Filmmaker Farah Khan has drawn a comparison between the mindset of today's actors and the superstars of the industry. According to her, the biggest differences between them are the confidence superstars, including Shah Rulh Khan, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar, have in themselves and their ability to trust the people they work with.
Speaking about how actors today want to be involved in everything, Farah told Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi in a conversation on their vlog, “The problem is that actors don't have confidence in anyone. They don't have confidence in the director; they want to choreograph the songs themselves; they want to interfere in music also; and they want to get involved in casting as well. That all comes when you are not confident about yourself. If you are confident about yourself, then they'll trust you."
Recalling working with Shah Rukh Khan on Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, Farah shared, “Shah Rukh has never interfered in casting. When I said that I wanted Sushmita Sen, she was not some big heroine. Any big heroine would have come and done Main Hoon Na. He didn't question. When I said I need a new heroine for Om Shanti Om, he didn't question. He just saw the photo and said, ‘You're good with her, then fine.' Everyone wants to do everybody else's job. They are not confident about themselves.”
Farah also pointed out that in order to become a "superstar", actors need to have an unwavering work ethic. Citing examples of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar, Farah said that these stars continue to work as hard as they did when they started their career.
Answering the question "What makes a superstar?" Farah shared, “First of all, there's a belief in yourself, and also hard work. Shah Rukh works harder now, I think. Amitabh Bachchan works hard. Probably he must not have worked that hard when he started his career. You see him on KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati). You see, Salman, he works every day. He has never said, ‘I will not shoot on Sunday. Today is my off day', or ‘I am going on a holiday.' He doesn't do it. Akshay Kumar comes there, and he is shooting every day, every hour. He has his ‘I need holiday', but he is so planned that he keeps everyone on their toes.”
Farah mentioned that these superstars never come on set and try to do someone else's job. “Coming there and discussing and saying, ‘Okay, now, change this. Only these many? Add more 200 dancers.' That is not your job. You first learn your lines. That is your job: to know your lines when you come on set. You don't know that,” Farah said, referring to today's actors. The filmmaker believes that the current generation also lacks confidence.
