‘Industry wasn’t invited to Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai’s wedding, so they came to shoot for Deewangi Deewangi’: Farah Khan jokes, reveals why Amitabh Bachchan didn’t do it

When Farah Khan brought together 31 of Bollywood’s biggest stars for the song ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ in the film ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of the most memorable ensembles in Indian cinema.

The big track included Shah Rukh Khan alongside Dharmendra, Rekha, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra,

Shilpa Shetty

And many other stars. However, there was a notable absence

Amitabh Bachchan

who skipped filming because

Abhishek Bachchan

and

Aishwarya Rai

They were getting married in the same week.Looking at the song, Farah once revealed why Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t be a part of the song. “Amitabh Bachchan did not come to shoot for Deewangi because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were getting married in the same week,” she had said some time ago, during a conversation with Pallavi Joshi on the official IFTDA YouTube channel.

She then joked that while Amitabh had a real reason to miss the shoot, the rest of the industry had another reason to attend. “Now, the industry hasn’t been called (for the wedding), so they all came to shoot. So that’s good.”Amitabh wasn’t the only celebrity who didn’t make it to the song. Farah revealed that Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Aamir Khan also chose not to be a part of it. Speaking to Film Companion, she said: “We had more people lined up, but some of them didn’t arrive.

Fardeen Khan was arrested at Dubai airport when he was coming to shoot us. Aamir Khan refused to attend. Dev Anand Sahab told me, “I don’t do cameos,” and I have a lot of respect for him, he doesn’t do cameos.

“She later shared the story behind Aamir Khan’s rejection during her appearance on Manish Paul’s podcast. “Aamir was the funniest. He kept me hanging, and finally he said that he was editing Taare Zameen Par. I told him: ‘Just come, I will finish your shoot in two hours,'” Farah said.She continued: “Then he called me and said: Farah, I am editing. If I leave editing for two hours and come to film, my film will be delayed by six months.” I said: Please don’t come. Later, when I asked him about it, he admitted, “I didn’t want to come.”Farah also revealed this

Shah Rukh

Khan had promised to bring Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu to the sets, but this plan never materialized. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu.

I’m still waiting for them to come. He kept saying he would pick them up personally. I waited for five or six days, but in the end I couldn’t extend the set any longer.According to Farah, Deewangi Deewangi was perhaps the last time the Hindi film industry came together as one big family. She divided the shoot into groups of six stars each day, and even after their parts were finished, many of the celebrities stayed behind to watch others perform and socialize with friends.One of the most beloved moments in the song happened by accident. Recalling the sequence, Farah said: “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s part was not planned at all. He had finished his shoot four hours before but stayed back just to watch Dharam ji’s performance. When we turned on the camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif jumped in as well. Everything was completely spontaneous.” But coordinating with 31 celebrities was not an easy task.

Farah said it takes a lot more effort than just making phone calls. “It wasn’t just about making phone calls. I had to visit everyone in person,” she explained.Designer Manish Malhotra also played a big role in convincing many actresses to participate. As Farah recalled: “All the heroines were happy because Manish was designing their costumes, and they got to keep them.” At the same time, Shah Rukh Khan made sure that every guest felt appreciated.

“Everyone was gifted a luxury basket that included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry phone and many other goodies,” Farah revealed.

The value of each basket was around Rs 1 lakh. They kept their costumes, got a lavish gift, and Mickey the Contractor did everyone’s makeup. They really had a great time shooting. Shabana Azmi even called me personally and said, “I am coming.”While composing the song, Manish Malhotra and Rekha developed a close friendship.

Reflecting on her experience on Farah’s vlog, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. That was one of the first times I did costumes for her. I absolutely love her. She’s obsessed.”Managing five or six stars every day also led to an unusual scene on set. Speaking on The Kapil Sharma Show, Farah joked, “This was probably the first time Shah Rukh Khan reached the sets on time in the morning.” She explained that since he was the producer, lead actor and unofficial host, he had no choice but to stick to the schedule.Despite careful planning, there were some obstacles. Shilpa Shetty’s part had to be postponed because Farah was not happy with the look of her sari. “We prepared everything, but Farah didn’t like the length of the sari,” Shilpa said, recalling the incident that was featured in Farah’s vlog.“I’m a perfectionist,” Farrah laughed and admitted.Shilpa added, “She canceled the shoot. Even SRK suggested that we shoot the next day.”

So I came back and we fixed the problem, and Farah continued working despite being pregnant with triplets.”“You were on screen for barely 10 to 15 seconds, but everyone remembers you,” Farah said thankfully. “It was so nice of you to come back. At that time, we had the luxury of filming the next day.”The actor then joked, “You were out there showing off your tiny waist when you were pregnant. Even after having two kids, you still have the same waist!”Among all the stars who appeared in the song, Rekha stood out for her professionalism.

Farah revealed that she is the only artist who insisted on training. “She came for rehearsals for three days. We kept asking, ‘What are we rehearsing with Rekhaji?’ But she insisted. Every day she would arrive, put on her sari, do her own makeup, and say, ‘At three o’clock in the afternoon, I will go out.’” Some people might arrive late, but not Rekhaji.

“If Rekha was the most punctual, Govinda was the exact opposite. “Govinda came 24 hours late,” Farah recalled.

Everything was ready. His shot was set up. I called him and asked: “Qixi, where are you?” “I am shooting in Dharavi,” he replied. I said: “But we are in the movie city!” Eventually, he came the next day.She also admitted that she never felt confident choreographing Govinda herself. “I never had the courage to choreograph Govinda. His partnership with Ganesh Acharya was so creative that I felt that anything I created would not look better.”

Farah also fondly recalled the reaction when Mithun Chakraborty arrived on the sets. Speaking to Radio Nasha, she said: “People went crazy for Mithun Da. There was almost a stampede on the sets.

“She explained that technicians, lighting workers, and crew members were quick to greet the veteran actor because of the respect he enjoys. “I think he was the president of one of the workers’ associations and he did a lot for them. People were even handing over their phones to Shah Rukh Khan so that he could take their pictures with Mithun da.”