Interview with Farah Khan: on Film making, being a mother and future

FARAH KHAN tells Jyothi Venkatesh

ON WHAT SHE LOVES ABOUT BEING A FILMMAKER

I enjoy being a director the most because as a filmmaker, I get to decide each and everything connected with the film, including recording only the songs which I want. I feel that direction is the most fulfilling job. The worst job is writing for the simple reason that it does not come easy to me.

ON HOW ACTIVE SHE WAS DURING THE DAYS OF HER PREGNANCY

All through the making of Om Shanti Om, I had a great time. If you remember I was present even during the music launch of the film and Shah Rukh Khan even had fetched a chair for me to sit on the dais. I was very active during my pregnancy. In fact, in the first few months, I was very buy finishing several portions of my film. I remember I used to have morning sickness when I was filming the song Dard E Disco on Shah Rukh. I used to throw up and Shah Rukh had to keep on removing his shirt. Though the doctors had advised me not to go out, I was all over the sets because I had to complete the film.

ON WHAT SHE FEELS BEING THE MOTHER OF TRIPLETS

It feels fantastic being the mother of triplets. You would not believe it but sometimes I check at night whether three babies are there. In the first month after my delivery, it was actually going above our heads Ever since I delivered my three babies, I am taking it easy and not taking up any assignment and now the only assignment I have is being the judge of Entertainment Ke Liye kuch Bhi Karehga with Anu Malik. I am not doing too much. I feel that there is no point in having your babies with great difficulty and then leaving them behind at home with their ayahs.

ON WHEN IT SUNK IN THAT SHE IS THE MOTHER OF NOT ONE OR TWO BUT THREE KIDS

To tell you the truth, though we knew in advance that I was going to deliver triplets, we were both numb for a week after they were born. It did not sink in at all that they were our babies. It was only after the first two weeks that Shirish and I started bonding with our babies. Now I just cannot imagine life without my babies.

ON WHAT SHE HAS NAMED HER THREE BABIES AND WHY

I have two daughters and one son. I have named my son Czar. Czar means an emperor. I have named my two daughters Diva and Anya. Diva is an Italian word for prima Donna, the main singer in the opera. Anya means inexhaustible in Sanskrit and graceful in Russian. Diva and Czar are similar looking but not identical. Its is said that one in two million triples are identical

ON HOW MOTHERHOOD HAS CHANGED HER AS A PERSON

I am no longer the baby that I was any more, with the arrival of my three babies.Nowadays Shirish is besotted with his daughters and our conversation revolves around what the babies do. Of course twice a week, Shirish and I go out for cozy lunches when the babies are sleeping. I think the babies have strengthened our marriage because now we both have a common goal.

ON HER FUTURE PLANS AS FAR AS HER BABIES ARE CONCERNED

I think it is too early to think of the future of our babies. We do not want to plan at this stage what they will do when they become big. I think it will be silly for Shirish or me to say that Czar will be a doctor or Diva will be a director. Let them grow up and decide what they want to do in life.

ON HER PLANS FOR UPBRINGING HER BABIES

Mine and Sajid’s upbringing as children was quite liberal by our parents. We were not forced to follow any religion or do anything that we did not want to do. We were encouraged to read good books, watch good films and discuss about them with each other. I should say that sense of humor runs in the family. Even Shirish’s sense of humor is cutting and black.

ON WHEN AND HOW SHE PLANS TO RESUME HER WORK

Even though as far as the babies are concerned, I make it a point to take a decision only in consultation with Shirish, I take personal decision when it comes to my career. Shirish will launch his next film very shortly but I cannot afford to launch my next film soon. Men are happy if they spend even half an hour with their babies but as the mother I have to devote all my time and attention to my babies. After they turn one year old, I may start working on my next film Happy New Year but I won’t work for seven days a week like I used to earlier before I delivered the babies. - SAMPURN