Farah Khan reveals how Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic Om Shanti Om song ‘Dard-E-Disco’ started as a late-night party joke with Vishal-Shekhar.
When music lovers think of Bollywood’s biggest party anthems, Dard-E-Disco from the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om almost always sits right at the top of the list. Starring Shah Rukh Khan in a famous six-pack abs, the energetic track remains a fan favorite nearly two decades after its release.
However, few people know that this chartbuster actually started as a lighthearted joke during a late-night house party. Director-choreographer Farah Khan recently visited music composer Shekhar Ravjiani at his farmhouse, where the duo walked down memory lane and shared the surprising story behind how the iconic song came into existence.
During their candid catch-up, Farah brought up the origin of the track, recalling that she, Shekhar, and his composing partner Vishal Dadlani were hanging out together at singer Sonu Nigam’s house. At the party, the music composers mentioned a piece of advice they had heard from music producer Bhushan Kumar about Indian music trends.
Bhushan had pointed out that two specific genres always rule the Indian market—painful emotional songs and high-energy disco tracks. Hearing this, Farah had a sudden flash of inspiration. She turned to the duo on the spot, and jokingly asked them to compose a track titled Dard-E-Disco by combining both concepts together.
The idea quickly took off from that casual conversation, and the team soon took the quirky title to legendary lyricist Javed Akhtar to turn it into full verses. Farah hilariously pitched him rhyming words like “San Francisco” and “26 ko” to fit the upbeat rhythm.
To add an extra layer of humor, the team playfully asked Javed Akhtar to write the playful lyrics in the poetic, elevated style of legendary lyricist Gulzar. Shekhar praised Farah during their chat, pointing out that blending high drama with catchy disco beats was entirely her creative vision.
Dard-E-Disco went on to achieve massive commercial success, dominating radio stations, night clubs, and dance floors across the country. Today, the Shah Rukh Khan number still holds a special place in pop culture. Om Shanti Om marked the Bollywood debut of Deepika Padukone.
