Long before the iconic "Deewangi Deewangi" from Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (2007) brought together nearly the entire Bollywood industry, filmmaker Manmohan Desai achieved a similar feat. For his 1981 blockbuster Naseeb, Desai conceptualized the legendary song "John Jaani Janardhan," featuring a galaxy of stars.
The multi-starrer song included Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Rakesh Roshan, Vijay Arora, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Mala Sinha, Bindu, Simi Garewal, Simple Kapadia, and Prema Narayan. The song was filmed at RK Studios over a week.
According to an Indian Express article published October 3, 2025, Manmohan Desai's son, Ketan Desai, recalled a conversation with his father about making something even grander than a multi-starrer film. Manmohan Desai's response was, "What if we bring the entire industry together in one scene?" He envisioned a party scene where all the stars gathered, while Amitabh Bachchan, who was already playing a waiter in the film, served them.
Farah Khan, a self-proclaimed Manmohan Desai fan, drew inspiration from "John Jaani Janardhan" when creating "Deewangi Deewangi" for Om Shanti Om. In a masterclass, she mentioned being inspired by Desai's Naseeb, stating she thought, "I am a big Manmohan Desai fan." She added, "Before this we had only seen this happening in Desai films".
The Om Shanti Om song "Deewangi Deewangi" featured 39 Bollywood actors in cameo appearances. The song became a celebration of Bollywood itself. Farah Khan revealed that filming the song took six days of meticulous planning. Some stars, like Rekha, rehearsed their parts, while others, like Salman Khan, improvised. Khan recounted how Dharmendra was shooting his part when Salman Khan jumped into the shot, with Saif Ali Khan following suit. Shabana Azmi even contacted Farah Khan, expressing her desire to be included in the song, wanting to participate in the fun.
Despite Farah Khan's efforts, not everyone could be a part of "Deewangi Deewangi." Aamir Khan declined to participate, while Fardeen Khan was unable to attend due to an arrest. Dev Anand also declined the offer, as he only played lead roles throughout his career.
Shah Rukh Khan, the lead actor and producer of Om Shanti Om, was responsible for trying to get Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu for the song, but they were ultimately unable to participate. To show appreciation, Shah Rukh Khan gifted all the stars goodie bags worth ₹1 lakh, which included a watch, a phone, and more. The actresses also got to keep the sarees designed by Manish Malhotra.
The title of Om Shanti Om itself has a connection to Bollywood history, deriving from the eponymous song from Subhash Ghai's film Karz (1980).
