When Farah Khan brought together 31 of Bollywood’s most famous artists for the song “Deewangi Deewangi” in ‘Om Shanti Om’, she created one of the most memorable songs in Hindi cinema. This song was featured Shah Rukh Khan alongside Dharmendra, Rekha, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Salman Khan, Saif Ali KhanRani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Shipa Shetty and several other stars. However, another notable absence was Amitabh Bachchanwho jumped to shoot because Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai they were getting married the same week.Looking back on the song, Farah revealed why Amitabh Bachchan could not be a part of the song. “Amitabh Bachchan didn’t come to shoot Deewangi song because Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan got married the same week,” he said some time ago, in an interview 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 participate. “Now, these companies weren’t invited (to the wedding), so they all came to shoot. So that’s good.”Amitabh was not the only celebrity who did not make this song. Farah revealed that Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Aamir Khan also opted out. Speaking to Film Companion, he said, “We had a lot of people lined up, but some didn’t make it. Fardeen Khan was arrested at the 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.”“Later he shared the news that Aamir Khan denied when he appeared on Maniesh Paul’s podcast. Farah said, “Aamir’s was so funny. He kept me going and finally he said he was fixing Taare Zameen Par. I told him, ‘Just come, I’ll finish your shoot in two hours.’He continued, “Then he called me and said, ‘Farah, I’m editing. If I stop editing for two hours and come to 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 Shah Rukh Khan had promised to bring in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu for the shoot, but the plan never materialised. “Shah Rukh was responsible for bringing in Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. I’m still waiting for them to sprout. He kept saying that he would pick them up himself. I waited five or six days, but in the end I couldn’t grow it anymore,” he said.According to Farah, “Deewangi Deewangi” was probably the last time the Hindi film industry came together as one big family. He divided the film into groups of six stars each day, and even when they finished their sections, many celebrities stayed behind to watch the others sing and meet friends.One of the song’s most popular moments happened by chance. Recalling the sequence, Farah said, “The shot where Salman jumps into Dharam ji’s compound was not planned at all. He had wrapped the shoot four hours earlier but stayed behind to watch Dharam ji perform. When we rolled the camera, he suddenly jumped into the frame. Then Saif also jumped in. It was all spontaneous.” Uniting the 31 celebrities, however, was not an easy task. Farah said it takes more effort than just making a phone call. “It wasn’t just about making phone calls. I had to visit everyone individually,” he explained.Producer Manish Malhotra also played a major role in attracting more actors to participate. As Farah recalled, “All the heroines were happy because Manish was making their clothes, and they got to keep them.” Shah Rukh Khan, meanwhile, made sure that every guest was appreciated. Farah revealed, “He gave each of them expensive gifts that included a Tag Heuer watch, a BlackBerry phone and more. Each hamper was worth around Rs 1 lakh. They got to keep their clothes, they received an expensive gift and Mickey Contractor did everyone’s makeup. They had a great time shooting. Even Shabana Azmi called me herself and said, ‘I’m coming.’During the making of this song, Manish Malhotra and Rekha developed a close friendship. Looking back on the experience of Farah’s TV song, Manish said, “I met Rekhaji there. It was the first time I shot him. I love him so much. He is so emotional.”Controlling five or six stars each day also resulted in an unusual appearance. Speaking on the ‘Kapil Sharma Show’, Farah joked, “Maybe this is the first time Shah Rukh has been on time in the morning.” He explained that since he was the producer, director and host of the Unofficial, he had no choice but to stick to the plan.Despite careful planning, there were a few setbacks. Shilpa Shetty’s segment had to be stopped because Farah was not satisfied with the look of her saree. Recalling the incident on Farah’s vlog, Shilpa said, “We fixed everything, but Farah didn’t like the length of the saree.”Farah laughed and admitted, “I’m a perfectionist.”Shilpa added, “They stopped the shoot. Even Shah Rukh told us to shoot the next day. So I went back, we fixed the problem, and Farah continued to work even though she was pregnant.”Congratulating him, Farah said, “You were on screen for about 10 to 15 seconds, but everyone remembers you. It was great to have you back. Back then, we had the chance to shoot the next day.”He then mocked the actress, saying, “You were showing your small waist when I was pregnant. Even after giving birth to two children, 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 kept practicing. “He came to practice for three days. We kept asking ourselves, ‘What else are we trying with Rekhaji?’ But he insisted. She would come every day, put on her own saree, adorn herself and say, ‘Quickly at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I will go out.’ Some people arrived late, but not Rekhaji.“If Rekha was very punctual, Govinda was very different. Farah recalled, “Govinda came 24 hours late. Everything was ready. His shot was set. I called him and asked, ‘Chichi, where are you?’ He replied, ‘I am shooting in Dharavi.’ I said, ‘But we’re in Film City!’ Then he came the next day.”He also admitted that he did not feel confident choreographing Govinda. “I have never had the courage of choreographer Govinda. His relationship with Ganesh Acharya was so amazing that I felt that nothing I did looked good.” Farah also fondly recalled what happened when Mithun Chakraborty arrived at the set. Speaking on Radio Nasha, he said that people went crazy over Mithun da, they almost ran into each other.“He explained that the artisans, lightmen and workers rushed to greet the master because of the honor he commanded them. “I think he was the president of a trade union and he did a lot for them. People used to give their phones to Shah Rukh so they could click their pictures with Mithun da.”