"We didn't want to make anything artistic" says Farah

By: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM
Friday, November 16, 2007

Amidst taking congratulatory calls and making her hospital visits for regular check-ups, Farah Khan still continues to be her spirited best even as her Om Shanti Om is now all set to be year's biggest box office success.

"Audience has given a big thumbs up to Om Shanti Om and this is what that matters most", says the jubilant director, "It was always an idea to make a film which would entertain people and the whole hearted acceptance that we all have got more than proves that we have been successful in our endeavor.

When we were making Om Shanti Om, one thing that we all were sure was that it had to be made with a lot of fun. We were quite happy ourselves when we were filming Om Shanti Om and wanted the audiences also to be happy once they come out of the theaters. This is what exactly has happened."

Om Shanti Om has also turned out to be one of those rare hardcore commercial entertainers that has accumulated consistently good reviews all over the globe. What does she think about that?

Says Farah jestfully, "I was wondering if critics would thrash the film even though I was always confident that audience would love it! To my pleasant surprise, except for some stray reviews, every other critic has appreciated the film. There have been good reviews all over which is quite heartening. I am glad that everyone caught the brighter side of things and acknowledged what the film was trying to say."

Well, the film indeed had a lot of humor to convey as indicated by the hilarious Filmfare awards sequence which seems to be the darling of all. When told about this, Farah agrees that it was always meant to be one of the major highlights of the film and all involved with the sequence pulled it off rather remarkably.

Last but not the least, one can't help but ask her is she was indeed expecting the film to turn out to be such a rage. After pausing for a while, she replies, "As I mentioned earlier, it was a happy film we were making for the masses so we were always confident that it would work well and become a big hit. But seriously, the kind of massive success it has become has only exceeded my expectations. I am thankful to my audience."

She further adds with a smile, "There was never an intent to make anything artistic. Come on, majority of people watch movies to be entertained and this pretty much reflects in the kind of collections that the film is accumulating. It's for everyone to see the way film has opened and sustained itself even on the weekdays. The kind of word of mouth is such that fresh as well as repeat audience is savoring the film. I am informed that so many people who saw Om Shanti Om on first day of the film's release also gave it a repeat viewing on Sunday. What more can one ask for?"