When Farah Khan brought together 31 of Bollywood’s biggest stars for the song “Diwangi Diwangi” in ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of the most memorable ensembles in Hindi cinema. Featuring Grand Track Shah Rukh Khan Along with Dharmendra, Rekha, Jitendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Salman Khan, Saif Ali KhanRani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and many other stars. There was one notable absence, however Amitabh BachchanThat is why the shooting was avoided Abhishek Bachchan And Aishwarya Rai The wedding took place the same week.Looking back on the song, Farah once revealed why Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t be a part of the song. “Amitabh Bachchan didn’t come for Diwangi song shoot because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are getting married in the same week,” he said during a conversation with Pallavi Joshi on IFTDA Official’s YouTube channel some time ago. He then joked that while Amitabh was the real reason for missing the shoot, there was another reason for the rest of the industry to participate. “Now, the industry has not been called (to the wedding), so everyone has come for the shoot. So good.”Amitabh is not the only celebrity who did not make 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, but some couldn’t come down. Fardeen Khan was arrested at the Dubai airport when he was coming to shoot for us. Aamir Khan refused to come. Dev Anand sahib told me, ‘I don’t do cameos,’ and hats off to him, he doesn’t do cameos.”“She later shared the story behind Aamir Khan’s rejection during an appearance on Manish Paul’s podcast. Farah says, “Aamir was the funniest. He hung up on me and finally said he was editing Tare Zameen Par. I told him, ‘Come on, I’ll finish your shoot in two hours.’He added, “Then he called me and said, ‘Farah, I’m editing. If I leave editing for two hours and come to shoot, my film will be six months late.’ I said, ‘Please don’t come.’ When I later asked him about it, he admitted, ‘I didn’t want to come.’Farah revealed that too Shah Rukh Khan promised to bring in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu for the shoot, but that plan never materialized. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I am still waiting for them to arrive. He kept saying that he would personally pick them up. I waited for five or six days, but finally I couldn’t extend the set any more,” he said.According to Farah, “Diwangi Diwangi” was probably the last time the Hindi film industry really came together as one big family. He divided the shoot into batches of six stars each day, and even after finishing their parts, many celebrities went back to watch others perform and meet friends.One of the most beloved moments in the song happened completely by accident. Recalling the sequence, Farah said, “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s part was not planned at all. He had wrapped up his shoot four hours earlier but went back just to watch Dharam ji’s performance. When we rolled the camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif jumped completely.” Coordinating the 31 celebrities, however, was not an easy task. Farah said it takes a lot more effort than just making a phone call. “It wasn’t just about making phone calls. I had to meet everyone in person,” he explained.Designer Manish Malhotra also played a major role in convincing many actresses to participate. As Farah recalls, “All the heroines were happy because Manish was designing their clothes, and they got to keep them.” Shah Rukh Khan, meanwhile, ensured that every guest was appreciated. Farah revealed, “She gifted everyone a luxury hamper that included a Tag Heuer watch, a Blackberry phone and a few other goodies. Each hamper was worth about 1 lakh rupees. They got to put on their costumes, get a cool gift, and Mickey Contractor did everyone’s makeup. They really had a great time shooting. Shabana Azmi even called me personally and said, ‘I am coming.’It was during the making of the song that Manish Malhotra and Rekha developed a close friendship. Looking back on the experience on Farah’s vlog, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. I styled her for the first time. I absolutely love her. She is an obsession.”Handling five or six superstars every day makes for an unusual scene on the sets. Speaking on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, Farah said, “This is probably the first time that Shah Rukh will reach the sets on time in the morning.” He explained that since he was the producer, lead actor and unofficial host, he had no choice but to stick to the schedule.Despite meticulous planning, there were some hiccups. Shilpa Shetty’s part had to be postponed as Farah was not satisfied with her saree. Recalling the incident in Farah’s vlog, Shilpa said, “We prepared everything, but Farah didn’t like the length of the saree.”“I’m a perfectionist,” Farah admits with a smile.Shilpa added, “He canceled the shoot. Even Shah Rukh suggested shooting the next day. So I came back, we fixed the problem and Farrah continued to work despite being pregnant with triplets.”Thanking him, Farah said, “You were on screen for just 10-15 seconds, but everyone remembered you. It was sweet to have you back. Then, we had the luxury of shooting the next day.”She then teased the actor, saying, “You flaunted your tiny waist there when I was pregnant. Even after having two babies, you still have the same waist!”Among all the stars featured in the song, Rekha stood out for her professionalism. Farah revealed that she was the only celebrity who insisted on rehearsing. “He came for three days of rehearsal. We kept thinking, ‘What are we rehearsing with Rekhaji?’ But she insisted. She comes every day, wears her saree, does her makeup and says, ‘At 3 pm, I will come out.’ Some people will come late, but Rekhaji will not come.“If Rekha was the most punctual, Govinda was the complete opposite. Farah recalls, “Govind came 24 hours late. Everything was ready. His shot is set up. I called her and asked, ‘Chichi, where are you?’ In reply he said, ‘Shooting in Dharavi.’ I said, ‘But we’re in Film City!’ Finally, he came the next day.”He also admitted that he never felt confident choreographing Govinda. “I never had the guts to choreograph Govinda. His partnership with Ganesh Acharya was so iconic that I felt nothing I created would look good.” Farah also remembers the reaction when Mithun Chakraborty came on the sets. Speaking on Radio Nasha, he said, “People went crazy for Mithun Da. There was almost a stampede on the sets.“He explained that technicians, lightmen and crew members rushed to greet the veteran actor as he commanded out of respect. “I think he was the president of a labor union and did a lot for them. People even gave their phones to Shahrukh so that he could click their pictures with Mithun da.”
