A gift from me to you(OSO): Farah Khan

I can't give you a better Diwali gift that OSO: Farah Khan

Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (OSO) has all the ingredients of becoming one of the biggest hits of 2007 - from having Bollywood's biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, in the lead to the baap of all item songs which features 31 of the industry's biggest stars. With less than a fortnight to go before the film releases on Diwali, we speak to the director of the film, Farah Khan, about the look of OSO, its star cast, debutant Deepika Padukone and Farah's search for baby names

What is OSO all about?

This film is divided into two parts – the first half has a 70s backdrop and the second half the 90s. In both parts the Bollywood film industry is the backdrop of the film. Shah Rukh is playing two Oms and Deepika is Shanti. I would say that this film is a drama… inherently it has a lot of drama. Sure there is a lot of entertainment and I have packaged it with a lot of songs but the film's basic story is a full on drama.

The film has SRK, Deepika, Shreyas and Arjun… it's an unusual star cast. How did you arrive at it? This is my second film and even my first film had an unusual star cast barring Shah Rukh - Sushmita, Zayed and Amrita Rao… and they were quite new then and Sushmita had never been cast with Shah Rukh. Similarly in this film too the actors were selected on the basis of who I thought fit the bill. I have written the screenplay and story so I knew exactly what kind of actor I wanted in each role, how they should look, behave and be in the film. I never wanted to package this film with stars except for the lead role. And I think because it's an unusual star cast, the film looks exciting. So sure there is Shah Rukh for the commercial value but the others too have done a great job.

For someone like you who has been in the industry for this long, what do you think of Deepika's chances in Bollywood? I think she has a very bright future. I will say that she will be a full fledged commercial actress. I won't say that she will be a serious actress or she will do a film like Black but she is a commercial heroine. She is very beautiful, looks good, has a great body, dances well and is very media savvy. She has her head on her shoulders and is a go-getter! So I think she will do very well.

You are expecting triplets. How difficult was it to manage your film and pregnancy?

I will say that the timing was very nice because as soon as the filming was complete I realized I was expecting. But it has been quite hectic. Ideally I would have liked the film to have released or that I should have gotten pregnant a year earlier. But having said that God has been very kind to me so it's a very exciting time for me. It is tiring and hectic… I have been advised bed rest but the film releases in two weeks time. If you ask any filmmaker the pre-release period is the most hectic time even more than the actual filming.

So how are you coping?

I am managing. The post production is close to my home so I go there from time to time or they keep sending the stuff over on DVDs for me to check. I keep all my meetings at home only. As far as the media events and promotional launches are concerned I have to go for them so I make sure I rest the entire week before the event and only then I make my way over.

During this last minute period are you putting finishing touches to the film or selecting baby names?

No... no…now all the name selection and everything will take place only after the release because right now everything is revolving around Om Shanti Om. I think after the release I will have ample time on my hands and then I will sit with ease and decide on the name and everything else.

OSO releases on November 9 - Diwali Day. So if there is one message you have to give to the audiences for Diwali morning what will it be?

First and foremost I would like to wish Happy Diwali to all. And for all Shah Rukh and my fans I would like to say that if there is just one film you want to see on Diwali then please go and see Om Shanti Om. Isse achcha Diwali gift mein aapko nahin de sakti!