Even after being in the business for 30 long years, some things about Farah Khan remain unchanged — her sense of humour and the compelling need to entertain people. The director, now-occasional choreographer, TV show anchor-judge and mother of three is in no mood to slow down. In fact, she’s raring to go, and if all goes as planned, she will roll out her next directorial venture by the end of this year. In a chat with BT, she spoke about her kal, aaj aur kal with her trademark wit and candour. Excerpts:

When I started, I would have been happy to get work for just three years. Who would have thought I would hit 30 years and keep working past it! We are grateful for what we have. We were poor; my father had died with Rs. 30 in his pocket. At the outset, my dream was to get Rs. 10,000 a song and in a month, make Rs. 30,000. We have so much more than what one dreamed of. And crossing the three-decade mark is not a sign of retirement. Picture abhi baaki hai! When I was starting out, I used to be the only female crew member other than the hairdressers. I have a picture from the sets of Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander where there were 60 guys and me. Today, the ratio is nearly 50-50. That speaks a lot about the transition in the last three decades.

A lot! Every time a new actor or actress emerges on the scene, they think they are it! Peeche dekhte hi nahi hain, ki tumse pehle kitne aaye aur gaye. The truth is that they are not ‘it’, no one is! They are not the ones who invented cinema, though every new person who comes on the scene, says things about changing the course of cinema and reinventing it. Whenever they say something of that sort, I am like, ‘I have seen this cycle so many times...’ I’m fortunate that I continue to be relevant and have credible work even now. I am still here and hope to be here for the next 30 years, too.

I’m in a comfort zone today. I’ve not made a film in a few years, but I’ve been busy, either doing shows, acting in ads or directing ad films. I’ve found my own zone to work where I am at ease and still as busy as I want to be. I wanted to spend time with my kids. And yet, despite slowing down a bit, the only time we actually chilled together was during the lockdown. Immediately as it got over, I was back at work. It’s a strange cycle. You want to be happy and content, and when you are, you also feel guilty about not working. I don’t take up 75 per cent of the work offered to me. I take up something when it excites me. Today, and even when I was struggling, money was never the sole criteria to take up work. I was selective right from my early days about the songs and the people I’d work with. I remember one of the key reasons I worked on Jalwa (1987) is that we were being flown to Goa and till then, I had never travelled in an aircraft. I was dancing behind Archana Puran Singh and being paid Rs 300 a day at that time.

I don’t think anyone considered me a woman in the industry (laughs!) I think everyone thought of me as one of the guys. On a serious note, sometimes, I do wonder ki kyun mana kiya maine. But I was also very possessive of the work I did. I worked with many good directors and that just improved my craft with every song. I’m also someone who has worked with 40-50 first-time directors right from Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, Sajid Khan and Sanjay Gupta to Nikkhil Advani and Mukesh Chhabra. There are so many to name. My equation with everyone has remained unchanged. In fact, I’ve become a character for them. On the set, they wait for me to say something and expect me to get angry or bugged at some point. The thing is they love me and that is what I have earned in big proportions. I have earned their friendships. There’s a value to the work I do for any movie. My sense of humour is a trope. These days I create some really crazy reels because I’ve to entertain; it’s in the DNA. And I have to do it differently. As for my equation, it has been good even with those that I have fought with for various reasons. At a certain age, you’re brash and you take everything seriously. But there cannot be permanent animosities. You bump into someone, hug and get it over with. Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan... we’ve all had our fights and made up, too.

We all grew up together and worked together. We will always have that shared experience and those common memories of going through so much in our lives. Besides, I am young at heart and I get along with most people. Today, I have a younger friend circle also, which includes Rajkummar Rao, Patralekhaa and Huma Qureshi.

I just shot a song in Croatia. I went there days before the shoot, completed the recce, created a shot breakdown and worked with the stylist and the director. In 30 years, this has not changed. If you get complacent about your quality of work, that’s the end of the road for you. Also, I hate asking for favours; it’s a childhood trait. A lot of people owe me money because of that. I have done so many songs for free. But yes, I also feel that it all comes back to me in the form of blessings. I’ve never worked for money. I’ve done some music videos when I needed to buy a house, but you can ask my producers. In some cases, I even signed my contracts after the movie was released. So, the motivation to work has to be something other than money. You will always find an avenue to earn, but that can’t be the sole reason to work. Money will make you do all sorts of things, some of which you’ll not like.

My thinking stems from the experiences my brother Sajid and I had as kids. We always had to ask for things. I’d seen my dad, he hated to ask for udhar. My mother has sold her jewellery to pay for our school fees. Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, Honey and Daisy aunty had kept us in their home for about four-five years, and they were very nice to us, but we had to ask them for things. We were literally those poor cousins. Today, I owe them a great deal. I know the journey I’ve had, and I value it. And yet, I don’t like asking for money. Pamper me, treat me well and I will always be on your team. Anyone can take me for a ride. I have to be careful (laughs!).

I still recall how Tees Maar Khan was ripped apart and though people said a lot of things about it, the film made money. I’ve been a fighter and a survivor. After Tees Maar Khan, I didn’t want to step out, even though I was winning an award for the choreography of Sheila Ki Jawani. My mother-in-law encouraged me to go for it. So, through time and the ups and downs, I grew older and wiser, and had kids. Everything changed with time. Today, I’ve realised that whatever is yours will come to you. I’m not insecure anymore. I used to be that person, and I hate that feeling today. Of course, as human nature would have it, a lot of times, people get happy when someone’s film doesn’t do well; it’s an industry trait and uska kya kar sakte hain. Today, I know that my movie will be made whenever and with whoever it’s destined to.

I’ll be making movies. I had the best job. I got paid well for it. I enjoyed entertaining people. I am sure there were more talented people than me, but I feel fortunate I had so many opportunities and I worked hard. I have learned never to regret anything and I will hold on to that. And also the wish that when I was young, slim and hot, I should’ve also tried being wilder...