When Farah Khan brought together 31 of Bollywood’s biggest stars for the “Deewangi Deewangi” song in ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of the most memorable ensemble sequences in Hindi cinema. The grand track featured Shah Rukh Khan alongside Dharmendra, Rekha, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and several other stars. One notable absence, however, was Amitabh Bachchan, who skipped the shoot because Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were getting 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 for the Deewangi song shoot because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were getting married the same week,” she during a while ago, during a conversation with Pallavi Joshi on IFTDA Official’s YouTube channel.She 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 was not 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 chose not to be a part of it. Speaking to Film Companion, she said, “We had more people lined up, but some didn’t land up. Fardeen Khan got 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 him, he doesn’t do cameos.”She later shared the story behind Aamir Khan’s refusal during an appearance on Maniesh Paul’s podcast. Farah said, “Aamir’s was the funniest. He kept me hanging and finally said he was editing Taare Zameen Par. I told him, ‘Just come, I’ll finish your shoot in two hours.’”She continued, “Then he called me and said, ‘Farah, I am editing. If I leave the editing for two hours and come for the shoot, my film will be delayed by six months.’ I said, ‘You please don’t come.’ Later, when I asked him about it, he admitted, ‘I just didn’t want to come.’”Farah also revealed that Shah Rukh Khan had promised to bring Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu to the shoot, but that plan never materialised. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I’m still waiting for them to come. He kept saying he’d personally pick them up. I waited for five or six days, but eventually I couldn’t extend the set any longer,” she said.According to Farah, “Deewangi Deewangi” was perhaps the last time the Hindi film industry truly came together as one big family. She had divided the shoot into batches of six stars each day, and even after finishing their portions, many celebrities stayed back to watch others perform and catch up with friends.One of the song’s most-loved moments happened completely by chance. Recalling the sequence, Farah said, “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s portion wasn’t planned at all. He had wrapped his shoot four hours earlier but stayed back just to watch Dharam ji perform. When we rolled camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif jumped in too. It was all completely spontaneous.” Coordinating 31 celebrities, however, was no easy task. Farah said it required far more effort than simply making phone calls. “It wasn’t just about making phone calls. I had to personally visit everyone,” she explained.Designer Manish Malhotra also played a major role in convincing many actresses to participate. As Farah recalled, “All the heroines were happy because Manish was designing their costumes, and they got to keep them.” Shah Rukh Khan, meanwhile, ensured every guest felt appreciated. Farah revealed, “He gifted everyone a luxurious hamper that included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry phone and several other goodies. Each hamper was worth around Rs 1 lakh. They got to keep their costumes, received a lavish gift and Mickey Contractor did everyone’s makeup. They genuinely had a great time shooting. Even Shabana Azmi personally called me 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 the experience on Farah’s vlog, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. It was one of the first times I styled her. I absolutely love her. She is an obsession.”Managing five or six superstars every day also resulted in an unusual sight on set. Speaking on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, Farah quipped, “That was probably the first time Shah Rukh would actually arrive on set on time in the morning.” She explained that since he was the producer, lead actor and unofficial host, he had no choice but to stick to the schedule.Despite the meticulous planning, there were a few hiccups. Shilpa Shetty’s portion had to be postponed because Farah wasn’t satisfied with the way her saree looked. Recalling the incident on 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, “She cancelled the shoot. Even Shah Rukh suggested we shoot the next day. So I came back, we fixed the problem, and Farah continued working despite being pregnant with triplets.”Thanking her, Farah said, “You were on screen for barely 10–15 seconds, but everyone remembers you. It was so sweet of you to come back. 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. “She came for rehearsals for three days. We kept wondering, ‘What are we even rehearsing with Rekhaji?’ But she insisted. She arrived every day, wore her own saree, did her own makeup and said, ‘Sharp at 3 pm, I’ll come out.’ Some people would arrive late, but not Rekhaji.”If Rekha was the most punctual, Govinda was the complete opposite. Farah recalled, “Govinda came 24 hours late. Everything was ready. His shot was set up. I called him and asked, ‘Chichi, where are you?’ He replied, ‘I’m shooting in Dharavi.’ I said, ‘But we’re in Film City!’ Eventually, he came the next day.”She also admitted that she never felt confident choreographing Govinda herself. “I never had the courage to choreograph Govinda. His partnership with Ganesh Acharya was so iconic that I felt nothing I created would look better.” Farah also fondly remembered the reaction when Mithun Chakraborty arrived on set. Speaking on Radio Nasha, she said, “People went crazy for Mithun da. There was almost a stampede on the set.”She explained that technicians, lightmen and crew members rushed to greet the veteran actor because of the respect he commanded. “I think he was the president of one of the workers’ associations and had done so much for them. People were even handing their phones to Shah Rukh so he could click their pictures with Mithun da.”