Bollywood filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan recently visited actor Shreyas Talpade’s home for one of her cooking vlogs with her cook, Dilip. During their conversation, the duo reminisced about the films they had worked on together and discussed Shreyas’ upcoming projects. Farah also recalled Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity, revealing how the superstar paid to take an entire cast and crew of around 50 people to Dubai for the premiere of Happy New Year.
Farah Khan talks about Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity
While talking about Shreyas’ upcoming production, Mardini, Farah praised the quality of films being made in the Marathi industry and said, “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 (These days, so many different kinds of films are being made, especially in Marathi cinema. It’s unbelievable how well they’re doing at the box office. First, there was Riteish’s film (Raja Shivaji), and then there was another one, Deool Band 2, for which Shah Rukh gave up his share of the money. He let go of ₹42 lakh).”
Farah added, “Shah Rukh is like this. He took everyone along when he went to London for the Om Shanti Om premiere. That time, you were just four people, but in Happy New Year, he took 50 people to Dubai for the premiere. He took everybody DOP, music director and assistant director. But we were so tired, the whole star cast fell asleep at the premiere.”
Happy New Year also starred Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah in lead roles, with Jackie Shroff playing a key role. The film went on to become a commercial success.
Marathi film Deool Band 2 reportedly earned over ₹80 crore at the box office, with director Pravin Tarde crediting part of the film’s success to Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity.
Tarde revealed that he had approached Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, for a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), the digital format required to screen films in theatres. Although he had budgeted ₹12 lakh for the DCP, the final cost came to ₹42 lakh, which he could not afford. When he approached Red Chillies, Shah Rukh reportedly waived the entire amount. Recalling the superstar’s words, Tarde 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. They showed tremendous respect towards Marathi cinema.”
About Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film
Shah Rukh Khan is currently awaiting the release of King. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the action thriller also stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Suhana Khan in pivotal roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on December 24.