Farah Khan says she understands outsiders' anger for Bollywood's ‘nepo babies’: Nowadays everyone wants a struggle story

Filmmaker Farah Khan understands the frustration outsiders feel towards star kids, stemming from her own challenging financial struggles.

Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan carved her place in Bollywood with several hit films and chart-topping songs. However, the filmmaker has often spoken about her difficult childhood, losing her father at a young age, living with her family in a single-room house, and earning to support them. In a recent podcast appearance with Sania Mirza on Serving It Up With Sania, Farah opened up about understanding the frustration that outsiders feel towards industry insiders and confessed that she still feels financially insecure despite her success.

Farah Khan opens up on outsiders' anger for nepo kids.

Farah Khan says she understands outsiders' anger for nepo babies

When Sania asked if her financial struggles shaped who she is today, Farah candidly replied, “Till now, I’m insecure about money. For me, I need to be financially secure to relax, that’s the only insecurity I have. That drive to keep working is always there. I may not be actively directing, but I’m working harder than during my primary career years. We saw our dad go from being very rich to very poor, and for several years, we lived hand to mouth.”

Reflecting on how people view success stories today, Farah added, “Nowadays, everyone wants a struggle story. Even those who haven’t really struggled are trying to create one out of something weird. But I’m happy that my kids won’t have one.”

Speaking about the resentment some outsiders feel towards star kids, Farah empathised with them, saying, “I can understand when people come from outside to Mumbai and have anger towards nepo babies. I can understand where that anger comes from, because they’re struggling to pay their rent every month. For them, their (star kids) struggles seem very frivolous.”

About Farah Khan’s journey

Farah grew up watching her parents struggle to make ends meet, but her love for dance became her biggest motivation. With no formal training and limited resources, she taught herself choreography by observing dance videos and practising on her own.

Her breakthrough came with the iconic song Pehla Nasha from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), which earned her instant recognition. She went on to choreograph some of Bollywood’s most celebrated tracks, such as Ek Pal Ka Jeena, Sheila Ki Jawani, Desi Girl, and many more.

Never one to limit herself, Farah made her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na (2004), starring Shah Rukh Khan, which became a blockbuster. She followed it up with successful films like Om Shanti Om (2007) and Happy New Year (2014), cementing her reputation as one of Bollywood’s most successful and versatile filmmakers.