Farah Khan spotted Deepika’s vintage Bollywood magic in her debut days

Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone, in a throwback interview with Lehren TV, during her debut film “Om Shanti Om,” had credited filmmaker Farah Khan recognising her charm that reflected the grace of old Hindi cinema actresses. Deepika, in the interview was heard saying, “I think Farah knew or felt that I have that olden actresses style. If you have seen the song, you can see my hand movements like that, of olden times heroines. I think somewhere Farah felt that I have a little bit of the olden-day actresses in me.”

She also mentioned that it was probably because of this, Farah did not need to place too much emphasis on her body language or character detailing, refering to her movie’s character where she is seen as a retro Bollywood star heroine, Shantipriya. The actress further revealed that she, personally has closely studied legendary actresses like Hema Malini, Madhubala and Vyjayanthimala to understand their grace and screen presence. “I studied their films carefully and tried a little bit like them,” said Deepika. Speaking about her look in the film, Deepika clarified that it was not copied from any specific actress. “There are no looks of different actresses. It is only inspired by the 70s. We have not copied any old Indian actress,” she explained.

The actress had also recalled detailed discussions with ace designer Manish Malhotra, Bharat and Doris before the shoot of Om Shanti Om, highlighting on how several days were spent finalising hairstyles and costume fittings. “We were very prepared before the shooting,” she added.

Talking about “Om Shanti Om,” the movie marked Deepika Padukone’s debut in Bollywood.

Directed by Farah and produced by Gauri Khan under the Red Chillies Entertainment banner, “Om Shanti Om” was released on Nov.9, 2007. The film along with Deepika, starred Shah Rukh Khan in a double role along with Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher in pivotal roles. “Om Shanti Om,” in 2007, emerged as a massive box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year. The film’s music, composed by Vishal-Shekhar, played a major role in its popularity. Songs like “Main Agar Kahoon,” “Ajab Si,” “Dard-E-Disco,” “Deewangi Deewangi,” “Daastaan-E-Om Shanti Om,” and “Aankhon Mein Teri” are considered as chartbusters to this day.

In the video, Deepika can be seen recalling her nervous early days working with Shah Rukh Khan and Farah. She fondly was seen crediting her director and co-star for creating a safe space for her during the shoot of Om Shanti Om. She said, “I was extremely nervous during my debut in Om Shanti Om, but when I met Farah and Shah Rukh, they made me comfortable, on set and even otherwise.” She added, “Whenever there was a difficult scene, a tough dialogue, or a tricky line, Farah and Shah Rukh helped me a lot. If there was a complicated dialogue, they would patiently explain it to me, help me rehearse it, and even assist me while delivering it.”

Indo-Asian News Service