Today, Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest stars in India who reportedly charges over Rs 100 crore per film. However, there is a star who used to charge more fees than the superstar and she has even worked with him in several blockbusters.
The star we are talking about once lived in poverty after her father's death, however, soon her life changed with just one film and she is now one of the highest-paid choreographers. She is none other than Farah Khan.
Farah Khan's father, Kamran Khan, was a stuntman-turned-filmmaker. Farah Khan was studying sociology in St. Xavier's College, Bombay when the music video of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was released. She was so inspired by the song, that although she hadn't danced before that, it soon became her vocation. She learned to dance basically on her own and set up a dance group.
She came from a well-to-do family, however, fate had other plans. Her father spent all his savings and money to make a film that bombed at the box office and then sold off his wife's jewelry and all other belongings to pay the debt. Farah was just 18 when her father passed away.
When his father died, he only had Rs 30 in his pocket and the filmmaker and choreographer revealed in an interview that they had to ask for money from neighbors to bid her father goodbye. Not just that, but she went on to say that they lived in a storeroom of a relative's house for around six years before they could finally afford a place for themselves.
When the choreographer Saroj Khan walked out of the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Khan took over. This was followed by numerous iconic dance numbers over the years. The filmmaker met actor Shahrukh Khan on the sets of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and the two have since become good friends and began their collaborative journey.
In a recent interview with Radio Nasha, Farah Khan revealed how Shah Rukh Khan became her assistant as the budget of the shoot was low and how she was the highest-paid in the crew. She said, "The budget was very low. Shah Rukh was paid Rs 25,000 for that movie. I was the highest-paid person in that movie, let me tell you. I was paid Rs 5,000 per song, and there were six songs. Just because of that, I was paid Rs 30,000. We couldn’t even afford an assistant.”
Farah revealed how for the full song Aana Mere Pyar Ko regular people from Goa were cast who had no idea about the lip-sync or how to take cues or hit marks and Shah Rukh Khan would pinch them as a cue for them to stand up on the beat. Hailing him as her ‘assistant’, Farah said, “he was really wonderful.” Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have since then worked together in several movies and delivered several hits and blockbusters including Main Hoon Na, Happy New Year, and Om Shanti Om among others.
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