Farah Khan Didn't Let Deepika Padukone Shoot For 10 Days On Om Shanti Om; Reason Will Surprise You

Hyderabad: Deepika Padukone kickstarted her journey in Hindi cinema with Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om. For Farah's second film as director, close friend and superstar Shah Rukh Khan was leading the cast, which included Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade in pivotal roles. Deepika landed the dream debut opposite SRK. But for the first 10 days, she wasn’t even allowed in front of the camera. Farah recently spoke about why she asked to just come and sit on the set while SRK, Shreyas, and others worked.

The filmmaker spotting Deepika in Himesh Reshamiya's song Naam Hai Tera is a known fact. But what went behind turning a newbie into the next big thing in Bollywood is not known by many.

Talking about grooming Deepika before the big launch. Yes, Deepika had already done a Kannada film, Aishwarya (2006), but Farah still put her through months of prep. Acting workshops with Anupam Kher, Kathak classes, look tests, and diction coaching were part of her extensive training before she actually faced camera with SRK.

The filmmaker recalled Om Shanti Om days in her cooking vlog featuring Dia Mirza. During the conversation, Dia underlined the massive difference in how her journey began 25 years ago in Hindi cinema and the preparedness with which the newcomers are now entering the film industry.

“People you say you launched… you got them workshops and classes and taught them acting, dance, etiquette, and diction." Dia shared she had none of that and was thrown into 28-hour shoots from day one.

Farah then detailed how she prepared Deepika for the dual role in Om Shanti Om. “Deepika, how much care I took of you! Pehle 3-4 mahine Anupam Kher ki classes mein bheja, fir Kathak classes mein bheja. We did so many look tests."

She added that Deepika's shoot was deliberately delayed by 10 days. “I said 10 din toh aake… just come to set every day. See how Shah Rukh Khan works. See how Shreyas Talpade works. Just sit and observe.”

Released in 2007, Om Shanti Om shattered records and gave Deepika the perfect launch. In the following years, she delivered blockbuster hits with SRK. Their chemistry rivals the iconic SRK-Kajol pairing, which is considered gold in Bollywood romance. Despite the 20-year age gap, audiences loved them in Chennai Express, Happy New Year, Pathaan, and Jawan. The two will be seen together again in the upcoming film King.