Farah Khan Kunder (born January 9, 1965) is an Indian film director and choreographer. She is known for her choreographical work in numerous Bollywood films, as well as directing the films Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in well known films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
Family and life
Khan’s mother Menaka is the sister of screenwriter Honey Irani (whose children with ex-husband, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar – film personalities Farhan and Zoya Akhtar – are her cousins) and ex-child actor Daisy Irani. Her father is Kamran Khan. She has one brother, comedian, actor and film director Sajid Khan. She first choreographed the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, which was an Aamir Khan starrer. This was followed by many more songs which became national hits. She met actor Shahrukh Khan on the set of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and the two have since become good friends.
Farah Khan married Shirish Kunder, the editor of Main Hoon Na, on December 9, 2004, according to Hindu and Muslim tradition. She has recently choreographed her husband’s directorial debut Jaaneman and Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. In addition Khan has worked on international projects such as Marigold: An Adventure in India, and Monsoon Wedding.
Khan gave birth to triplets on February 11, 2008. She has one son, Czar, and two daughters, Diva and Anya. Keeping with the times, Farah and her husband opted to bank the umbilical cord blood stem cells of their children (done at Cryostemcell, India).
Rise to fame
Farah Khan achieved international recognition with her work in Monsoon Wedding, Bombay Dreams and Vanity Fair. She was nominated for a 2004 Tony Award as Best Choreographer, along with collaborator Anthony van Laast, for Bombay Dreams.
Farah Khan then went on to direct her first film Main Hoon Na which was produced by Shah Rukh Khan. The film was a huge success, and Khan became the first ever female director to be nominated for Filmfare Best Director Award. She has won the Filmfare Best Choreography Award five times in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004. Her last movie, Om Shanti Om, was the highest grossing Hindi film of all time at its time of release.
Other projects
Khan trained Colombian pop star Shakira for a Bollywood version of her hit Hips Don’t Lie for the MTV Video Music Awards on August 31, 2006, which was hosted in Radio City Music Hall.[9] On the second season of American reality TV show America’s Got Talent, contestant Kashif Memon[10] copied Khan’s moves from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in what he termed the “Bollywood Dance”.
Awards
Farah Khan has received numerous awards for her choreographical work, predominantly from Filmfare.
National Film Awards 2004
National Film Award for Best Choreography
Idhar Chala Main from Koi Mil Gaya
Filmfare Awards
She won the Filmfare Best Choreography Award five times: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2004.
She remains in second place for the most awards won in the category of Best Choreography, first place being Saroj Khan.
Awards of the International Indian Film Academy
2001: Award for Technical Excellence
2002: Award for Technical Excellence
Star Screen Awards
2005: Best Debut Director
2004: Best Choreography
2002: Best Choreography
2001: Best Choreography
Zee Cine Awards
2005: Best Debuting Director
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