Farah Khan Kunder (born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director, film producer, actress, dancer and choreographer who works predominantly in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

films. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 films, winning six

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

for Best Choreography and the

National Film Award for Best Choreography The National Film Award for Best Choreography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards p ...

. In addition, she has worked on

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

films and also in international projects, such as '' Marigold: An Adventure in India'', ''

Monsoon Wedding ''Monsoon Wedding'' is a 2001 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Mira Nair and written by Sabrina Dhawan. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah and Vasundhara Das. The story depicts romantic entanglements during a tradi ...

'', ''

Bombay Dreams ''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for tw ...

'' and the Chinese films '' Perhaps Love'' and ''

Kung Fu Yoga ''Kung Fu Yoga'' ( zh, 功夫瑜伽) is a 2017 Chinese action adventure comedy film written and directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan. The film's cast includes Chinese actors Aarif Rahman, Lay Zhang, and Miya Muqi, and Indian actors ...

'', earning

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

and

Golden Horse Award The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...

nominations. As a film director, she received

Filmfare Award for Best Director The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year. Superlatives Bimal Roy has the r ...

nominations for her debut ''

Main Hoon Na ''Main Hoon Na'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language masala film written and directed by Farah Khan in her directorial debut. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan, and follows Major Ram Sharma, ...

'' (2004) and her second one ''

Om Shanti Om ''Om Shanti Om'' (transl. ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language fantasy romance film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillies E ...

'' (2007) and then went on to direct ''

Tees Maar Khan Tees Maar Khan () may refer to: *Mahboob Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI, also known as, Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911) was the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad state, one of the Princely states in ...

'' (2010) and '' Happy New Year'' (2014).

Early life and personal life

Farah Khan was born on 9 January 1965. Her father,

Kamran Khan (film producer) Kamran Khan may refer to: * Kamran Khan (politician), Pakistani politician * Kamran Khan (journalist), Pakistani journalist * Kamran Khan (Indian cricketer) (born 1991), Indian cricketer * Kamran Khan (Pakistani cricketer) (born 1969), Pakistani c ...

, is a stuntman-turned-filmmaker. Her mother, Menaka Irani, is the sister of former child actors

Honey Irani Honey Irani is an Indian actress and screenwriter, who works in Hindi cinema. She started her career as a child actor with roles in films such as Mahesh Kaul’s Pyar ki Pyas. She was probably four to five years old when the shooting of the ...

and

Daisy Irani Daisy Irani is an Indian television actress, director and producer from Singapore. Biography She was born to Gujarati film actress Padmarani and stage director Namdar Irani in Bombay, India. She is best known for appearing in the role of Daisy ...

. Farah is thus a first cousin of film personalities

Farhan Akhtar Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, playback singer, producer, and television host who works in Hindi films. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he grew up under the influe ...

and

Zoya Akhtar Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. After completing a diploma in filmmaking from NYU, she assisted directors such as Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becomin ...

(children of Honey Irani). She has one brother,

Sajid Khan Sajjad Khan (born 28 December 1951) is an Indian actor and singer. Born into poverty in the Bombay slums, he became the adopted son of Bollywood filmmaker Mehboob Khan, founder of Mehboob Studios. He worked in a handful of Indian films, debuti ...

, who is a comedian, actor and film director. Farah Khan married

Shirish Kunder Shirish Kunder (born 24 May 1973) is an Indian filmmaker. After working as an editor on 21 films starting with ''Champion'' (2000), Kunder made his screenwriting and directorial debut with ''Jaan-E-Mann'' (2006). He is married to choreograph ...

, the editor of her film ''

'', on 9 December 2004. They have since worked together on each other's films, such as ''

Jaan-E-Mann ''Jaan-E-Mann'' () is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Shirish Kunder and was produced by Sajid Nadiawala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta. This was Kunder's debut film as a director. He ...

'', ''

'', and ''

''. Khan gave birth to triplets — one son and two daughters — in 2008 through

in vitro fertilisation In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) ...

Career

Khan was studying sociology in

St. Xavier's College, Bombay St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is affili ...

when the music video of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's " Thriller" was released. She was so inspired, that although she hadn't danced before that, it soon became her vocation. She learned to dance basically on her own, and set up a dance group. When the choreographer

Saroj Khan Saroj Khan (born Nirmala Nagpal; 22 November 1948 – 3 July 2020) was an Indian dance choreographer in Hindi cinema. She was born in Bombay State (present day Maharashtra), India. She was best known for the dance form mujra and the fir ...

walked out of the film ''

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar ''Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar'' () also abbreviated as ''JJWS'' is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age sports film, directed and co-written by Mansoor Khan, and produced and co-written by Nasir Hussain. The film stars Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhu ...

'', Khan took over. This was followed by many more songs. She met actor

Shahrukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

on the sets of ''

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa ''Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa'' () is a 1994 Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Kundan Shah, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepak Tijori. It also featured Suchitra Krishnamurthy (in her Hindi film debut) and Naseeruddin Shah. P ...

'' and the two have since become good friends and started working together. Khan's work in ''

'', ''

'' and '' Vanity Fair'' was nominated for a 2004

as Best Choreographer, along with collaborator Anthony van Laast, for ''Bombay Dreams''. She has won the

Filmfare Best Choreography Award The Filmfare Best Choreography Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Although the awards started in 1954, the best choreography category did not start until 1989. Saroj Khan with 8 wi ...

six times. Khan then went on to direct her first film ''

'' starring Shahrukh Khan which was produced by

Red Chillies Entertainment Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian visual effects, production and distribution company established by actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan in 2002. It was transformed from the defunct Dreamz Unlimited. Based in Mumbai, the studio' ...

. Khan became the second female director to be nominated for

Filmfare Best Director Award The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year. Superlatives Bimal Roy has the re ...

. As a director, her second movie ''

'' Starring Shah Rukh Khan and debutant

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most po ...

became the highest grossing Hindi film of all time at its time of release. ''

'' was her next directorial release. In 2012, she made her film acting debut in a leading role in ''Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'', directed by Bela Bhansali Sehgal. Khan initially announced her plans to direct ''Happy New Year'' in 2005, multiple delays and cast changes occurred over a number of years. The project was again reported as being in the works as of 2012. The film was finally released in 2014. Farah Khan at the opening of Fluke store 11

Farah Khan at the opening of Fluke store 11

Khan trained

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n pop star

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

for a

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

version of her song '' Hips Don't Lie'' for the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

on 31 August 2006. Khan has also choreographed

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

for the song " Chiggy Wiggy" in the 2009 movie ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

''. She hosted the celebrity chat show ''

Tere Mere Beach Mein ''Tere Mere Beach Mein'' is a celebrity chat show hosted by Bollywood choreographer and director Farah Khan. It premiered on Star Plus from 23 August 2009 and aired on weekends at prime time. The show ended on 10 October 2009, after completing 1 ...

'' and was a judge on the reality television series ''Indian Idol'' – first and second season, ''

Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star ''Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star'' is an Indian reality television series which aims to bring the winners of 'all' singing reality shows completed previously and the runners-up together competed for the 'Superstar' title under 'one roof'. The series' ...

'', ''

Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega ''Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega'' is an Indian variety entertainment reality show that aired on Sony Entertainment Television on weekdays. It premiered on 25 May 2009. The first season of the show was hosted by Mona Singh and Vishal M ...

'' and ''

Dance India Dance Li'l Masters ''Dance India Dance'' (also called by the acronym ''DID''; tagline: ''Dance Ka Asli ID D.I.D.'') is an Indian Hindi-language dance competition reality television series that airs on Zee TV, created and produced by Essel Vision Productions. It p ...

''. She also judged dance reality show '' Just Dance'' alongside Hrithik Roshan and Vaibhavi Merchant on

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedies, ...

. Khan and her husband have started a production company called "Three's Company" named in honor of their triplets. In 2012, she choreographed "Ishq Wala Love" and "Radha" for ''

Student Of The Year ''Student of the Year'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Karan Johar, written by Rensil D'Silva and Niranjan Iyengar on the basis of an uncredited story by Johar, and produced by Hiroo Yash ...

''. In 2013, she choreographed "Jumping Jhapak". In 2015, Khan replaced

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

and hosted the reality show ''

Bigg Boss Halla Bol ''Bigg Boss Halla Bol'' is the spin-off of the Indian reality television show ''Bigg Boss''. It was a merger of ''Bigg Boss 8'' similarly to the concept adopted by the '' Ultimate Big Brother''. Five contestants from previous seasons enters the ...

'', the spin-off of ''Bigg Boss'' season 8.

Filmography

Film

Choreography

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Farah 1965 births Living people 20th-century Indian dancers 21st-century Indian dancers 21st-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian women artists Artists from Mumbai Best Choreography National Film Award winners Businesswomen from Maharashtra Dancers from Maharashtra Film directors from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai Hindi-language film directors Indian choreographers Indian film choreographers Indian television presenters Indian women choreographers Indian women film directors Indian women film producers Indian women television presenters Women artists from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian women

Early life and personal life

Career

Filmography

Film

Choreography

Television

See also

Further reading

References

External links