For years, Farah Khan was known as one of the most successful choreographers of Bollywood before she moved behind the camera and proved her talent as a director as well. Her first two films – Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, both starring Shah Rukh Khan, turned out to be huge hits and established her as a filmmaker who could deliver big entertainers.
But after that early success, Farah Khan experienced a difficult phase that changed the way she looked at her career and success.
The turning point came with her 2010 film Tees Maar Khan, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Although the film managed to earn around ₹84 crore at the domestic box office, it received heavy criticism and failed to match the popularity of her earlier films. The reaction to the movie turned out to be one of the toughest experiences of her professional life.
While speaking on a show, Farah Khan admitted that dealing with the backlash was emotionally exhausting. She explained that after a setback like that, it can take a long time to regain confidence. Even if a person continues working and moving forward, the criticism often stays in the back of the mind. She added that although she did not doubt her abilities, constant opinions from others can slowly make someone question themselves.
The criticism affected her deeply in the days following the film’s release. Farah Khan recalled that she struggled emotionally and found it hard to even step out of bed for several days, often feeling overwhelmed and tearful.
She also pointed out that although social media was not as intense back then as it is today, negative reactions still reached her through people around her. Friends and acquaintances would often inform her about what others were saying about the film. Hearing those comments repeatedly made her feel angry at times and sad at others, and the pressure sometimes led to anxiety because she felt helpless in that situation.
Farah Khan also admitted that some people within the industry seemed happy to see her experience failure for the first time. However, she said she was fortunate that her personal life brought her comfort during that period. Around the same time, she and her husband, editor Shirish Kunder, had welcomed their triplets, which helped her stay grounded.
Looking back at her journey, Farah Khan acknowledged that before Tees Maar Khan, she had rarely faced failure, either as a choreographer or a director. Her only early exposure to setbacks had come during childhood when her late father, filmmaker Kamran Khan, faced major financial losses after one of his ambitious films did not perform well.
Despite the painful experience, Farah Khan now believes that failure taught her an important lesson. She feels that constant success can sometimes make people overly confident and setbacks help bring perspective and humility.
She also remembered a similar situation involving her younger brother, filmmaker Sajid Khan. Sajid had delivered several commercial hits like Heyy Babyy and the first two films in the Housefull series. However, his 2013 film Himmatwala starring Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah Bhatia failed at the box office.
Farah Khan recalled that she had often warned her brother about openly claiming he had never made a flop, believing that such confidence can quickly be challenged in the film industry.
Reflecting on her own mindset while making Tees Maar Khan, Farah admitted that after the massive success of Om Shanti Om, she had become extremely confident and believed she had everything figured out.
Today, she says the experience has made her more thoughtful and grounded. Farah Khan believes in karma and says that going through failure has changed the way she views success and the struggles of others in the industry.
Failure certainly teaches a lot, what do you say?
