Bollywood filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan recently dropped by actor Shreyas Talpade’s home for one of her cooking vlogs alongside her cook, Dilip. During the candid chat, the two looked back on the films they had worked on together, discussed Shreyas’ upcoming projects, and shared stories from their time in the industry. Farah also recalled one of Shah Rukh Khan’s generous gestures, revealing that the superstar once paid to fly an entire cast and crew of nearly 50 people to Dubai for the premiere of Happy New Year.
Farah Khan recalls Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity
Speaking about Shreyas’ upcoming Marathi production Mardini, Farah praised the recent success of Marathi cinema and highlighted how diverse the industry’s films have become.
“Aajkal kitni alag alag movies aarahi hai, especially in Marathi. Unbelievable, what business they are doing. Ek toh pehle Riteish ki picture (Raja Shivaji) aur fir jo dusri aayi, jiska paisa Shah Rukh ne chodh diya tha, Deool Band 2. 42 lakhs he let go,” she said.
(These days, Marathi cinema is producing such a wide variety of films. It’s unbelievable how well they’re performing at the box office. First there was Riteish’s Raja Shivaji, and then Deool Band 2, for which Shah Rukh gave up ₹42 lakh that was owed to him.)
Farah went on to describe Shah Rukh’s habit of looking after everyone around him.
“Shah Rukh is like this. During the Om Shanti Om premiere in London, he took everyone along. At that time there were only four of you, but for Happy New Year, he flew around 50 people to Dubai for the premiere. He took the DOP, music director, assistant directors, everyone. We were all so exhausted that the entire cast ended up falling asleep during the premiere,” she recalled.
Released in 2014, Happy New Year featured Shah Rukh Khan alongside Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah, with Jackie Shroff playing a pivotal role. The film went on to become a commercial success.
Director Pravin Tarde had earlier credited part of Deool Band 2‘s box office success, reportedly crossing ₹80 crore, to Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity.
Tarde revealed that he had approached Shah Rukh’s production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, to obtain a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), which is required for theatrical screenings. Although he had budgeted ₹12 lakh, the total cost came to ₹42 lakh, which was beyond his means.
According to Tarde, Shah Rukh waived the entire amount. Recalling the superstar’s response, he said, “It’s a Marathi film. Give them the DCP. We can sort out the payments later. If it’s a good film, give them the DCP.” Tarde added that the gesture reflected the immense respect Shah Rukh has for Marathi cinema.
Shah Rukh Khan’s next release
Shah Rukh Khan is currently gearing up for the release of King. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the action thriller also stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Suhana Khan in key roles. The film is slated to hit theatres on December 24.
