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Choreographer and filmmaker Farah Khan recently opened up about Shah Rukh Khan’s competitive streak, the influence of the underworld on the film industry in the 1990s, and her reaction to Aryan Khan’s upcoming Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood. She spoke about these topics during a conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast.

‘SRK Is Very Competitive’

When asked whether Shah Rukh Khan was highly competitive during his early years in the film industry, Farah Khan replied, “Very,” with host Ranveer Allahbadia noting that he had always sensed that energy from the actor.

She explained that Shah Rukh remains competitive even today, but in a positive way. According to her, he focuses on the success of the film rather than overshadowing his co-actors.

“He is still competitive, but he is competitive in a good way. He will never cut someone else’s role. If you are doing a scene with him, he will help you. He is competitive that my movie should run, not that I should run,” she said.

Farah added that actors can learn an important lesson from Shah Rukh Khan, that is to prioritise the film over individual screen presence.

“Other actors need to learn this. It is always about ‘me, me, me’. It should be about the movie, the product. If the movie runs, you will run. So it is always about the film,” she added.

Farah Khan On Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds Of Bollywood

Farah Khan also spoke about Aryan Khan and said she was pleasantly surprised after watching his Netflix series The Ba**ds Of Bollywood*.

Calling him a “filmy child,” she said she appreciated that Aryan had not taken the typical arthouse route after studying abroad. “He’s actually a very filmy child, which I like. He hasn’t become someone who says, ‘I’ll make art cinema in the US’,” she said.

Farah also shared an anecdote about Aryan and his collaborator Bilal, who once told her they tried to outdo the famous Filmfare Awards sequence from Om Shanti Om.

“So that entire Filmfare Awards act, he and Bilal told me that they tried to outdo Om Shanti Om. But then they gave up and said, ‘Everything has already been done in that. Let’s just directly copy it.’ So I like that he is filmy. I was very relieved when I saw Ba**ds Of Bollywood*,” she said.

Farah Khan Recalls Underworld Threats In Bollywood

Farah Khan also reflected on the period in the 1990s when the Hindi film industry was dealing with the growing influence of the underworld.

She recalled a disturbing incident from the early days of her career when film producer Mukesh Duggal was shot dead. Farah said she remembers being on a film set around 1993 or 1994 when the news spread, highlighting how tense and dangerous the atmosphere around the industry had become at the time.

When asked whether the three Khans faced pressure from the underworld, Farah responded, “Yes.”

However, when specifically asked whether Shah Rukh Khan personally received calls from the underworld, she said she was unsure.

“That I don’t know. But I do remember that during Duplicate or the premiere of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan had received an underworld threat. It was very scary. Everyone was discussing whether the premiere should be cancelled or whether we should go ahead with it,” she recalled.