Farah Khan and Karan Johar’s long-standing friendship has been one of Bollywood’s most enduring creative partnerships. Their association began in the mid-90s on the sets of Aditya Chopra’s 1995 hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, where Farah choreographed a song while Karan doubled up as an assistant director and actor. The duo continued to collaborate through several of Karan’s directorial successes over the years.
But Farah recently revisited a lesser-known chapter of their bond—one that had nothing to do with filmmaking. In an old interview on ZEE Café, she revealed that during the early 2000s, Karan became her go-to person for tarot readings. According to her, “He was the best tarot card reader I ever went to. He’s also my very good friend. I didn’t tell him that I’m seeing Shirish.”
‘Just Marry This Person’: Karan’s Tarot Reading Changed Farah’s Life
Farah recalled the moment Karan discovered, through the tarot cards, that she was secretly dating editor Shirish Kunder, who is seven years younger than her. “Karan opened my cards and said, ‘B*tch! You haven’t told me you’re seeing somebody.’ I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Listen, this person is very good for you. Look at this card. Just marry this person.’ He’s fabulous,” she shared.
Farah and Shirish eventually married in 2004 and are now parents to triplets, celebrating 21 years together.
How Karan Influenced the Release Strategy of ‘Om Shanti Om’
Farah also revealed that Karan played a pivotal role in shaping the release date of her 2007 hit Om Shanti Om. Despite the looming clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya—a major Diwali release—Karan insisted she stick to the date.
Farah recalled asking him if she should go ahead with the festival release, to which he replied, “Don’t let this date go.”
The decision paid off. Om Shanti Om, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, went on to become the biggest Indian hit of its time with domestic earnings of over Rs 90 crore. Meanwhile,Saawariya, which introduced Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, struggled at the box office, making just Rs 22 crore.
A Clash That Led to a Fallout—and an Unusual ‘Revenge’ Role
The box-office battle strained relations between Bhansali and Farah, though they later reconciled at a children’s birthday party. Bhansali even offered Farah her acting debut in his sister Bela Segal’s 2012 film Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, which unfortunately underperformed. Farah joked, “So, he took revenge on me after that actually, by offering me that film.”