Farah Khan: My father died penniless as his movies flopped

File image of Farah Khan. Image sourced from mid-day archives

Filmmaker Farah Khan said that her father, film producer Kamran Khan, died penniless after his movies flopped at the box-office, which is why she feels responsible as a filmmaker that everyone who involved in the filmmaking business should make money when a film is released.

"I would rather have exhibitors and theatre owners give me an award saying my movies are making money for everybody. I think for me, that is important as a filmmaker. My father was a producer and he died penniless because his movies flopped. So, I always feel it's my responsibility as a filmmaker (to ensure) everyone makes money when my movie is released -- be it the samosawaala or theatres owners," said Farah, while interacting with the media at Big Cine Expo 2019 on Tuesday in Mumbai felicitated at the event.

Sharing her feeling on being felicitated by organisers of Big Cine Expo, Farah said: "I am grateful to Big Cine Expo for felicitating me because this is the first time any filmmaker is being felicitated for contribution towards business of filmmaking, which I think is very important. Now, everybody is running around wanting critical acclaim but exhibitors and distributors are crying, and the theatres are empty."

Farah Khan has directed commercial blockbusters such as Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om, and Happy New Year, and her only below-expectation release at the box-office was the 2010 film, Tees Maar Khan.

When why filmmakers are making lesser mainstream entertainers in the lines of Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai -- whose films used to be big in the seventies and the eighties -- Farah said: "I think those are big shoes to fill. People are making big movies but they are scared to make these big musicals because filmmakers constantly feels that if they will do something (in that genre) then critics will criticise them. But Rohit (Shetty) and I are the two filmmakers who want to make happy and entertaining movies like the ones we used to watch in our childhood days."

Farah said entertainers can have good stories, too. "You can't say that entertaining films don't have content. Rohit (Shetty) makes movies that are completely enjoyable. They have a social message and they are not vulgar, and same goes with me. It's just that we like to make larger-than-life films, which is a diminishing trend at the moment," she pointed out.

Ever since Farah Khan announced her collaboration with Rohit Shetty, there were speculations that they were out to remake the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Satte Pe Satta (1982). Speculations were also rife that Hrithik Roshan had been approached for the lead role.

"We haven't announced anything from our side in terms of what kind of film we will make and which hero we have taken in the film. It is all created by the media, so you (media) should also tell me how much money my movie is going to earn at the box-office!" she quipped.

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