When Farah Khan brought together 31 of Bollywood’s biggest stars for the song ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ in ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable ensemble sequences. The big highlight track Shah Rukh Khan alongside Dharmendra, Rekha, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, salman khan, Saif Ali KhanRani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and several other stars. A notable absence, however, was Amitabh Bachchanthat the shooting was skipped because Abhishek Bachchan i Aishwarya Rai they were married that same week.Looking back on the song, Farah had once revealed why Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t be a part of the song. “Amitabh Bachchan didn’t come to the Deewangi song shoot because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were getting married in the same week,” he said a while ago, during a conversation with Pallavi Joshi on the IFTDA Official YouTube channel. He then joked that while Amitabh had a genuine reason to miss the shoot, the rest of the industry had another reason to attend. “Now, the industry wasn’t called (to the wedding), so they all came for the shoot. So that’s good.”Amitabh wasn’t the only celebrity who didn’t make it to the song. Farah revealed that Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Aamir Khan also opted out. Speaking to Film Companion, he said, “We had more people lined up, but some didn’t land. Fardeen Khan was arrested at Dubai airport when he was coming to shoot for us. Aamir Khan refused to come. Dev Anand Sahab told me, ‘I don’t do cameos’, and hats off to me, he doesn’t.”“Later, she shared the story behind Aamir Khan’s refusal during an appearance on Maniesh Paul’s podcast. Farah said, “Aamir’s was the most fun. He kept me hanging and finally he said he was editing Taare Zameen Par. I said, ‘Come, I’ll finish your shoot in two hours.’She continued: “Then he called me and said, ‘Farah, I’m riding.’ If I leave the editing for two hours and come to the shoot, my film will be delayed by six months.’ I said, ‘Please don’t come.’ Later, when I asked him about it, he admitted, ‘I didn’t want to come.'”Farah also revealed that Shahrukh Khan had promised to bring Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu to the shoot, but this plan never materialized. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I’m still waiting for them to come. He kept saying he would pick them up personally. I waited for five or six days, but finally I couldn’t extend the set any longer,” he said.According to Farah, “Deewangi Deewangi” was perhaps the last time the Hindi film industry truly came together as one big family. He had divided the shoot into batches of six stars each day, and even after finishing their portions, many celebrities stayed behind to watch others perform and catch up with friends.One of the most beloved moments in the song happened completely by accident. Recalling the sequence, Farah said, “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s part was not planned at all. He had finished his shoot four hours earlier but stayed back just to watch Dharam ji’s performance. When we rolled the camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif also jumped in. It was completely spontaneous.” Coordinating 31 celebrities, however, was no easy task. Farah said it required a lot more effort than simply making phone calls. “It wasn’t just about making phone calls. I had to personally visit everyone,” he explained.Designer Manish Malhotra was also instrumental in convincing many actresses to participate. As Farah recalled, “All the heroines were happy because Manish was designing their outfits and they stuck with them.” Shah Rukh Khan, on the other hand, made sure that all the guests felt appreciated. Farah revealed: “He gave everyone a luxury hamper which included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry phone and various other things. Each basket was worth around Rs one lakh. They got to keep their costumes, received a lavish gift, and everyone’s makeup was done by Mickey Contractor. They really had a great time shooting. Even Shabana Azmi called me personally and said, “I’m coming.”It was during the making of the song that Manish Malhotra and Rekha developed a close friendship. Looking back on Farah’s vlog experience, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. It was one of the first times I styled her. I absolutely love her. She’s an obsession.”Managing five or six superstars every day also made for an unusual sight on set. Speaking on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, Farah said, “It was probably the first time that Shah Rukh would arrive on the sets in the morning hours.” She explained that since she was the producer, lead actor and unofficial host, she had no choice but to stick to the schedule.Despite meticulous planning, there were a few hiccups. Shilpa Shetty’s portion had to be postponed as Farah was not happy with the look of her saree. Recalling the incident in Farah’s vlog, Shilpa said, “We had prepared everything, but Farah didn’t like the length of the saree.”Farah laughed and admitted: “I’m a perfectionist.”Shilpa added, “He canceled the shoot. Even Shah Rukh suggested we shoot the next day. So I came back, we fixed the problem and Farah continued to work despite being pregnant with triplets.”Thanking him, Farah said, “You were on screen for barely 10-15 seconds, but everyone remembers you. It was very sweet of you to come back. Then we had the luxury of shooting the next day.”She then teased the actor, saying, “You were there flaunting your tiny waist while I was pregnant. Even after two kids, you still have the same waist!”Among all the stars who appeared in the song, Rekha stood out for her professionalism. Farah revealed that she was the only celebrity who insisted on rehearsing. “He came to rehearse for three days. We were like, ‘What are we rehearsing with Rekhaji?’ But she insisted. He would arrive every day, wear his own saree, put on make-up and say, ‘3 o’clock sharp, I’ll be out.’ Some people would be late, but not Rekhaji.“If Rekha was the most punctual, Govinda was the complete opposite. Farah recalled, “Govinda was 24 hours late. Everything was ready. His shot was ready. I called him and asked: ‘Chichi, where are you?’ He replied, “I am shooting in Dharavi.” I said, “But we’re in Film City!” Finally, he came the next day.”She also admitted that she had never felt confident in the choreography of Govinda herself. “I never had the courage to choreograph Govinda. His association with Ganesh Acharya was so iconic that I felt nothing I had created would look better.” Farah also fondly recalled the reaction when Mithun Chakraborty arrived on set. Speaking to Radio Nasha, he said, “People went crazy for Mithun. There was almost a stampede on the sets.“He explained that technicians, lighting men and crew rushed to greet the veteran actor for the respect he demanded. “I think he was the president of one of the workers’ associations and had done a lot for them. People were even giving their phones to Shah Rukh so that he could click their pictures with Mithun.”