Farah Khan: In 2024, filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan stepped into a space she never imagined – YouTube and ended up creating one of her most profitable ventures.
After finishing the script for her next movie, she realised shooting would take at least a year to begin. With her team urging her to try digital content, and her children preparing for expensive university education, Farah finally took the plunge. What started as a casual experiment soon became a turning point in her career.
Why food, why Dilip, and why it worked
Unsure of what format to adopt, Farah picked the simplest starting point: food. She teamed up with her cook, Dilip, whose natural humour and charm became the heartbeat of her channel.
She wrote punchlines for him, added her own wit, and created chaotic, heartwarming cooking vlogs. By her second vlog, she had earned the Silver Play Button, and soon her channel surged to 2.5 million subscribers.
Dilip’s popularity skyrocketed so quickly that he now features in brand ads including one with Shah Rukh Khan and Farah proudly shared that she has even raised his salary because of their shared success.
YouTube earnings bigger than blockbusters
What shocked everyone is Farah’s income revelation. Speaking to Soha Ali Khan, she shared that her YouTube earnings in one year are “massive”, more than what she has ever made annually, including during her biggest film successes. This is a stunning comparison, considering she directed blockbusters like Main Hoon Na (₹89 cr), Om Shanti Om (₹152 cr), Happy New Year (₹383 cr), and Tees Maar Khan (₹101.8 cr). Her Shah Rukh Khan films alone total ₹624 crore in box-office collections, yet YouTube has outperformed them in personal income.
A space with no gatekeepers
More than money, Farah values the freedom YouTube gives her. No producers dictating cuts, no OTT executives controlling guests, no hierarchies labelling celebrities as A-list or tacky. “It’s my channel, my rules,” she says and audiences clearly love this unfiltered version of her.
From choreographer to filmmaker to digital creator, Farah Khan has reinvented herself once again and this time, the internet is her biggest blockbuster yet.