Honing additional skills essential to survive in Bollywood: Farah Khan

HYDERABAD: ‘Don’t’ was the advice Bollywood celebrity Farah Khan gave to all those aspiring for a career in Bollywood at an event organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) here on Thursday.

Socialite and entrepreneur Pinky Reddy and film personalities Adivi Sesh and Pooja Hegde were present on the occasion.

“A director is a director and there is no gender difference or bias”, she said, on being introduced to the gathering as ‘the most successful female director’ in Bollywood.  She added that Hyderabad is special to her and she often visits the city, whose “people are kind-hearted.”

“I too, like many others, have had a fair share of woes, struggles and difficulties as a child. Fridays decide the fate of many artists in our industry. My father was praised so much on one of the Fridays when his film was about to be released. And on Sunday, two days after his film’s release, people stopped seeing him or visiting our house. That is how our lives are,” she said.

When asked about the one parameter one must possess, the three film personalities said it was a combination of technique, expertise, qualification or talent to further one’s Bollywood career.

“Having a natural talent in your chosen discipline is fine but you'll also need to demonstrate and hone these skills to make the grade in the highly competitive performing arts industry,” added Farah.

Each of them shared their views on the OTT model of entertainment, changing audience preferences, platforms, prevailing trends in the industry, inspirational moments and challenges, among others.