By Fuad Omar
Farah Khan is probably the best dance choreographer you’ll ever meet and her only competition is herself. When Tyson watches his old training videos he shakes his head and says ‘I can’t beat that guy’, if Farah looked at her old stuff she’d probably beat herself again and again as she continuously pushes forward the boundaries of dance by innovating new steps and styles, that fast become the latest craze.
She’s fast, she’s furious, she’s Farah Khan. Catch her on Asiangigs.com!
Ok Farah, going back in time to when you were a little girl, if I asked what you’d want to be when you grew up what would you have said?
“An astronaut! When I was a very little girl I wanted to be an astronaut and when I grown up a little more I wanted to be a director. I would never say I wanted to be a dancer or choreographer, I never imagined or had any intention of going into it.”
How did you get into dance choreography?
“I saw Michael Jackson doing Thriller and something happened making me feel this is what I want to do. I started copying the dance steps and became quite good at it and I started dancing at parties and socials, then taking part in dance competitions and eventually formed a dance group with all the winners of the competitions. That’s when I really got into it and enjoyed it.”
Describe to me your first day at work:
“I was not nervous because I had been with the film unit for a month and was giving the clap and writing continuity. I was quite self-assured but the whole unit was having fun at my expense, like
Aamir kept calling me ‘Masterji!”, but the whole unit was happy that I was taking over because they were all young and my friends. I remember we were shooting for the first day of
Yahan ke Hum Sikander and we re-shot what Saroj-ji had done and it just felt right. Then the next day we did
Pehla Nasha.”
Pehla Nasha went on to become a phenomenal success, and it changed the way Hindi film songs were viewed and added style to the visualisation of songs. Was it originally meant to be a slow-motion video?
“It was always going to be slowed down but when they were initially doing it, it was just a normal love song picturisation and I told
Mansoor (Khan) that we should do something different with it. This was around ten years ago now so take into account there’s no music videos or MTV here so the whole thing to do it like this in common places like the
classroom and garage was a really radical step. I thought it should be from his point of view where Aamir
was thinking and no one else was taking notice because as the song says - it’s describing a state of mind. I think it really caught on and there were thousands of clones so it did well.”
What happened after JJWS (Jo Jeeta Woh Sikander)?
“During JJWS when the song released Vinod Chopra saw the song and he signed me on for
1942 A Love Story. That was amazing because the criteria for me signing on to do that film was to choreograph to RD Burman, I never in my life thought I’d be working with him. For me it was a big high, I’d go and sit at his feet during
sou nd recordings and he is so inspiring that grace just flows.”
Which of your work are you most proud of?
“I wouldn’t say proud, but I feel it’s nice that I changed the way people look at Hindi film songs and I go back over the years and it started with JJWS and the dancers I got into the industry. I think I changed the way Hindi film songs looked and made them cool and now they’re going international so somewhere I was responsible to an extent and that’s a big high.”
How does it feel to be so recognized?
“Oh come on, I don’t think I am that recognized! But when I go abroad people know who I am and when I go on sets little children
recognize me and know who I am so not for my own ego or anything like that, but it’s very nice to know that a technician is being
recognized for their work. Because the technicians work very hard and now people know what a choreographer is and see those people who work behind the screens too.”
Do you ever stop and think, how did you get into this?
“It’s about being in the right place at the right time and I happened to be there when a lot of young new people were starting in acting and directing like
Shah Rukh and Salman which is really good. Even today like with Hrithik it’s good to be here when he began and the whole style was changing. There’s a lot of fresh blood
around and people are changing the way things are going like Adi, Karan,
Farhan, so I was lucky to be there at the time when this whole thing turned around.”
Which song would you say is the best choreographed in the history of Indian cinema?
“Any song of Vijay Anand, I’m a huge fan of his, like the songs of Jewel
Thief. I mean to do what he did thirty years ago and without the equipment to do the shots he did at that time, was just amazing. Vijay Anand went beyond what was in the song and broke barriers.”
How was it recreating the magic of the dance style immortalised by Shammi Kapoor in
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge?
“Oh I love doing that! Ruk Jaa was the first time we tried it and in
Dil Chahtha Hai we did it again and I think we saturated it so er, we might not do it again!”
What was it like working on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham?
“With Karan it’s like working with family, it’s not even like working. And his father is so wonderful that whatever you want he gives you ten times more! So it works
t he other way round in that artistes and technicians are busy trying to save them money because you know these mad people are going to just spend like mad and not hesitate! And we have a ball with Karan! But it’s also hard work because he’s a taskmaster, each song we did nine or ten days with so many dancers and he wants chopper shots and big shots.”
Off-screen we’ve seen you act out exactly what you want your artistes to portray, is that the actress in you coming out?
“What nonsense Fuad! In the song I know what kind of mood they have to portray. Not that I can teach Kajol or Shah Rukh to act because I’m such a bad actress and they’re fabulous artistes, but I can give them an idea of the mood. And I don’t want them to imitate me, which is what happened with Saroj Khan. All the heroines ended up imitating her and in turn each other being clones. Madhuri would look like she’s copying Sridevi and someone else would look like she’s copying Madhuri, so I don’t want that to happen or for it to look like that.”
You really rocked Hrithik in Ek Pal Ka Jeena and You Are My Sonia…
“I didn’t want them to have similarities because you see the situation is already the same that he’s in a club and dancing and so the dance moves should be different.”
Which is the most difficult song you’ve had to choreograph to date?
“I had a tough time doing Shaava Shaava. Firstly because you’re choreographing Amitabh so you better get it bloody right! Also you have to know what will suit him and he has very rigid ideas of what he wants to do and to convince him to do otherwise takes a toll on him. And he’s wonderful, I didn’t make him dance, he pushed himself. I was very thrilled when that song was nominated for an award because that showed him too that he has done it successfully.”
Who are your 3 favourite actors and actresses to choreograph and why?
Shah Rukh because he’s such a nice person to work with and is so energetic and in love songs no one can touch Shah Rukh because of the intensity he brings even to an ordinary shot, and he’s always giving his 200%. He’ll work very hard and rehearse a hundred times and will never say no for anything. I mean I don’t think anyone else could’ve done
Chaiyyan Chaiyyan. Even without cables and all he was jumping around and we were shouting ‘Shah Rukh don’t do this!’. And on the sets he’s always helping around and he never gets tired, he’s just brilliant.”
“Then there’s Hrithik. He’s a choreographer’s dream. He can stand on his head and still look graceful. He’s the one guy who actually makes my steps look better than when I show it to him. He again is someone who wants to rehearse and get it right.”
“I also love choreographing all the new boys from Sohail to Aftab to
Salman, I have a great rapport with heroes.”
“Of the actresses, I’ll have to say all of them are lovely. It’s freezing cold and they have to wear
such tiny clothes and perform and it’s very difficult for them. Kareena was sneezing in London when she had to wear that skimpy thing and dance. Even
Madhuri when I went with her to Alaska for the Pukar song and she had to wore this sari and
she was freezing, they’re all so good at their job. And Sush, I love working with her. The first time I worked with her and realised she could dance was
Dilbar. I have the highest respect for Indian actors and act resses because they have to look good, act and dance and fight and do comedy and so much
more. You’d never expect a Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts break into a song,
So our people have to do so much more and if some of them can’t do everything it’s ok because it’s not their job to do this, so let me try and make their lives easier. Kareena for example was saying in Sonia I can’t do this, I can’t dance but you have to push them because see she’s done a great job. So if I don’t shout and scream at them they won’t be pushed into doing something they don’t believe they can.”
What are the three things that fascinate you the most?
“Cinemas, movies and UFOs or alien life or something! Outer space I guess.”
Your directorial debut is about to begin, is that right?
“It should Inshallah go on the floors around June or July and it’s being produced by Shah Rukh and he’s starring in it.”
Tell me about Bombay Dreams.
“Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical is coming soon and I hope it works. If this works then
Indian dance has really gone international. Then who knows, maybe Madonna will call me to choreograph some of her work or Jennifer Lopez. I’m definitely not going to make fun of Bollywood songs because I believe it to be an art form in itself and something that’s unique to India.”
What do you do when you’re not choreographing?
Either I’m watching films or hanging out with my friends.
What advice would you give to people reading who’d perhaps also like to get into dance choreography?:
Above all, be original. Do something no one else is so there’s something special about what you’re doing. |
