breath.
Is your next film after HNY going to star SRK? Yes.
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