Kamal Ghorui
Long before Farah Khan became one of Bollywood’s most celebrated choreographers and filmmakers, her family’s story was one of extraordinary loss, not once, but twice over. Farah grew up in poverty after her father, filmmaker Kamran Khan, lost everything gambling on his 1971 film ‘Aisa Bhi Hota Hai’. But a lesser-known chapter of her family history goes back even further to a grandfather who once owned what is today a significant stretch of Mumbai’s western suburbs.
Farah Khan opens up about her family
Farah Khan recently revealed during a candid conversation with composer Ismail Darbar that her grandfather, Aman Gul Pathan, was the original owner of the entire Khar-Danda locality in Khar West, Mumbai. “You don’t know that the entire Khar-Danda entire property belonged to my grandfather Aman Gul Pathan,” she told Darbar’s son Zaid Darbar, noting that very few people are aware of this part of her history.
Farah Khan on how the Khar-Danda land was lost
According to Khan, her grandfather donated the entire estate to a mosque. After his passing, the land was gradually encroached upon, and the family was left with no legal ownership or claim over the property. In a lighter moment during the conversation, Khan quipped: “He died and it was all gone. Is there any government policy to claim it back?”, drawing laughs while highlighting the magnitude of what the family had lost across generations.
Ismail Darbar’s connection to Amal Gul’s Pathan Chawl
The revelation came about organically during Farah’s visit to composer Ismail Darbar, with whom she shares a warm bond despite infrequent meetings. Darbar, reflecting on his own humble beginnings, drew a direct link to Farah’s family legacy.Darbar said, “I understand his gestures very well. I lived in Amal Gul’s Pathan Chawl.”The composer credited Farah’s grandparents whom he had once personally met for shaping her character, calling her one of the nicest people he knows. Farah Khan was visibly surprised to learn that Darbar had grown up in a chawl bearing her grandfather’s name.
How Farah Khan’s father lost everything overnight
Even before the Khar-Danda land was lost to donation and encroachment, the family had already suffered another devastating financial collapse in Farah’s own lifetime. Her father, Kamran Khan, staked everything on producing ‘Aisa Bhi Hota Hai’ (1971) which was a colour film that he hoped would be his big break. The film failed, and within a single weekend of its release, the family was plunged into severe debt, losing their home and all their savings.“We became paupers. I am not a nepo kid. My dad died a pauper. When he died, he had Rs 30 in his pocket,” Farah Khan revealed.Speaking earlier with podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, Farah Khan described growing up in fear, with the anxiety of evenings bringing the dread of what her father’s struggles with alcohol might mean for the night ahead. What had begun as a story of ambition quickly became, in her own words, a “riches to rags” story.Despite being born into Bollywood, as the daughter of Meneka Irani, sister of actresses Daisy Irani and Honey Irani, Farah Khan has always been clear that she did not benefit from family connections. Her parents’ financial collapse meant she entered the industry entirely on her own terms. She started as a background dancer, worked her way up as an assistant, then built a distinguished career as a choreographer before making her directorial debut. Her journey is a textbook example of rebuilding from nothing.Today, she is best known for directing blockbusters and for her sharp, irreverent presence on screen and online. She continues to connect with audiences through her popular YouTube vlogs along with her cook Dilip.
