Farah Khan recently shared details about how she prepared Deepika Padukone for her Bollywood debut in Om Shanti Om. The filmmaker spoke about the effort that went into training Deepika before she faced the camera for the 2007 film, which also starred Shah Rukh Khan in a leading role.
The conversation took place during an episode of Farah Khan’s cooking vlog, where she and her cook Dilip visited actor Dia Mirza at her home. During the discussion, Dia spoke about her own experience entering the film industry and said she did not receive workshops, acting lessons or dance training before making her debut.
Talking about Farah’s approach with newcomers, Dia said, “People whom you say you launched, when I used to hear stories about the level of love, care and attention you gave them. Unke workshops karwaye, classes lagwaye, tameez seekhayi ki acting kya hoti hai, dance classes karwaaye (you made them attend workshops, enrolled them in classes, taught them proper etiquette and what acting really is, and even arranged dance classes for them), diction coaching, I had nothing of that sort.”
Responding to Dia’s comments, Farah explained the preparation Deepika went through before Om Shanti Om. She said, “Deepika, how much care I took of you. Pehle toh maine usse 3-4 mahine Anupam Kher ki classes mein bheja, fir maine usse Kathak classes mein bheja (First, I sent her to Anupam Kher’s acting classes for three to four months. After that, I enrolled her in Kathak classes). We did so many look tests.”
Farah also revealed that Deepika did not begin shooting immediately when production started. She said, “Uski shoot bhi I started 10 days later. I said 10 din toh aake (I started her shoot 10 days later as well. I told her, ‘For the first 10 days, just come to the set’) and just be there on set, see how Shah Rukh Khan is working, how Shreyas Talpade is working. Just come and sit there every day.”
Dia agreed that such preparation can be extremely valuable for actors starting their careers.
Released in 2007, Om Shanti Om was set across two timelines and followed the story of Om, a junior artist who is reborn years after his death and seeks justice for the murder of his beloved actress Shantipriya. The film became one of the biggest Hindi hits of 2007 and was praised for its music, production design and performances.
The movie also marked Deepika Padukone’s Bollywood debut. Playing the dual roles of Shantipriya and Sandy, she received widespread appreciation and quickly became one of the industry’s most talked about newcomers.
Since then, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone have worked together in several successful films, including Chennai Express, Happy New Year, Pathaan and Jawan. The pair are now set to reunite for their sixth film together, King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film also features Abhishek Bachchan, Suhana Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal and Arshad Warsi and is scheduled to release in cinemas on 24 December 2026.