Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan believes the era of superstars is over. In a chat with Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi on their show Double Date, Farah called out new actors for interfering in different aspects of filmmaking, from choreography and music to casting.
She said their lack of trust in directors stems from insecurity and a lack of confidence in themselves.
Farah Khan has stated that she plans to begin working on her next directorial project towards the end of 2026, once her children leave for college. They don’t have confidence in the director. They want to choreograph the song on their own, interfere in music and casting as well. All of this comes when you are not confident about yourself. She added that actors who are confident in themselves would trust the process. He didn’t question. She added that they want to shoot magazine covers and attend award functions but do not have good films to their credit. She cited Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan as examples, saying they still work as hard as they did on their first films, with a few working even harder. She pointed out that Salman never asks for days off or refuses to shoot on a Sunday. Farah also called out actors for arriving on set and asking for changes, saying, “That is not your job. You do your job. Learn your lines first. Your job is to know your lines when you come on set. That you are not able to do. It’s irritating. I have seen it. I have done actors’ first movie, and then after their fifth movie, they think they know it all. They are surrounded by people. The era of superstars is over. They (Salman, SRK, Amitabh, Akshay) are the last of them; enjoy them for as long as they work.
She then cited examples of superstars, saying, “Shah Rukh has never interfered in casting when I said I want Sushmita Sen for Main Hoon Na even though she wasn’t any big heroine. I said I want new girl in Om Shanti Om, he didn’t question. Farah said that self-belief and hard work are essential to becoming a superstar. In one of her vlogs, she said she would direct the film only if Shah Rukh Khan stars in it; otherwise, she would rather wait.
Talking about the mindset of today’s actors, Farah said, “The problem is today’s actors don’t have confidence in anyone. He just saw the photo (of Deepika Padukone) and said, ‘if you are fine with it, I’m fine.'” Farah further pointed out that actors today are insecure and lack confidence in themselves.
