Farah Khan Reveals How She Convinced Bollywood Actresses for ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ Using Manish Malhotra’s Costumes

Farah Khan has finally revealed the secret behind assembling one of Bollywood’s biggest star-packed sequences — the iconic ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ song from Om Shanti Om. In a recent visit to designer Manish Malhotra’s house for a vlog, the filmmaker opened up about how she managed to bring together several leading actresses for the memorable dance number.

Farah Khan Admits: “I Enticed the Actresses With Manish Malhotra’s Costumes”

Speaking about Manish Malhotra’s role in making the song possible, Farah said,
“In Om Shanti Om, Manish had designed all of Deepika’s costumes. When we needed a 70s look, he and I were the perfect team. For ‘Deewangi Deewangi’, Manish even accompanied me to meet every heroine featured in the song. I enticed them by saying he would design their outfits – and they could take the costumes home after the shoot.”

Manish Malhotra recalled how the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Naseeb inspired the sequence.
“I grew up watching the song ‘John Jaani Janardhan,’ which featured many stars together. I wondered if I’d ever see that in real life. Ironically, ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ gave me that moment.”

A Song That Celebrated Bollywood’s Golden Era

The blockbuster track, composed by Vishal-Shekhar and sung by Shaan, Udit Narayan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan and others, showcases Bollywood’s joyous self-celebration. It features a long list of star cameos including:

• Shah Rukh Khan
• Deepika Padukone
• Saif Ali Khan
• Tusshar Kapoor
• Jeetendra
• Dharmendra
• Shreyas Talpade
• Aftab Shivdasani

Actresses Featured in the Song

Farah revealed she used Manish’s costumes as an incentive to bring leading ladies on board. The song featured:

• Juhi Chawla
• Vidya Balan
• Rekha
• Preity Zinta
• Rani Mukerji
• Priyanka Chopra
• Shilpa Shetty
• Kajol
• Lara Dutta
• Tabu
• Urmila Matondkar
• Diya Mirza
• Amrita Rao
• Amrita Arora

Why the Song Still Stands Out

Even after 17 years, Deewangi Deewangi remains one of Bollywood’s most celebrated star-studded sequences — remembered for its energy, nostalgia, and rare lineup of actors sharing the screen.