I’m too hot (not like “attractive” but like “the a/c in my office building is broken and I am going to die”) for writing a real serious discussion all on my own, so I am going to have to rely on you all to have that discussion in the comments. All I can provide is a list of the 6 times Shahrukh has worked with a female director and let you decide what you think of them.
Dil Aashna Hai-Hema Malini
Shahrukh was cast in his first movie by a female director, Hema Malini. She gave him advice on his hair and picked him to play the innocent fresh faced young lover of her leading lady Divya Bharti.
Main Hoon Na-Farah Khan
Long gap between his first and second movies with a female director. But on the other hand, the first time he had a chance to produce he chose a female director. Farah had a kind of comfortable casualness about how she used him in this film, he was the lead but she wasn’t afraid to make fun of the machismo inherent in the action genre through his character.
Om Shanti Om-Farah Khan
Shahrukh and Farah’s second collaberation. And this time she went all out on making fun of the male star idea, while still keeping a light touch.
Luck By Chance-Zoya Akhtar
This is just a cameo appearance as himself, but it is a very good appearance. And perhaps because it is a female director, she made his role be that of someone a little gentle, patient, and sensitive rather than cocky and powerful.
Happy New Year-Farah Khan
Back to Farah! A bit of a mess this time. Relying too much on his charm to carry the film instead of the script. I don’t know if a male director would have made the same mistake, or a different one.
Dear Zindagi-Gauri Shinde
A return to his roots, once again Shahrukh is playing the support in the story of a young woman finding herself, directed by a female director. And the way his character is both open and mysterious picks up on the essential mystery between the sexes.
Why do you think Shahrukh has worked with a female director so much, 5 times to Aamir’s 2 (if you count his wife and his cameo in Luck By Chance), and to Salman’s 0? Or so little, since we are still talking about only 4 different directors over a multi-decade career?
dontcallitbollywood 
I think SRK fundamentally respects women (based on his actions and his philanthropic work) so I think that’s why he’s had a few more experiences…but also Farah is a friend and he is clearly loyal. Now I really like HNY so we’ll have to chat about that sometime! And Dear Zindagi was brilliant and I love him in a supporting role.
LikeLike
I think SRK fundamentally respects women (based on his actions and his philanthropic work) so I think that’s why he’s had a few more experiences…but also Farah is a friend and he is clearly loyal. Now I really like HNY so we’ll have to chat about that sometime! And Dear Zindagi was brilliant and I love him in a supporting role.
LikeLike
I keep going around with Farah. Because you can say “he worked with her not because she was a woman director but because she was a friend”. Or “because she was a famous choreographer who proved herself.” But then you just get back to another moment of decision, he CHOSE to be friends with a young talented choreographer who happened to be a woman. And a big reason she was a famous successful choreographer was because he helped her get jobs and get noticed back in the day.
And thank goodness there is someone else in the world who enjoys Happy New Year. I both think it isn’t a good movie, and greatly enjoyed watching it.
On Mon, Aug 5, 2019 at 7:42 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
I agree on both counts about HNY! It’s like a delicious but guilty treat of silliness. I really enjoy the breaking the 4th wall stuff, the silent convo in the elevator, the Kung fu fighting, the “damn double role”, Peter the bouncer at the club…
LikeLike
I think too that the Farah/Shahrukh relationship is symbiotic.
LikeLike
Yes! But I would say that is feminist too, being clear sighted and unprejudiced enough to see the talent in a woman and how it might be able to help you.
On Mon, Aug 5, 2019 at 8:18 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike
Agreed! He’s proved himself as a feminist to me in many ways.
LikeLike
Also thinking that Farah may have become invaluable to him because he’s not a super gifted dancer; he (as my MIL would say about a not so attractive lady ((in her opinion)) does the best with what he’s got. I LURVE to watch him dance but he’s no Hrithik. Anyway Farah made him look good.
LikeLike
Oh boy golly yes!!!! So much so that what I think of as the “Farah Khan dance style” is more like the “dance moves that Shahrukh can do”. Quick edits, lots of shoulder and hip and leg, very athletic. And then I watch her work with someone else and it is a whole different set of moves. Although I also think Farah has perfected an overall style of kind of powerful dancing, stuff that looks manly while still being graceful.
On Mon, Aug 5, 2019 at 8:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gauri Shinde really worked wonders with him. I’d love to see what Zoya would do with him, especially if she makes another ensemble movie along the lines of Luck by Chance or DDD.
Farah is such an interesting case to me. She has helped many younger women along in their filmmaking careers, in front of and behind the camera. But in many ways she has a “one of the guys” sensibility to her movies. Cases in point are, in MHN, the spitting Satish and the older woman teacher, Bindu, played for laughs because, how dare she think she is still a person now that she’s past eff-ability; and in HNY, the random puking of Abhishek and random misogyny of Shah Rukh.
Rachel–I also enjoy HNY, especially on re-watches where I can skip the bits I don’t like. My biggest quibble with it is Shah Rukh and Deepika ending up together. In my head canon, Dips ends up with Sonu Sood, whose character actually likes women, and likes Dips specifically.
As for objectifying Shah Rukh, I much prefer the way that Karan and Yash ji objectify him than the way Farah does. 🙂 He’s just too little to carry off bulky muscles on top. And being that skinny makes his butt disappear. I agree that she is the very best choreographer for him, ever.
LikeLike
I think of Farah as the classic “first woman” person. In order to make it, she had to learn to be one of the guys. Or maybe, the reason she was the one who made it was because she was naturally one of the guys? Anyway, there is that fear you learn to reveal your softer side, and strength from being “macho”. Zoya and Gauri don’t have that as much in their work, but then they came after Farah blazed the path.
In terms of making Shahrukh’s face and body look arresting and grab the screen, I find the songs where Farah doesn’t try quite as hard the ones that work better. For instance, “Jag Soona Soona” from OSO versus “Dard-E-Disco”. He is fully clothed with kind of unattractive hair, and yet I can’t look away from him in this song:
On Tue, Aug 6, 2019 at 9:03 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
What you say about her being a “first woman” “just one of the guys” type makes sense. She has done many many beautiful songs with him. I agree that the ones which are romantic or fun rather than “sexy” capture what is special about Shah Rukh better than the others.
LikeLike
I’m in “he worked with Farah not because she was a woman director but because she was a friend” team. And also since you announced this women director week, I felt that Farah doesn’t belong to the list, but I couldn’t say why. Now, after reading Procrastinatrix’s comment I know why – there is something lacking in her movies.
LikeLike
I think that is what her post is going to be on, what is that lack and why is it there and what does it say about women succeeding in a man’s field, especially the first woman to succeed.
On Tue, Aug 6, 2019 at 9:28 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
>
LikeLike