“No“ was the advice Farah Khan gave to people aspiring to make a career in Bollywood

Hyderabad, February 9, 2022: `Don’t’ was the advice Farah khan gave to the millions of people who aspire to make a career out of Bollywood. Bear with me for being harsh on this because the struggle is real, hard. There are millions waiting, and wanting to enter and try their luck. The rejections will be common and many. One needs to accept rejections. One must be thick skinned. The aspirant really needs to have a lot of patience.  
 
However, you can come and try your luck, only if you have real talent and feel that you will die if you don’t act, she said. 
 
Farah Khan who was in the city at the invitation of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), was in conversation with Pinky Reddy and Shubhraa Maheshwari along with her fellow film personalities Adivi Sesh and Pooja Hegde, both actors.
 
This time, for a change the venue chosen for the session was a private place called The World Experience Centre in Jubilee Hills.  Over 300 FLO members gathered to listen to the film personalities. 
 
“Hyderabad is special to me. I keep travelling often. The people here are kind hearted”, Faraha made her opening remarks.  
 
A director is a director and there is no gender difference or bias, she said, reacting to an introduction that she was the most successful female director in Bollywood. 
 
 “I too, like many others, had a fair share of woes, struggles and difficulties as a child. Fridays decide the fate of many artists in our industry. My father was praised so much on one of the Fridays when his film was about to be released. And on Sunday, two days after the film released, people stopped seeing him, visiting our house. That is how our lives are.” She explained. 
 
When Shubhraa Maheshwari Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad highlighted how simple she was to approach and deal with as he interacted with them on one-to-one basis minus managers the practice exists in Bollywood, Farah on a lighter note said ‘I can’t afford PR and the Managers’. 
 
After a while the other two artists Adivi Sesh and Pooja Hegde too joined in the conversation.
 
When asked what is one parameter one must possess —technique, expertise, qualification or talent to further their career in Bollywood, all the three film personalities without blinking their eyes said all are required. Combinations of any of these are fine. There are innumerable examples to prove our point, said Farah, Adivi Sesh and Pooja Hegde. 
 
Having a natural talent for your chosen discipline is fine, but you'll also need to demonstrate and hone these skills to make it in the competitive performing arts industry, Farah Khan added.
 
Between many hats Farah wears, Direction is one hat she is always fond of wearing, she said. Direction is more fulfilling to me.  Being a director is like coming home to me, she said. 
 
They shared their views on the OTT model of the entertainment industry, changing audience preferences, platforms, trends in the industry, inspirational moments, challenges, and others.