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Farah Khan is regarded as one of Bollywood’s most successful choreographers and filmmakers today, but her childhood was marked by immense struggle after her father lost everything backing a film that bombed at the box office. During a recent visit to actress Tanisha Mukerji’s home — cousin of filmmaker Ayan Mukerji — Farah recalled how actor Deb Mukherjee unknowingly became linked to one of the toughest phases of her life.

Speaking candidly, Farah joked, “Because Debu is Ayan’s father, I always tell Ayan Mukerji that it’s because of your dad that we became poor.” A stunned Tanisha responded, “What?”

Farah then explained: “My dad made his first big colour film (Aisa Bhi Hota Hai) in which Deb Mukherji was the hero. The movie bombed on Friday, and by Monday we had become poor because, in those days, producers invested everything they had,” she shared.

Tanisha Mukerji admitted that financial instability was common in film families back then. “We also went through those stages. Whenever my dad’s films didn’t work, we would become poor for two to three years until he made another film,” she said.

Earlier, in an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, Farah Khan had opened up about the devastating aftermath of Aisa Bhi Hota Hai’s failure. “We became paupers. I am not a nepo kid. My dad died a pauper. When he died, he had just Rs 30 in his pocket,” she revealed.

The filmmaker recalled how life completely changed after the failure of Aisa Bhi Hota Hai. “As the sun went down, we used to start shaking because we knew anything could happen during the night after my father hit the bottle. It was riches to rags. My father was doing extremely well, but he became ambitious and wanted to make a colour film with a bigger star. He mortgaged the house and everything. The film released on Friday, and by Sunday we were poor,” she said.

Farah also spoke about the emotional toll the situation took on her family. “We could not call people home for years. My mother had left, and we couldn’t even tell people my parents were separated because it was a different time,” she shared.

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In another interview with Simi Garewal, Farah Khan reflected on her childhood trauma with surprising warmth and humour. “I could make a tragedy out of my childhood, my trauma, and my parents splitting up. But instead of becoming bitter, I choose to remember the happy times,” she said.

She added that she and her brother, filmmaker Sajid Khan, now laugh about moments that once terrified them. “Sometimes my father would get really angry, take out his gun, and everyone would run for cover. It has all become a funny story now, which is a nicer way to remember it,” Farah shared.

Speaking to journalist Karan Thapar, Farah Khan described how drastically life changed overnight. “The film released on Friday and by Sunday we were below the poverty line. I was six years old. Before that, I was a spoiled brat who got everything she wanted,” she recalled.

“Only the house remained and everything else went — the cars, my mother’s jewellery, the gramophone. Finally, we were left with an empty house, two sofas, and a fan. We even rented out our drawing room for kitty parties just to survive. That’s how the house ran for a couple of years,” she added.

Those hardships pushed Farah Khan to begin working at the age of 15 — a journey that eventually transformed her into one of Bollywood’s most successful names.

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