When Farah Khan revealed why Aamir Khan and Dev Anand refused to do cameos for Shah Rukh Khan's ‘Om Shanti Om’s iconic song ‘Deewangi Deewangi’

As Shah Rukh Khan’s 2007 blockbuster 'Om Shanti Om' returns to theatres, fans are reliving its magic, with videos of audiences dancing to its songs going viral online. While the nostalgia has everyone excited, not many remember the incredible effort that went into creating one of the film’s most iconic moments, the star-studded song 'Deewangi Deewangi.

'Back in 2007, director Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan achieved what seemed nearly impossible, bringing together 31 Bollywood stars in a single song. In an old interview, Farah revealed how she and her team convinced so many celebrities to participate, by personally visiting each one and gifting them a Rs 1 lakh hamper as a token of appreciation.In an interview with Film Companion, Farah recalled, “We had more to come but some didn’t land up.

Fardeen Khan got arrested at Dubai airport when he was coming to shoot for us. Aamir Khan refused to come. Dev Anand Sahab told me ‘I don’t do cameos’ and hats off to him, he doesn’t do cameos.”Further she continued, “Shah Rukh was responsible to get two people, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I am still waiting for them to come. He told me that he would go to their house to pick them up. I waited for 5–6 days, but I couldn’t extend the set anymore.”

Farah Khan reflects on 'Deewangi Deewangi'

While King Khan recently tried to recreate a similar star-studded moment in his son Aryan Khan’s debut show The B**ds of Bollywood, which featured several Bollywood celebrities in cameo appearances, it still couldn’t capture the same magic that 'Om Shanti Om’s iconic song 'Deewangi Deewangi' had.Reflecting on that, “That song was probably the last time the film industry seemed like one big happy family. I had divided six people per day, and people would just come, give their shot, and hang around on set to see others’ shots.”Talking about the behind the scenes, she added, “The scene where Salman jumps during Dharamji’s shoot wasn’t planned at all. He had finished his shoot four hours ago and was standing behind the camera when we were taking Dharamji’s shot, and he just jumped in. Then Saif Ali Khan jumped too, all that was improv.”Meanwhile, she added, “It wasn’t just a phone call. I had to go and meet them. Manish Malhotra was a big help because all the heroines were happy that he was doing all the clothes, and they got to take them home.”She added, “Along with this, Shah Rukh had given them all a very fancy gift hamper, which included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry mobile and other things. Everybody got a Rs 1 lakh ka hamper. So they got to take their clothes home, got a gift hamper, and Mickey Contractor did their makeup. They had a good time shooting the song. Shabana Azmi herself called me and said I am coming.”