Farah Khan’s journey in cinema has been shaped by many influences, yet her reverence for late Michael Jackson stands apart. In her recent vlog, she revisited the surreal moment when admiration turned into reality. She was in the midst of choreographing a performance for Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai when the event sponsor casually mentioned that Jackson might attend. Her reaction was instant: “Shah Rukh Khan was performing, and I had gone to choreograph for Shah Rukh, Aishwarya and all. That event sponsor told me Michael Jackson may come as the chief guest. Hearing this, I was going (to meet him), and the sponsor said but ma’am, your performance? I said ‘bhaad main jaaye’ (let it go to hell). ‘Shah Rukh rahega ghar jaayenge toh’ (Shah Rukh will be there when we go home).”
What followed was an encounter that still gives her goosebumps. “They took me to his room, and it was completely dark because he didn’t like bright lights and all. He was sitting in dim lights, and I am still getting goosebumps telling this. So soft spoken, he asked me, ‘What’s your name?’ I said Farah Khan. He said, ‘Such a powerful name,’ and I then clicked a photo with him standing still, and later cropped out the sponsors.”
Even as she cherishes that memory, Farah is looking ahead. She has confirmed plans to begin her next directorial project before the year closes, with Shah Rukh Khan at the centre of it. For her, the wait for his availability is not a compromise but a commitment to creating the film exactly as she envisions it.
