Shah Rukh Khan: Farah Khan Calls Him and Salman Bollywood's Last Superstars

Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are Bollywood's last superstars, filmmaker Farah Khan has said, naming them with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar as the final generation of true superstars. Farah believes Bollywood's era of superstars is coming to an end, and the four stars she named are the last of them.

Speaking on Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi's show Double Date, Farah criticised today's actors for interfering in filmmaking decisions, saying many lack confidence in their directors and try to control everything from casting to music and choreography. Her message was blunt: the era of superstars is over, and Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar are the last of them, so audiences should enjoy them for as long as they keep working.

Shah Rukh Khan: What Farah Khan Said

Shah Rukh Khan was the first name Farah mentioned when she spoke about the end of the superstar era. On Double Date, she said today's actors are surrounded by people and lack the self-belief that the older generation had. Her words were: "They are surrounded by people. The era of superstars is over. They (Salman, SRK, Amitabh, Akshay) are the last of them; enjoy them for as long as they work."

Farah said many actors no longer trust their directors and want to make decisions beyond their roles, and she believes this behaviour reflects a lack of self-confidence. She criticised actors who arrive on sets without learning their lines but start suggesting changes to different aspects of filmmaking, from choreography and music to casting.

According to Farah, actors should focus on their performances and trust directors to handle their responsibilities. She said the problem with the younger generation is that they are not confident about themselves, so they keep interfering with things on sets instead of doing their own job first.

Shah Rukh Khan: The Work Ethic That Makes a Superstar

When Angad Bedi asked Farah what makes a superstar, she replied: "First of all, there is a belief in yourself, also hard work. All these guys work till now, as hard as they worked in their first film. Shah Rukh works harder now, I think. Amitabh Bachchan works hard."

Shah Rukh Khan, she said, works harder now than he did at the start of his career, and Amitabh Bachchan still works as hard as ever. Salman Khan, she added, works every day and has never said he will not shoot on a Sunday, or that today is his day off, or that he is going on a holiday. He simply does not do it.

Farah praised the established stars for their professionalism and work ethic, saying they continue to work as hard as they did at the beginning of their careers, and some work even harder. That, she said, is what separates a superstar from an actor: not just talent, but the belief in yourself and the willingness to keep working at the same level for decades.

Shah Rukh Khan: Why Farah Trusts the Old Guard

Shah Rukh Khan earned Farah's trust in a way today's actors do not, she said, by never questioning her decisions as a director. Citing her experience with him, Farah recalled that he never questioned her casting choices for Main Hoon Na (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007), including her decisions to cast Sushmita Sen and Deepika Padukone.

That trust, Farah said, is what the older generation had and the younger generation lacks. The established stars trusted their directors to handle casting, music and choreography, and they focused on their own performances. Today's actors, she said, want to control everything, and that interference comes from insecurity, not from knowledge.

Farah's own career shows why she values that trust. She began as a choreographer and became one of Bollywood's most successful directors, and her films with Shah Rukh Khan, including Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, were among the biggest hits of their years. She knows what a director needs from an actor, and she says the answer is simple: learn your lines, do your job, and let the director direct.

Shah Rukh Khan: Farah's Next Film

Shah Rukh Khan may also lead Farah Khan's next film. Farah has revealed plans to begin work on her next directorial project towards the end of 2026, after her children leave for college, and she has indicated that she would prefer Shah Rukh Khan to lead her next film and may wait if the superstar is not available.

That is a telling detail, because it shows how much Farah values working with the actors she calls the last superstars. She would rather wait for Shah Rukh Khan than make her next film with someone else, and that is the same trust she says today's actors do not show their directors.

Farah Khan's comments have sparked a conversation about Bollywood's changing dynamics, and about whether the industry can produce another superstar. Her answer is clear: the era is over, and the four names she gave, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, are the last of them.

Shah Rukh Khan: Frequently Asked Questions

Who did Farah Khan call Bollywood's last superstars? Farah Khan named Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar as the last generation of true superstars, saying the era of superstars is over.

Where did Farah Khan say this about Shah Rukh Khan? On Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi's show Double Date, where she also criticised today's actors for interfering in filmmaking decisions.

What did Farah Khan say about today's actors? She said many of today's actors lack confidence in themselves and their directors, interfere in casting, music and choreography, and arrive on sets without learning their lines.

What makes a superstar, according to Farah Khan? Belief in yourself and hard work. She said Shah Rukh Khan works harder now than he did in his first film, and Salman Khan works every day and never refuses to shoot on a Sunday.

Is Farah Khan directing a new film with Shah Rukh Khan? She plans to begin her next directorial project towards the end of 2026, after her children leave for college, and she would prefer Shah Rukh Khan to lead it, and may wait if he is not available.