Bollywood’s biggest female director and choreographer, Farah Khan, turned 61 today. The millionaire movie maker is reportedly worth Rs 350 crore, making her richer than big names like Prabhudeva and Remo. Who was once a background dancer in one of Shah Rukh Khan’s films, delivered several blockbusters during her directorial career. With viral vlogs on YouTube today, she has transformed into a full-fledged influencer.
As per reports, Khan charged Rs 50 lakh per song and became India’s highest-paid choreographer. Often seen taking a tour of celebrity homes, from Jackie Shroff to Ananya Panday, her videos rake in millions of views overnight. Monetising her connections in the industry, Farah Khan turned her time in Bollywood into revenue.
From background dancer to director: Farah Khan’s off-screen journey
In the late 1980s, Farah Khan worked as a background dancer in Jalwa, which featured Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, and Archana Puran Singh. She appeared in the popular song of the time, ‘Feeling Hot Hot Hot’. The young curly-haired girl reportedly only took the job because it gave her a chance to board an aircraft for the first time and shoot in Goa. During the movie, she earned nearly Rs 300 per day.
Khan’s big breakthrough came in 1994 while she choreographed ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ and earned Rs 30,000 for 6 songs. It became a moment in history since she was paid more than Shah Rukh Khan, who was paid Rs 25,000 for his role. In an interview, Farah Khan shared, “I was the highest paid person in that film,” despite the low budget. She peaked as her stellar dance routines lit up films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Pehla Nasha and others.
Debuting her off-screen journey with ‘Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaya’, there was no looking back for Farah Khan. Eventually, in 2004, she made her directorial debut with ‘Main Hoon Na’. It quickly became a cult-favourite, headlined by Shah Rukh Khan and Sushmita Sen. A classic tale of friendship and patriotism, Main Hoon Na became the second-biggest film of Bollywood in 2004 with a Rs 70 crore worldwide collection. Farah Khan is also credited to launching Deepika Padukone in Bollywood with ‘Om Shanti Om’ in 2007. Becoming a nearly Rs 150 crore film, she starred alongside several leading actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Arjun Rampal, exploring one of the very few meta films of the time.
Nearly a decade later, she came out with ‘Happy New Year’, a comedy-drama which is famous even today. Labelled ‘brain rot’ by Gen-Z, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Boman Irani. Shot in an entirely international location, she took her crew to Dubai for an intense shoot. From dance sequences to a diamond heist, it grossed nearly Rs 400 crore at the box office. Khan also famously appeared on reality TV shows as a judge, such as Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhhla Ja, and others.
