Farah Khan says she wanted to marry at 23 but ‘dushman' mom was against it, talks about husband Shirish Kunder: ‘Grateful I married at 40'

Indian Express

11 hours ago

Filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan, known for her unfiltered humour and candid personality, opened up about her personal journey in her latest YouTube vlog featuring influencer and content creator Apoorva Mukhija, also known as The Rebel Kid. In the new episode Farah Khan recalled the time she wanted to get married at 23. She also discussed her now husband, motherhood and YouTube stardom.
The conversation took a surprising turn when 23-year-old Apoorva shared that she was already thinking about marriage. Farah, shocked, instantly reacted, 'Don't ever get married so young.' She then got real about her own past and revealed how she, too, wanted to tie the knot at 23.
'At 23, I wanted to get married. I thought my life is now over. 'Kya hi hai life mein?' And my mom was like, 'If you get married so young, I will throw you out of my house.' I cried and created a scene. I said, 'Other parents want their daughters to get married and you are my dushman.''
Reflecting on it now, Farah said, 'But today, I am grateful that I got married around 40. I am very happy. I have three beautiful children. A good husband. At 40, you do whatever you want.'
Shirish Kunder is a filmmaker and editor. After working on 21 films as its editor, Shirish made his directorial debut with Jaan-E-Mann. He met Farah when she made her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na. Their marriage made headlines as Farah was 8 years older to Shirish.
Apoorva then asked a practical question: 'But if I find someone now, so can I get married to him after dating him for 5–6 years?'
Farah smiled and said, 'There is no date to get married.' She added warmly, 'You are just 23. Your mind will grow—' To which Apoorva jokingly interrupted, 'My mind stopped growing at 13.'
In the same vlog, the two also talked about Farah's unexpected shift from making big Bollywood films to creating YouTube vlogs. Apoorva asked if she enjoys it, and Farah beamed, 'I have too much fun. If people come in time, it gets over in 2 hours.'
She went on to explain how she got into the YouTube space. 'I had written scripts for films but then I thought, I will have to wait for dates of the actors. This gives me anxiety. People think, once you become famous, there is no stress. But that's not true. Even the biggest of stars get anxious.'
Farah shared that multiple offers had come her way to start something on YouTube, but she had her own terms.
'I finally agreed but with a condition. I said, 'I will do this, but something of my own kind. It won't be a talk show or podcast. I don't want to run behind celebrities and struggle with their managers. I will take my cook and start a cooking vlog.' And it worked!'
She added, 'By the time we did our second vlog, we received a silver button. Then we even received a gold. It worked well for us. Dilip and I started to have fun. Initially, it was just the both of us.'
ALSO READ | Apoorva Mukhija, aka Rebel Kid, says she never struggled in Mumbai, YouTube paid for 2 BHK apartment: 'I earned my annual salary in a month from Instagram'
Farah says ever since she gas got into the YouTube business, she has found joy and balance in her new routine.
'I haven't done movies in a very long time now. But with movies, two years of your life goes into it. You can't do anything apart from that. But with vlogs, I have a life. I can do this and also spend time with my kids, go watch a movie, and chill with friends and travel.'
She also highlighted how far-reaching YouTube fame can be. 'We went to SOHO House, and all these rich people came up to us and said, 'We love watching your YouTube vlogs. We love Dilip.' And later, even the watchman of the place was watching our vlog. And so was the driver. The fanbase is much more. I am enjoying YouTube, and there's lots of money in it, which we didn't know. If only we knew this, we would have started it much earlier.'
Farah laughed, pointing at Dilip, 'Dekho paisa tapak raha hai iske mooh se.'
In true Farah style, the vlog ended with a humorous twist—she made Apoorva do the dishes. 'This is how they treat outsiders in Bollywood,' Apoorva joked. Farah responded, 'I also make the insiders do the dishes.'