Deepika Padukone’s Bollywood debut in Om Shanti Om opposite Shah Rukh Khan remains one of the most memorable launches in Hindi cinema.
Nearly two decades later, filmmaker Farah Khan has shared how she carefully prepared the actor before introducing her to the industry.
In a recent episode of her cooking vlog, Farah Khan and her cook, Dilip, visited actor Dia Mirza at her home. During their conversation, Dia recalled that she received little formal training before making her own acting debut and was instead thrown into a demanding work schedule.
“People whom you say you launched, when I used to hear stories about the level of love, care and attention you gave them. Workshops, acting classes, dance classes, diction coaching, I had nothing of that sort,” Dia told Farah.
Farah then opened up about the extensive preparation she arranged for Deepika before casting her in Om Shanti Om (2007).
“Deepika, how much care I took of you. First, I sent her to Anupam Kher’s classes for three to four months. Then I sent her to Kathak classes. We did so many look tests,” Farah said.
The filmmaker further revealed that she deliberately delayed Deepika’s shooting schedule by 10 days so that the newcomer could observe experienced actors at work.
“I started her shoot 10 days later. I told her, ‘For the first 10 days, just come to the set and see how Shah Rukh Khan is working, how Shreyas Talpade is working. Just come and sit there every day,’” she recalled.
Released in 2007, Om Shanti Om was set across two timelines and followed the story of Om, a junior artist who is reborn decades after his murder and seeks justice for the death of his beloved, superstar Shantipriya.