Popular choreographer and filmmaker Farah Khan recently opened up about the darker side of Bollywood during the `90s while appearing on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia`s podcast The Ranveer Show. During the conversation, she shed light on the extent of the underworld`s influence on the film industry, recalling a terrifying incident related to the premiere of Karan Johar`s film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Farah Khan on Bollywood and the underworld
Farah Khan bluntly asserted that the `80s represented one of the lowest points for mainstream and commercial Hindi cinema. She revealed how Bollywood was going through a particularly bad phase during the `80s. Sharing an anecdote from her college days, she remembered how several of her friends preferred watching Hollywood movies instead of Hindi movies, because their quality was far superior to Bollywood films.
Speaking about the changes that occurred in the next decade, Farah said the industry also had to deal with the increasing power and influence of the underworld. She recalled a shocking incident from the early days of her career when film producer Mukesh Duggal was shot. Farah further said she remembered being on a film set around 1993 or 1994 when news of the incident spread, highlighting just how dangerous the environment around the industry had become at that time.
Farah on the Khans being pressurised by the underworld
During the podcast, Ranveer Allahbadia asked Farah whether Bollywood’s biggest stars, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, had also pressurised by the underworld in the 1990s. Farah answered in the affirmative. She replied, “Yes,” but did not elaborate.
When Ranveer prodded her further about Shah Rukh receiving a call from the underworld, she replied, “That all don`t know. But, I know that during the Duplicate or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai premiere, Karan (Johar) had got a underworld threat, and it was very scary. Everyone was discussing whether the premiere should be cancelled or we should go ahead with it.”
Currently, Farah is enjoying the massive success of her YouTube cooking vlog series featuring her cook Dilip. She launched the channel in April 2024, and it quickly went viral thanks to the duo’s humorous banter, simple recipes and candid celebrity interactions. The channel has grown to nearly 3 million subscribers.
