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 ...

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 The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...

and the National Film Award for Best Choreography. 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, na ...

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

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 two ...

'' and the Chinese films '' Perhaps Love'' and '' Kung Fu Yoga'', 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 c ...

and Golden Horse Award 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'' (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 Chillie ...

'' (2007) and then went on to direct '' Tees Maar Khan'' (2010) and ''

Happy New Year The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

'' (2014).

Early life and personal life

Farah Khan was born on 9 January 1965. Her father, Kamran Khan (film producer), is a stuntman-turned-filmmaker. Her mother, Menaka Irani, is the sister of former child actors Honey Irani 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 Dais ...

. Farah is thus a first cousin of film personalities Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar (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, debutin ...

, who is a comedian, actor and film director. Farah Khan married Shirish Kunder, the editor of her film '' Main Hoon Na'', on 9 December 2004. They have since worked together on each other's films, such as '' Jaan-E-Mann'', ''

'', and '' Tees Maar Khan''. 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 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 ...

's "

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

" 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 first ...

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 Jhulk ...

'', Khan took over. This was followed by many more songs. She met actor Shahrukh Khan on the sets of '' Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa'' and the two have since become good friends and started working together. Khan's work in '' Monsoon Wedding'', ''

'' and ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' 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 win ...

six times. Khan then went on to direct her first film '' Main Hoon Na'' starring Shahrukh Khan which was produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. Khan became the second female director to be nominated for Filmfare Best Director Award. 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 p ...

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

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 "Honorific nicknames in popular ...

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" ...

version of her song ''

Hips Don't Lie "Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop and reggaeton song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, ''Oral Fixa ...

'' 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 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 ...

''. She hosted the celebrity chat show '' Tere Mere Beach Mein'' 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'' 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 ...

''. 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, comedi ...

. 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''. 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'', 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