When Farah Khan brought together 31 big Bollywood stars for the song “Deewangi Deewangi” in ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of the most memorable ensemble sequences in Hindi cinema. The grand track featured: Shah Rukh Khan along with Dharmendra, Rekha, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Salman Khan:, Saif Ali KhanRani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and other stars. A notable omission, however, is: Amitabh Bachchanwho skipped the shoot because Abhishek Bachchan and: Aishwarya Rai got married the same week.Recalling the song, Farah had previously revealed why Amitabh Bachchan would not be a part of the song. “Amitabh Bachchan didn’t come for the Deewangi song shoot because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan got married the same week,” he said earlier, during a conversation with Pallavi Joshi on IFTDA Official’s YouTube channel. He then quipped that while Amitabh had a genuine reason to miss the shoot, the rest of the industry had another reason for attending. “Today, the industry was not called (to the wedding), so they all came for the shoot. So that’s good.”Amitabh is not the only celebrity who did not participate in the song. Farah revealed that Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Aamir Khan also chose not to be a part of it. Speaking to Film Companion, he said, “We had more people lined up, but some didn’t land. Fardeen Khan was arrested at the Dubai airport when he was coming to shoot for us. Aamir Khan refused to come.“He later shared the story behind Aamir Khan’s refusal to appear on Maniesh Paul’s podcast. Farah said, “Aamir’s was the funniest. He hung up on me and finally said he was editing Taare Zameen Par. I told him, ‘Come on, I’ll finish your shoot in two hours.'”He continued, “Then he called me and said, ‘Farah, I’m editing. If I leave editing for two hours and come for the shoot, my film will be delayed by six months.’ I said, ‘Please don’t go.’ Later, when I asked him about it, he admitted, ‘I don’t want to go.'”Farah also disclosed this Shah Rukh Khan promised to bring Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu to the shoot, but that plan never materialized. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I’m still waiting for them to arrive. He goes on to say that he will take them personally. I waited for five or six days, but eventually I couldn’t extend the set,” he said.According to Farah, “Deewangi Deewangi” is perhaps the last time the Hindi film industry has truly come together as one big family. He divided the shoot into six stars every day, and even after their parts, many celebrities returned to watch others perform and hang out with friends.One of the song’s favorite moments happened by chance. Recalling the sequence, Farah said, “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s part was never planned. He wrapped his shoot four hours later but came back just to watch Dharam ji perform. When we rolled the camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif also jumped in. Coordinating 31 actors, however, was not an easy task. Farah says it takes more effort than a simple phone call. “It’s not just about making phone calls. I have to visit everyone in person,” he explained.Designer Manish Malhotra also played a big role in convincing many artists to participate. As Farah recalls, “All the heroes were happy because Manish had designed their costumes, and they got to keep them.” Shah Rukh Khan, on the other hand, made sure that every guest felt appreciated. Farah revealed, “He gave everyone a luxury hamper that included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry phone and other items. Each hamper costs around Rs 1 lakh. They got to keep their costumes, received a lavish gift and Mickey Contractor did everyone’s makeup. They really enjoyed shooting. Even Shabana Azmi personally called me and said, ‘I’m coming.'”During the making of the song Manish Malhotra and Rekha developed a close friendship. Recalling the experience of Farah’s vlog, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. It was one of the first time I styled her. I absolutely love her. She is an obsession.”Handling five or six superstars every day also resulted in a unique scene on the set. Speaking on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, Farah teased, “Maybe the first time Shah Rukh will come on set is in the morning.” He explained that since he is the producer, lead actor and unofficial host, he has no choice but to follow the schedule.Despite meticulous planning, there were some hiccups. Shilpa Shetty’s segment had to be postponed as Farah was not satisfied with the look of her saree. Recalling the incident in Farah’s vlog, Shilpa said, “We had prepared everything, but Farah didn’t like the length of the saree.”Farah laughed and admitted, “I’m a perfectionist.”Shilpa added, “He canceled the shoot. Even Shah Rukh suggested that we shoot the next day. So I came back, we fixed the problem, and Farah continued to work even though she was pregnant with triplets.Thanking him, Farah said, “You were on screen for barely 10-15 seconds, but everyone remembered you. It was so sweet when you came back. Earlier, we had the luxury of shooting the next day.”She then mocked the actor, saying, “You were there flaunting your little waist while I was pregnant. Even after two kids, your waist is still the same!”Among all the stars who appeared in the song, Rekha stood out for her professionalism. Farah revealed that she was the only celebrity who insisted on rehearsing. “He came for rehearsals for three days. We kept asking, ‘What are we rehearsing with Rekhaji?’ But he insisted. She comes every day, wears her own saree, puts on makeup and says, ‘Sharp at 3 pm, I’m going out.’ Some people arrive late, but not Rekhaji.“If Rekha is the most punctual, Govinda is the complete opposite. Farah recalls, “Govinda was 24 hours late. Everything is ready. His shot was placed. I called her and asked, ‘Chichi, where are you?’ He replied, ‘I am shooting in Dharavi.’ I said, ‘But we’re in Film City!’ Eventually, he came the next day.”He also admitted that he was never confident in choreographing Govinda himself. “I never had the guts to choreograph Govinda. His collaboration with Ganesh Acharya was so iconic that I felt nothing I had done looked better.” Farah also remembers the reaction when Mithun Chakraborty arrived on the set. Speaking on Radio Nasha, he said, “People went crazy for Mithun da. There was almost a stampede on the set.“He explained that the technicians, lightmen and crew rushed to greet the veteran actor because of the respect given to him. “I think he was the president of one of the workers’ associations and did a lot for them. People even gave their phones to Shah Rukh so that he could click their pictures with Mithun da.”
