She's a nomad: Kolkata in the morning to judge a competition, evening in Chennai for a music sitting with AR Rahman for Om Shanti Om, then back to Mumbai. The choreographer-director Farah Khan finally talks about OSO, squashing a spate of rumours.
Why the delay in starting your second film?
After Main Hoon Na I got married and was settling into a new apartment. At that point, I was planning to make Happy New Year. But I realised the script was going haywire. Since it would take seven-eight months to set it right, I canned it.
I'd written Om Shanti Om while doing Bombay Dreams, even before Main Hoon Na. I narrated it to Shah Rukh (Khan) and he loved it. We're going ahead with this script now. I'm busy with the dialogue and music sittings with Rahman.
Is there much pressure after the success of your first film?
I don't get pressurised. I will make the film exactly the way I want to. It won't be slow and boring just to get good reviews.
Talk is that Om Shanti Om is a copy of Subhash Ghai's Karz.
To set the record straight, Om Shanti Om is not a copy of Karz or any other film. There is some originality and creativity still left in me... The day I can't think of any original ideas, I'll start remaking old films.
Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor or Deepika Padukone? – the speculation about your lead actress continues.
Priyanka is lovely but she was never considered for Happy New Year or Om Shanti Om. I'd spoken to Kareena for Happy New Year but the film didn't happen. I can talk about my actress only when the contract is signed.
Rumour is that you are ghost directing your husband Shirish Kunder's Jaaneman.
Nobody has said that except you. I've made it a point not to go on the sets when he's shooting. Even in New York I never visited the sets. The story and dialogue are his. Shirish has worked very hard. You can check that out with the actors. I've been on the sets only for the songs. For the last song I wasn't even there, it had to be done by my assistant because I was completing a number for Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
The bit about me ghost directing is as true as Yash Chopra directing DDLJ or Aditya Chopra directing Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. When Jaaneman is released everyone will know, I couldn't have made it. When I start my next film in five months, everyone will say Shirish is ghost directing it!
How different was it, choreographing Rock 'n' Roll in KANK from Shava Shava in K3G?
Not very different, both the songs are from the same genre. But this time the number really looks different because Karan hasn't made girls in ghagra cholis run around just for the heck of it. According to me it's the best song in the film. It was different because Amitji and Abhishek share a great chemistry. It was the last schedule of the film, so there was no pressure.. It was great fun as we shot it on an AC stage. But I did miss Shah Rukh dancing in this song.
Will you continue with choreography?
Now, the focus is on Om Shanti Om, it will be a start-to -finish project. I've just finished the songs for Jaaneman. It was different shooting with Shirish. I could neither scream on the sets nor bully him the way I bully Karan. I had to be on guard, I couldn't make any witty remarks. After all, I have to go back home with Shirish.
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