Farah Khan on debut film : People thought I’d make ladylike film

It had a gripping cycle rickshaw chase scene and a heated fist fight between superstar Shah Rukh Khan and action hero Suneil Shetty. Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan’s “very loved film” “Main Hoon Na” had all elements that was anything but “ladylike”.

As the film turned 10 Wednesday, she doesn’t regret choosing the superhit action drama that thrilled the audiences to the hilt to launch her as a director.

Farah Khan went into a nostalgic mode when asked about her film completing 10 years.

“We got very nostalgic. All photos my fans are sending me. I don’t even have those photos. Even in office, we couldn’t find pictures because we changed office twice. We remember it like it was last year or something and suddenly it’s been 10 years,” Farah Khan told IANS.

“I wanted to make it for so long. It took around two to three years before I got to make it…from the time I started writing the script. It was a very different film for a woman director to make at that point. People were not expecting this kind of film. They thought I’d make some ladylike film,” she added.

Calling it a “very macho film”, the movie also gave Shah Rukh, the lead actor of the film, a break from romantic sagas like “Kal Ho Naa Ho” and “Chalte Chalte”.

“It was a very macho movie. Even for Shah Rukh. He wasn’t doing action at all that time. He was doing love stories. It was like an action macho film for him also. He enjoys doing action a lot more… He adds a lot in terms of making the action more thrilling… and it did well everywhere – north, south, interior belt,” she said.

Though she thinks there’s always room for improvement, she considers “Main Hoon Na” to be the perfect film to launch her as a director.

“I had so much fun making it. It’s a very loved film. It comes almost everyday on TV and everyday I get messages on Twitter or BB that they are watching it for the 20th time and still love it. I wouldn’t want to change things. I am very happy. Now my kids watch it. They enjoy it a lot,” said the mother of triplets.

It’s been 10 years, but the 48-year-old still feels nervous.

After pausing for a while, Farah, who has two superhits behind her, said: “I am not confident as director. I still get nervous. I don’t know whether I am heading in the right direction or not. I was far more confident when I was making ‘Main Hoon Na’. Now, pressure is there.”

The “Om Shanti Om” director is now tied up with “Happy New Year”, which she likes to call her “biggest movie”.

“‘Happy New Year’ is very hectic. It is definitely biggest movie Shah Rukh and I have made. It’s a very big movie in terms of scale, star cast and everything. Every shoot has thousands of junior artists. It’s a difficult film for me. But we are having so much fun. The cast and crew are lovely,” she said.

The movie also stars Deepika Padukone, Sonu Sood and Abhishek Bachchan.

She has done so much, but still has a lot more to do. When asked what’s left to explore, she said: “Arey, lots more.”

Inputs By IANS