Farah Khan explains why Happy New Year's success will be a moral boost to other women directors and talks about her next film with SRK
Farah Khan is all smiles. Obviously. Happy New Year brought her back into the reckoning after the sorry story that was Tees Maar Khan. For now, the HNY director is at home on a short break from work, spending time with family and holidaying with her triplets. The best thing about the film's success, she says, is the fact that she could "take a long holiday". She talks about failure, success, expectations and working with her favourite actor - Shah Rukh Khan - again.
People started writing you off after TMK. HNY rocked at the BO and you became hot property in Bollywood yet again. What's your take on that?
I didn't take the criticism too seriously then and I'm not taking the praise for HNY seriously now. A creative person obviously has ups and downs, and eventually flops do happen. I'm uspet TMK didn't do well, more so because the audience didn't like it. But I had confidence in my own talent. If you have talent and work hard, at some point, you will be successful. Unfortunately, ours is a very success-driven industry. The people running behind success are the ones with no talent. These days, people jump on it and tear it and do a whole lot of things before the conclusion is drawn. Who are these people and what have they made? All Manmohan Desai films, Sholay and other cult classics received bad reviews, but they are the most remembered films now. So how does it matter if someone trashes my films? In fact, OSO got 1 star rating and see today, it has become a film that's remembered! And once a film makes you happy, you forget all the bad reviews.
Does HNY's 'blockbuster' tag take some pressure off you for your next?
You are definitely more relaxed after a superhit film. Every director and actor whose movies have not worked will tell you that there is a certain turmoil playing in you during those times of failure. You won't party if your film doesn't do well. Failure is a better teacher than success. But successes make for better holidays! (Laughs)
Already planning your next with SRK again…
Have I said this? Where? I am on a holiday! (Smiles) I have not planned anything. But after every big movie I make with Shah Rukh, I always tell him, 'Now let's make a chhota movie'. We plan to finish a film within some 50 days and quickly go and release it, but it never happens. So I am hoping that this time... maybe, I will be making a smaller movie with him. My next film will definitely be with SRK but this time, it won't be as big as Om Shanti Om or Happy New Year! I think we make a good pair and we enjoy working together. We have a great time, we laugh and there's no stress when I am shooting with him.
But SRK's dates are already full with Fan, Raees and Rohit Shetty's next. So do you see your film happening in the near future?
We can actually go on planning as much as we want. But when a film has to happen, it happens! So I always believe that our film will also come with its own destiny when there will be something that we both like and we both want to make. It will happen soon. I am not taking any stress at all. I don't know now what we are making next. Once we know what we are making, another six months will go into its scripting, so there's time!
Karan Johar has done four films with SRK. You have done three and are planning to do our fourth one with him. Is there a healthy competition between you two over Shah Rukh?
Everything is healthy, but there's no competition at all. Technically speaking, I have shot with Shah Rukh more than anyone else. I shot at least 50-60 songs with him. In that way, I have done a lot more shoots with him. And then, there are three films with him.
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