This filmmaker was broke once; later charged more than Shah Rukh Khan and treated him ‘as bad as a spot boy’

From a childhood of limited means to becoming a renowned choreographer, Farah Khan's journey is inspiring.

Bollywood is a place where rags-to-riches stories come true. From Shah Rukh Khan to Jackie Shroff, several Bollywood stars have shared how they went from having nothing to leading luxurious lives. One such celebrity, who lived in poverty after her father’s death, is now one of the top names in the industry—filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan.

Farah Khan lived in poverty after father's death.

Farah Khan is one of the highest-paid choreographers and filmmakers in Bollywood today. However, her journey to success was far from smooth. Farah’s father, stuntman-turned-filmmaker Kamran Khan, faced a dramatic financial downfall that pushed the family into poverty.

Farah Khan on living in poverty

Reflecting on her journey from riches to rags, Farah Khan shared with Pinkvilla, "My father was a producer, director, and actor, but he worked on B-grade movies. He was never an A-lister, though he made great fun films. Then he decided to make an A-grade movie and invested all his money into it. The film released on a Friday, and by Sunday, we were poor. It was an overnight fall from riches to rags. The movie tanked on its first day, and the struggle lasted for almost 15 years."

She recounted how her family started selling things—her mother's jewelry, her gramophone, then furniture to pay of the debt and eventually, she and her family started living in just one room. Farah also spoke about her father's passing, adding, "When my father died, he had only ₹30 in his pocket. We had to visit relatives to collect money for his funeral. He passed away leaving nothing but debt, and for the next 7-8 years, I focused on paying it off." She further recalled that they then went on to live in a storage room for some years.

She also revealed in an interview with Karan Thapar how her father's film failure pushed their family ‘below the poverty line’.

Farah’s breakthrough as a choreographer came with the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar after Saroj Khan left the project. She went on to create iconic dance numbers for films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Pehla Nasha, 1942: A Love Story, and more.

In an interview with Radio Nasha, Farah shared an interesting anecdote about working with Shah Rukh Khan in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. She recalled how due to a tight budget during the project, Shah Rukh stepped in as her assistant. She also revealed that she was the highest-paid crew member on that movie. Farah said, “The budget was very low. Shah Rukh was paid ₹25,000 for that movie. I was the highest-paid person on that movie, let me tell you. I was paid ₹5,000 per song, and there were six songs. Just because of that, I was paid ₹30,000. We couldn’t even afford an assistant.”

When Farah Khan treated SRK 'like a spot boy'

Farah and Shah Rukh developed a strong friendship during their collaboration in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. SRK later starred in her directorial debut, Main Hoon Na. Reflecting on their camaraderie, Farah once shared Shah Rukh’s thoughts about her in a conversation with T2 Online. She said, “Shah Rukh used to say this: ‘One thing about Farah is she treats everyone the same way. She treats me as badly as she treats a spot boy!’ I think that’s a great quality to have. A lot of people treat the crew very badly. I treat everyone equally—badly. For me, because I was a technician and then a choreographer, it was important that people who work in the back get seen.”

For the unversed, Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have delivered many hits together, including Happy New Year, Main Hoon Naa and Om Shanti Om. Today, both of them enjoy star status in Bollywood and live luxurious lives.

Farah Khan as a director

Farah Khan has directed just four films in her career, with three emerging as blockbusters. She made her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na, a major commercial hit. This was followed by Om Shanti Om, which grossed ₹148 crore worldwide. Happy New Year collected a staggering ₹397 crore worldwide. Tees Maar Khan was also a hit but did not earn her much kudos from critics.

Farah Khan as a choreographer

Farah began her career as a choreographer, creating iconic dance numbers such as Chaiyya Chaiyya in Dil Se, Dhol Bajne Laga in Virasat, Ek Pal Ka Jeena in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan in Dil Chahta Hai, and Idhar Chala Main Udhar Chala in Koi... Mil Gaya. Her exceptional work earned her the prestigious National Award for Best Choreography.