Short Story SRK-starrer ‘Ra.One'

Shahrukh reportedly plays a Miami software engineer Shekhar in the film, who as a video-game hero takes on his self-created techno-monster “Ra.One”. Shooting locations include Miami (Florida, USA) and Shahrukh’s wife Gauri Khan (Billu) is the producer.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha (Tum Bin), science-fiction superhero hi-tech film “Ra.One” is written by David Benullo (Shadow Man), cinematography by Ueli Steiger (The Maiden Heist), and music by Vishal-Shekhar. Besides Shahrukh, it also reportedly stars Filmfare winners Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met) and Vivek Oberoi (Company).

Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, welcoming this Bollywood-Hollywood music collaboration, pointed out in a statement in Nevada (USA) today that while adapting to Western music, we should not completely forget India’s rich musical heritage, elements of whose theory go back to Sama-Veda.

Grammy nominated Akon of Senegal background, born as Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, has 40 “Billboard Hot 100” songs. Various other international pop stars have done numbers for Bollywood in the past, like Samantha Fox (Rock Dancer), Snoop Dogg (Singh is Kinng), and Kylie Minogue (Blue).

American singer-songwriter Akon is reportedly appearing in Bollywood big-budget action film “Ra.One”, starring megastar Shahrukh Khan.

Shah Rukh to sing, dance for KKR

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said he would sing and dance to cheer his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team during all the seven matches at Eden Gardens in the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month.

"I will sing, I will dance, I will be there to cheer up the boys," KKR co-owner King Khan told reporters via video-conference.

SRK, as Shah Rukh is popularly known, had gone to South Africa to encourage his side during the first five matches of the IPL last year.

He said KKR, in association with Nokia, will host Para (neighbourhood) cricket to create a platform for a new generation of cricketers.

SRK & GOURI KHAN @ 55th FilmFare Award.

S+S=SRK & SAIF the best Host for FilmFare Award,

The hosts:

Actress Minissha Lamba tweeted on co-hosts Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, “Show just started. SRK wearing red glasses that I love on him soooo much. Saif looking so dapper.. Mistook him for an Italian backstage!!”

When Atul Kulkarni went up the stage to present a technical award, SRK pulled his leg saying, “Atul ek smile toh kardo. Itne paise mein itna he milega kya?”. To this Atul smiled and wished a “Hi” to both SRK and Saif.

While hosting, SRK and Saif called Deepika Padukone on stage for an act and while at that, their pants just came off giving full view of their boxer shorts, making it a real funny act at that!

Karan Johar and Siddharth are hosting the show now and SRK introduced K Jo as sexy and gorgeous. To that Karan replied, “With a beautiful ladies like Gauri and Kareena, I am sure SRK and Saif are not getting time to look at other girls and so they are noticing me.’

SRK, Saif salute Sachin
Hosts Shah Rukh and Saif saluted Sachin Tendulkar for his amazing 200 score at the Gauhati ODI against South Africa.

Shruti Haasan and Siddharth takes over from SRK-Saif to host the next set of awards.

Saif turns a chicken!
Saif is back after a costume change. Wearing a white feather outfit, Saif is looking cute, somewhat like a chicken. Next gag is going to be interesting...
In a gag, Saif had an egg hatched on his head. When he and Shah Rukh went to meet Rekha, she reached to hug Saif and he said, “Baby I have this egg on my head.” To this Rekha seductively replied, “Anything for you baby.”

SRK goes Blue!
SRK became a shark from ‘BLUE’ while Saif became masakalli from ‘Delhi-6’ for a skit.

When Bipasha Basu came up to present an award, SRK asked her to do some aerobics and to everyone’s surprise she did do some of the fitness acts with SRK and Saif trying hard to cope up with her.

Saif fills in for Bebo
SRK announced that “here’s presenting Kareena.” Instead of Kareena, beau Saif Ali Khan played the lovely actress by doing a little jig on the song ‘San Sana San’ from the movie Asoka.

Red Carpet : The stars started arriving at the appointed hour at the famous Yash Raj Studio, Mumbai. Riteish Desumukh, Sanjay Gadhvi, Shahid Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan were among the first ones to reach the venue.

Divya Dutta, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category for Delhi-6, arrives at the red carpet. The stunning lady says, “The competition is really tough. I am looking forward to SRK-Saif's kick-ass chemistry.”

SRK and Saif were spotted rehearsing backstage. SRK looked amazing in his red glasses and Saif exuded cool in his usual trademark bandana, t-shirt and denims.

SRK who is hosting the event with Saif is really excited and says, “This time we will be poking fun at ourselves rather than the others.”

Karan Johar just can’t stop talking about debutant Director Ayan Mukherjee. “It’s a matter of pride because it belongs to my production house. The film has received several nominations. May the best man win.” Karan who showed up wearing his own creations in association with Varun Bahl, cant wait to see Saif-SRK chemistry revive.

Kajol has entered with Tanisha wearing what she says is her Blackberry. About SRK-Saif, Kajol said, “They are crazy and have forced me to come here.”

3 Idiots shines at Filmfare Awards

3 Idiots made a clean sweep at the 55th Idea Filmfare awards by winning most of the popular choice awards, followed by Firaaq, Dev D and Paa

And the Black Lady goes to...

Popular Awards

Best Film: Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots
Rekha handed over the award to the 3 Idiots team including Maddy, Omi, Boman, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.

Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Rajkumar Hirani received the award from Ramesh Sippy.

Best Actor in Leading Role (Male): Amitabh Bachchan for Paa
In his absence Vidya Balan received the award. Vishal Bhardwaj on stage said, "Diye ko ujaala dikhaane jaisa hai.”

Best Actor in Leading Role (Female): Vidya Balan for Paa
Sri Devi and Boney kapoor presented the award to the lovely lady.

Best Supporting Actor (Male): Boman Irani for 3 Idiots
Bipasha Basu and Ramesh Taurani were there on stage to present the award.

Best Supporting Actor (Female): Kalki Koechlin for Dev D
Neil Mukesh and Kunal Kohli gave the award to Kalki. She thanked everyone from the Dev D team and ended the speech by saying, “I also want to thank the most important person in my life, Anurag Kashyap.”

Best Debutante Director (Male): Ayan Mukherjee for Wake Up Sid
Deepika Padukone and Idea head honcho presented the award. Meanwhile, Karan Johar tweets, “I feel like a proud parent.”

Best Debutante Director (Female): Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance
Javed Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar presented the award to Zoya, making the moment more special for her.

Best Dialogue: Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 idiots
Minissha Lamba presented the Best Dialogue Award. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a happy man today, 3 Idiots has won three awards so far, but he is hungry for more.

Best Screenplay: Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi for 3 Idiots
Urmila Matondkar and Abbas-Mastan presented the award to the duo.

Best Story: Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Genelia D'Souza and Harman Baweja gave the award.


Filmfare Critics Award

Best Film: Firaaq
Nandita Das won the Critics Best Film Award for her directorial debut Firaaq.

Best Actor (Female): Mahi Gill, Dev D
Mahie Gill won the Best Actress Award (Critics) for her debut film Dev D

Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir got the award for his consistently outstanding performances in 2009.


Filmfare Music Awards

Best Music: A R Rahman for Delhi 6
Kajol and Tabu gave away the award to Rahman. It’s his 25th Filmfare award.

Best Lyrics: Irshad Kamil for 'Aaj Din Chaddya' (Love Aaj Kal)
Prateik Babbar, Jonty Rhodes and Mugdha Godse presented the award.

Best Playback Singer (Female): Rekha Bharadwaj for Genda Phool (Delhi 6) and Kavita Seth for Iktara (Wake Up Sid)
Madhavan and Shahana Goswami presented the award.

Best Playback Singer (Male): Mohit Chauhan for Masakalli (Delhi 6)
Celina Jaitley and Chunky Pandey gave away the black lady to Mohit.

RD Burman Music Award: Amit Trivedi
Anu Malik and Sherlyn Chopra presented the award to Amit. After receiving the award he said, "I dedicate this award to my mother. This is the greatest achievement for any musician.”

Yamma, Yamma.. Shashi gets Lifetime Achievement Award!

Shashi Kapoor received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Shabana Azmi, Yash Chopra, while the song ‘Yamma Yamma’ from the evergreen movie Shaan played in the background. Shabana spoke a few words about Mr Kapoor, who in return only said ‘Thank You.” Shashi Kapoor holding and posing with his Lifetime Achievement Award trophy while sitting on a wheelchair was truly touching. He was accompanied by daughter Sanjana.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Khayyam
Asha Bhosle presented the award to the renowned music composer. Recalling his fond memories Khayyam saab said, “I started my career as an assistant music director with B R Chopra at the salary of Rs 125. So I dedicate all this success to him.” Asha Bhosle added, “I credit my ghazal singing and urdu to Khayyam saab”.

Nandita Das gets a Special Award for her film Firaaq

Filmfare Technical Awards:

Best Visual Effects: Kaminey

Best Choreography Award: Bosco-Ceasar, 'Chor Bazaari' from Love Aaj Kal

Best Production Design: Helen & Sukant for Dev D

Best Action: Vijayan Master for Wanted
With his hands around the black lady, Vijayan said, “I dedicate this award to Boney Kapoor and my hero Salman Khan.”

Best Sound Design: Manas Chaudhury for Firaaq

Best Editing: Sreekar Prasad for Firaaq

Best Cinematographer: Rajeev Ravi for Dev D
Anurag Kashyap received the award on his behalf.

Best Costume Design: Vaishali Menon for Firaaq

Best Background Score: Amit Trivedi for Dev D
Kabir Bedi and Mukesh Bhatt presented the award.

Amit Trivedi says “I kept very quiet about my work. I would let my work do the talking. This my first Filmfare. I have fallen in love with this Black lady.”

The Buzz off-stage...
Jonty Rhodes sitting backstage between two hot Marathi girls - Mugdha Godse and Urmila Matondkar, who were wearing beautiful saris. The two ladies were trying to get very friendly with the South African cricketer while Jonty was blushing non-stop.

Kajol and Urmila are bonding like a house on fire.

Kunal Kapoor should be given an award for the most active member at the Filmfare. He is doing whatever his friends are telling him to do. Be it going out for a smoke, or on the stage and off stage hanging out, choosing their clothes, giving them company for a drink etc. We wonder where the energy is coming from!

Prateik Babbar and Neil Nitin Mukesh have been constantly together like a magnet since they have entered. We are suspecting a new Dostana well.

Shruti Haasan is wearing a strapless gown and she was shivering with the cold due to the powerful A/C at the Yash Raj studio where the 55th Idea Filmfare Awards happened. She asked for a jacket from a friend to keep her warm.

Sizzling Performances...
Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, the Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai pair set the stage on fire, with a rocking performance.

A tribute to MJ...
Karan Johar talks about the ‘King of Pop’...Shahid’s performance follows...

Shahid Moonwalked...
When Shahid Kapoor performed a tribute to Michael Jackson the audience went into a frenzy. Shahid did each and every step of MJ including the trademark moonwalk with great ease. He performed on the songs Jam and Smooth Criminal. Farhan Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor looked quite impressed with Shahid’s act.

Biding adieu...
Filmfare also paid tribute to people who passed away last year. Bina Rai, Shakti Samanta, Feroze Khan, Prakash Mehra, Gulshan Kumar Mehta, Simple Kapadia, Joginder, Leela Naidu, Sujit Kumar, Tahir Hussain and Nirmal Pandey.

Red Carpet : The stars started arriving at the appointed hour at the famous Yash Raj Studio, Mumbai. Riteish Desumukh, Sanjay Gadhvi, Shahid Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan were among the first ones to reach the venue.

Divya Dutta, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category for Delhi-6, arrives at the red carpet. The stunning lady says, “The competition is really tough. I am looking forward to SRK-Saif's kick-ass chemistry.”

SRK and Saif were spotted rehearsing backstage. SRK looked amazing in his red glasses and Saif exuded cool in his usual trademark bandana, t-shirt and denims.

Kaveeta Seth is nominated in the Best Playback Singer category for the song Iktara from Wake Up Sid. The newbie says, "I am nervous since the competition is with all established singers. But even if I don't win, I would consider being nominated as an achievement".

Imtiaz Ali who has been nominated in the Best Director category for Love Aaj Kal looked pretty chilled out while walking the red carpet with his parents and wife. He says, “I love being at the Filmfare awards. This is a time where all the friends can meet and party after the awards to celebrate each other’s win”

Imtiaz also walked the ramp at the Manish Malhotra’s show at the Filmfare pre-event party that was held on Thursday night.

Other B-Town celebs are also on the way! Minissha Lamba has decided on a hot pink gown and is running late, Dino Morea is also suiting up, and Neil Nitin Mukesh is on his way and remarks, “Let’s pray”! Filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani is rooting for Wake Up Sid director Ayan Mukherji, who is nominated for Best Debut Director and says, “Please pray he wins.... !”

Others in the house are Silencer Omi, the funny man, Simi Garewal wearing a little black with her usual white and yes... the reclusive Shashi Kapoor! The excitement is definitely building up!

Farhan Akhtar is accompanied by his sister Zoya Akhtar for the ceremony. Farhan’s film ‘Luck By Chance’ has earned several nominations, when we asked him about his chances of winning he said, “I think we have good chance.”

Ayan Mukherjee wants Ranbir Kapoor to win the Best Actor award for Wake Up Sid but he knows Amitabh Bachchan will take that one away for Paa.

Shruti Haasan chose to wear beige colour outfit designed by Christion Dior for the event, but she failed to impress. Shruti will also play the host for a while and says, “I am very excited as this is the first time I will be compering for Filmfare.”

Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar have come in together. Yash Chopra, Padmini Kholapure and Shivangi Kapoor are also at the venue.

Sunidhi Chauhan, who has nominated in the Best singer category for her song ‘Chor Bazaari' from the movie Love Aaj Kal has also arrived. “May the best contender win”, was all she said.

Hottie Sherlyn Chopra who’s attending the filmfare awards for the first time says, “I am looking for Khan and Khan’s (SRK and Saif) double meaning jokes” the lady showed up wearing a gorgeous Black strapless gown.

Mahie Gill is wearing a Black and Golden gown. She is looking very stunning. “I have no idea if I have been nominated for the award. But I am very excited as this is my first Filmfare night.” Nandita Das has just come in with her husband.

SRK who is hosting the event with Saif is really excited and says, “This time we will be poking fun at ourselves rather than the others.”

Karan Johar just can’t stop talking about debutant Director Ayan Mukherjee. “It’s a matter of pride because it belongs to my production house. The film has received several nominations. May the best man win.” Karan who showed up wearing his own creations in association with Varun Bahl, cant wait to see Saif-SRK chemistry revive.

Boman Irani has arrived at the Red carpet. He has a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 3 idiots.

Man of the moment, Raju Hirani, director of 3 Idiots is in the house. He said, “The award is a celebration for one’s hard work. If you start competition it’s not fun, its unhappy then. Anyway I wish we take away at least 10 awards. We will miss Aamir tonight, but what to do he doesn’t attend award function.” To that Vidhu Vinod Chopra added, “Actually I hope we take as many as our hands can carry.”

Director of Dev D Anurag Kashyap walks in with his girlfriend Kalki Koechlin. Anurag has been nominated in the Best Director category but thinks 3 Idiots will take away the Best Film award. Kalki has also earned a nomination in Best debut actress category. The lovely lady said, “This is my first nomination, I am really, really happy. It is a huge thing for me."

Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone, Celina Jaitly, Sameera Reddy arrive at the venue. Celina Jaitley is looking awesome in her Cavalli gown, she said “I’m definitely rooting for Paa.” Deepika who’s dressed in a black Shantanu-and-Nikhil, is looking one of the best dressed at the event.

Music mogul A R Rahman has just entered.

Tabu who is looking pretty in a Anita Dongre outfit, said she is here to have fun and is not rooting for anyone.

Interestingly, Harman Baweja roots for Priyanka and says “Priyanka will bag the best actress award for Kaminey.”

Urmila walks in with designer Manish Malhotra. Dressed in a green saree by Manish, the lady looks nice.

Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupati who are rumoured to be dating, walked in together holding hands. It is their first public appearance together. Lara and Mahesh said, “We are each other’s dates tonight. About whether we are officially seeing each other, you just have to wait and watch.”

The entire Roshan family has just entered. Arjun Rampal has come with his wife.

Dia Mirza slipped into a beige dress by Dress Circle for the event, whereas Mugdha Gode chose to dress in a lavender saree.

Hrithik has come in carrying a Kite in his hands and says that he will promote his forthcoming film Kites at the award night. He said, “Filmfare should give an award to every nominee, not just the winners."

Bollywood diva Rekha has just entered looking stunning as ever in her Golden saree.

Kajol has entered with Tanisha wearing what she says is her Blackberry. About SRK-Saif, Kajol said, “They are crazy and have forced me to come here.”

Bipasha Basu just walked in looking gorgeous in a Black off shoulder gown, minus beau John Abraham. Dino Morea too walked in alone.

Kangana stepped in a white Christian Dior gown and is rooting for everyone because they’re all friends. The actress who took ten minutes flat to get ready said ,”It doesn’t take me more time. I am born beautiful.”

Katrina made her red carpet entry in a Gauri and Nainika gown looking like the starlet she is.

SRK & SAIF 55th Idea Filmfare Awards Rehearsals

Shahrukh has big dreams on Twitter Share

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan has made a wish. He wants to be the most popular Indian on micro-blogging site Twitter and overtake Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor. Shahrukh who had taken to Twitter ahead of the release of his movie My Name Is Khan has close to 170000 followers compared to that of Tharoor who has more than 660000 followers and has landed in many controversies due to his tweets.

Speaking at NDTV Indian of the Year Awards, Shahrukh said "In few months I am going to overtake Shahi Tharoor (on twitter). I am going for him. He is our god." Tharoor was generous enough to Shahrukh's statement and replied "I had predicted this the day Shahrukh joined twitter. I will be happy rather than regret it," the politician said. Well seems like from being the Baadshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh wants to be Baadshah of the internet.

SRK at home with the Prince Aryan & Princes Suhana,

'Living with a Superstar: Shah Rukh Khan' Discovery Travel & Living,

Raj K Gopalakrishnan of Blue Mango Films talks exclusively to CNNGo about scoring the gig of a lifetime, producing Shah Rukh Khan’s new all-access behind-the-scenes reality TV show premiering tonight, February 26

This week Discovery Travel & Living are releasing "Living with a Superstar: Shah Rukh Khan" a 10-part prime time reality television series on the unseen life of one of India's most influential contemporary icons.

Bollywood fans book your rehab session now, this is one slickly produced piece of celebrity voyeurism. Millions are expected to tune in across the nation and abroad to ogle at the enviable lifestyle of one of the planet's biggest superstars.

To do this the producers shadowed Shah Rukh accross four continents to film episodes that cover vacationing with him in London, one of his favorite cities; a personal tour of Mannat, his Mumbai castle and meeting the people who form the backbone of his day-to-day life; access to his home in Dubai; private time spent with his family; first-hand disclosures on the controversies, decisions and game plan for his Indian Premier League cricket team the Kolkata Knight Riders; an exclusive acting master class, where Khan deconstructs the art and technique of performance, as he sees it, and a whole lot of extra 'Shahrukhisms' that cover the actor's views on "living, loving, creating and letting go."

You can bet Indians ranging from social anthropologists, to filmmakers, contemporary culture scholars to Bollywood critics and lifestyle commentators will be tuning in along with the fans in the hope of basking in the incredible success and fathoming the insane popularity of this Indian celebrity.

On the eve of the televison premier, Raj K Gopalakrishnan of Blue Mango films (the boutique film production house which co-produced the series with Red Chillies Idiot Box) shares his personal and professional experience filming one of the most important Bollywood documentaries that's ever been made.

CNNGo: Following Shah Rukh Khan for a year is a job for producers with marathon stamina. Truth or dare?

Raj K Gopalakrishnan: This is a reality series, and true to the spirit of reality, we did not pre script or stage scenarios so the important thing was not to miss a moment. This meant long hours of shooting. No breaks. No rest. With SRK, it becomes exponential as he packs what feels like 36 hours into one day. We had to always be ready, alert and at peak performance levels. No matter how much we planned, six out of 10 times the plan would change with 10 minutes to two minutes notice. Like one time when we were shooting in London SRK was walking around and suddenly decided to hop on to a rickshaw. We had to quickly find another one for the camera (and pay a ridiculous amount to the driver) as the rest of the crew ran through busy London traffic without any prior intimation…but it was such a wonderful moment. Nothing was staged and there was this super duper star just roaming about in a rickshaw without a care in the world.

CNNGo: 'Living with a Superstar' was an ambitious project to conceptualize. How have you structured the episodes to cover this many aspects of SRK’s life?

Gopalakrishnan: He gave us unlimited access, like nobody has ever been given before. So we decided to follow him across four continents and literally let the story tell itself. We shot with him in South Africa, Europe, America, UAE and India. We were with him, recording the trials and tribulations of the IPL. We were with him during the shooting of "My Name is Khan". We were also with him when he was vacationing in London with his family. We were in Mumbai. In his home. At his office. On his Birthday. We were everywhere he was. Literally living with the superstar… and that’s why we named the series that.

As for structuring the episodes a lot of the crafting happened during the post shoot brainstorming, on the edit table. Footage was brought to the table as soon as it was shot and this way we could keep a tight control over the quality and content as well as start iterations. It’s here that we decided to make the series structure thematic, instead of chronological, so that even if you see just one episode it would be one complete chapter from SRK’s life. Some of the themes are 'private vacation' from his time in London or 'Shah Rukh 24X7' the total workaholic and through these themes viewers will, for the first time, get an insider’s look at every facet of SRK -- actor, father, husband, friend, businessman and more.

CNNGo: How did your perception of your subject change during the making of this show?

Gopalakrishnan: SRK is such a good human being --- he has admirable integrity, is honest, straightforward, witty, very, very intelligent, professional, a thorough gentleman and a real family man. He’s been a revelation. He is also a workaholic, has an unflinching commitment to his work and does not see failure as an option. His charm and eloquence add to his persona. Contrary to popular belief, he is not pompous. I have seen him on the sets of movies and shoots. He immediately puts everyone at ease, and is a complete team player. I have never seen him lose his cool, but he does call a spade a spade. He is very quick to adapt to his surroundings and changes in the world at large. That is one of the reasons for his longevity as an economically viable investment for any producer.

But then you suddenly realise that his attitude towards life and work define him as a super-achiever not just a superstar. So, instead of being an actor, if he was in finance or sports or software I believe he would be at the zenith and that is my biggest perception change.

Gopalakrishnan: SRK is such a good human being --- he has admirable integrity, is honest, straightforward, witty, very, very intelligent, professional, a thorough gentleman and a real family man. He’s been a revelation. He is also a workaholic, has an unflinching commitment to his work and does not see failure as an option. His charm and eloquence add to his persona. Contrary to popular belief, he is not pompous. I have seen him on the sets of movies and shoots. He immediately puts everyone at ease, and is a complete team player. I have never seen him lose his cool, but he does call a spade a spade. He is very quick to adapt to his surroundings and changes in the world at large. That is one of the reasons for his longevity as an economically viable investment for any producer.

But then you suddenly realise that his attitude towards life and work define him as a super-achiever not just a superstar. So, instead of being an actor, if he was in finance or sports or software I believe he would be at the zenith and that is my biggest perception change.

CNNGo: Tell us what happened behind-the-scenes.

Gopalakrishnan: Some of the craziest moments involved fans. No matter which part of the world we were in, fans managed to track down all our crew’s so called "secret spots". Once a bunch of 10 odd teenagers had travelled from another city to meet SRK. They surrounded our crew and refused to let us go. We had to keep talking to security and devise almost 10 exits from where we could get him out. It was like a cat and mouse game. Finally, we split the team in half and made a dummy team with an empty camera seem like they were the right crew. While we managed to get the shot and SRK out safely, the other crew actually came back with a few scratches and buttons ripped from their clothing trying to escape the fans.

Another time, we had fans reaching places with fake IDs, claiming that they were perimeter security assigned by fictitious local authorities and stating that they would have to confiscate the cameras or be with the crew to ensure SRK's safety! There were such incidents almost on a daily basis throughout the shoot.

CNNGo: What is your understanding of what it's like to be Shah Rukh Khan?

Gopalakrishnan: It’s got to be tough. High pressure. Very demanding. Everybody has something to say about you. Even people who don’t know you have an opinion about you. And those who want to know you, perhaps have an ulterior motive or are simply star struck. Life is forever under the scanner and in a territory so fertile for rumours and slandering, there is a reputation to protect. More importantly, there is a family to protect. And given all this, I think he manages beautifully.

I think his family keeps him really balanced (he carries their pictures with him everywhere and they are the first things to inhabit his hotel room). He also has very acute business acumen. He has razor sharp intellect. Great oratory skills. He has charisma. He is savvy. He has vision. I think other than being a great entertainer, SRK would make a great leader for our country. That’s one role I would love to see him in…in real not reel life!

"Living with a Superstar: Shah Rukh Khan" premiers February 26 on Discovery Travel & Living, airing every Friday at 9pm IST.

SRK, KJo's moment of history

That My Name is Khan is one of the biggest Bollywood global grossers ever is not just a professional triumph for two of the Hindi film industry’s most powerful names — Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar; it’s also a personal victory for them.

“Every time we have come together, something special has happened,” says the Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan. SRK, who has witnessed Karan’s graph rise with each of their films — be it Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho or Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and now My Name is Khan, smiles affectionately as he remembers their first meeting. “He was very young when he came to me to make Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But even then, he was crystal clear in what he wanted to say,” he remembers.

“With each passing film I have seen him grow in stature as a person and as a film-maker. Karan is family. Gauri and my kids — Aryan and Suhana — love him. And I feel a personal pride in seeing him scale the heights he has,” he adds.

For Karan, the journey of Khan is an emotional high. “Well, I’m ecstatic that the film has become the global phenomenon that it has. It has broken records,’’ says Karan. “But for me, what is of even more significance is the fact that SRK and I have an emotional connect. This makes our professional triumph even more special.” He admits that giving five-record-breaking films together is the result of “great synergy between the both of us. And, what makes this record even more meaningful for me is the fact that Shah Rukh and I share an emotional bond.”

If SRK has seen Karan mature from a boy to a man, Karan has also seen Bollywood biggest brand rise right in front of his eyes. “Professionally Shah Rukh is the biggest, most widely accepted Bollywood brand across the globe. And personally I have seen him grow from a husband to a father. The birth of his children changed him forever. He is now more restrained as a person. As far as his celluloid growth is concerned, well I don’t need to say it. Even those remotely connected to the movies will stand testimony for the fact that Shah Rukh is indeed King.’’

SRK back as Filmfare host

The 55th Filmfare Awards are round the corner and Shah Rukh Khan who has been busy promoting his film My Name Is Khan of late, will now step into the shoes of host for the night on Saturday night.

The actor has been working on his monologue for the past couple of days with his writers.

“He has been so busy that he hasn’t had any time to prepare for the award night. Normally by now his sessions with the writers is done and he is well on his way to memorizing his monologue and stuff. But he only had the first session with his writers last night,” says our source.

And like every year this year too we can be ready for a whole lot of laughs in true King Khan style.

“Shah Rukh is very clear that he will poke fun at people present there. But it is never nasty or personal. And this year too, he is adding his own gags and one liners to the act,” adds the source.

The person behind the script this year is Vir Das. The standup comedian has worked with Khan earlier too and is aware of his likes and dislikes.

“The two sat together last evening to go through what Vir had come up with so far. Vir had been working on the script for over a fortnight now. SRK was satisfied with most of what was there. However, knowing SRK he will make some additions as he goes along,” adds the source.

The Filmfare Awards are this weekend at the Yash Raj studios. Expected to perform on the night are Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor. 3Idiots and Paa are expected to walk away with the most honours as well.

NDTV awards: Amitabh, SRK, Ash icons of Indian entertainment

Megastars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan were among those honoured with the NDTV's Indian of the Year 2009 awards at a glittering function.

Bachchan, who first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the angry young man of Bollywood cinema and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema, was presented with the Icon of 21 years of
Entertainment award.

Khan, who had recently got embroiled into a controversy over his comment on non-inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL, also got the Icon of 21 years of Entertainment award along with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Indian film industry.

Presenting the award to Khan, Home Minister P Chidambaram said, "I would love to watch SRK-starrer My Name is Khan...I am waiting for the English subtitles...It was great the way Khan brought out Mumbai's solidarity...The attack on the movie (by Shiv Sena) was not an attack on the film, it was an attack on the idea of India."

Legendary musician A R Rahman received the Global Indian Entertainer award.

The 'Mozart of Madras' began his film scoring career in the early 1990s. He has won 13 Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, two Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards.

Actor Ranbir Kapoor, who has successfully achieved the tag of being one of the most bankable young stars with two consecutive hits Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, got the Male Entertainer of the Year award.

Priyanka Chopra, who bagged her first National Award for her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion (2008), received the Female Entertainer of the Year Award.

Director Anurag Kashyap got the Special Jury Award for his critically acclaimed films.

Considered as one of the most versatile and prolific
filmmakers in contemporary Hindi cinema, Kashyap had hogged limelight and courted controversy for his film on 1993 Bombay bombings Black Friday. He has also directed critically acclaimed movies -- No Smoking, Dev D and Gulaal.

Director Karan Johar got Social Networking Icon of the Year award for introducing Bollywood to tweeter.

Johar, who made his directorial debut with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai starring Sharukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee in 1998, had given a slew of romantic hits like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehana.

His latest flick My Name Is Khan has raked in Rs 150 crore during the first week of its release.

Shah Rukh Khan RA 1 is hundred crore extravaganza, not in English!!

Shah Rukh Khan, the badshah of bollywood is not sitting idle after the success of ‘My Name Is Khan’ and preparing to start superhero flick ‘Ra1’( opposite sexy siren Kareena Kapoor), which will cost around hundred crore rupees.

Due to its huge cost, Shah Rukh Khan has decided to produce the film through his own production house Red Chillies for director Anubhav Sinha. However, King Khan’s superhero flick will not be made in English as he wants it to be made only for Indian audiences in Hindi. Earlier, there was some talk of the film being made in English but Shah Rukh Khan shot down the idea as he was not convinced about the viability of making a film in English when they already had their own ‘spider man’ and ‘superman’ etc.

Sources close to Shah Rukh Khan’s production house say that ‘Ra1’ will have breathtaking stunts from King Khan, which will be for the first time not only for him but also for bollywood. The special effects team is being hired from Hollywood to get everything perfect for the gutsy Khan. Shah Rukh Khan has already started working out to prepare himself to be able to perform the daring stunts for the film.

Shah Rukh Khan, who is set to go flying in the sky to save the mankind in ‘Ra1’, will have to fight with ten megalomaniac villains, each representing one head of demon King Raavan. The flick is being made to be a visual treat having action sequences fully matching those of biggies of Hollywood.

Kareena Kapoor, who had essayed the part of an item girl in Shah Rukh Khan’s earlier flick ‘Don’, will be seen in a full-fledged role in the flick. She is playing the character of wife to Shah Rukh Khan, who is a scientist involved in the making of a robot.

Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero flick is likely to surpass all such flicks from bollywood, including those of Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Krish’ series and Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘Drona’ in high-tec gadgetry and sophistication.

It is due to this film that Shah Rukh Khan had refused to start shooting for Farah Khan’s ‘Happy New Year’, and she angrily dumped SRK from her film and decided to direct Akshay Kumar in ‘Tees Maar Khan’ opposite Katrina Kaif.

SRK is very dramatic in real life: Bhansali

Shah Rukh is very very dramatic in real life, very witty, wicked, sharp. They are not simple people in that sense. They are very charming, strange, temperamental stars. They are not easy people to work with at all. Amitabh Bachchan is an extremely powerful, power packed, edgy person.

'My Name Is Khan' continues to shine at box office

In the absence of no big releases last Friday, My Name Is Khan continues to shine at the box office.

The movie’s Monday collection was of Rs 1.75 crore which takes its 11 day total to Rs 58.75 crore approx. The second week collection of ‘My Name Is Khan’ is likely to finish in the Rs 16-17 crore mark, taking its two-week total to Rs 62-63 crore.

Now, it’s expected that the lifetime business of MNIK should cross the Rs 70-75 crore mark in India. The movie is already a superhit in Bengal and Mysore region. But to become a nationwide superhit it has to get close to Rs 40 crore distributor share mark, which seems quite attainable if the movie continues a good run over this week.

However, last Friday’s releases Toh Baat Pakki and Click couldn’t warm up the box office. If ‘Click’ opened to a dull response of 10-15% occupancy, Tabu starrer ‘Toh Baat Pakki’ was a bit better with 15-20%.

This Friday there are two thrillers for you, the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Teen Patti and Deepika-Farhan’s Karthik Calling Karthik.

After MNIK, Shah Rukh’s busy with exams

If you think after receiving an outstanding response for ‘My Name Is Khan’ Shah Rukh Khan’s busy partying and celebrating its success, then you are wrong. King Khan doesn’t have time to party with his friends as he is busy with some more important things these days.

It’s not the promotions or a shoot for another big banner film! Interestingly, Shah Rukh’s busy with his kids as this is their exam time. The Khan is devoting all his time taking care of kiddies Aryan and Suhana’s studies. “No I am not partying with Karan. Kids have exams thus have to study with kids,” said Shah Rukh Khan.

SRK has to gear up for IPL too and also has his action flick ‘Ra One’ on hands but keeping all his work aside Shah Rukh chose to concentrate on his kids’ exams. Instead of partying and painting the town red with friends, Shah Rukh preferred a small get together with KJo and some other friends to celebrate the success of ‘My Name Is Khan’ at his residence.

SRK enjoys being with kids and that reflects when he speaks about them so often. No doubt King Khan is a doting father!

I take advice from SRK: Farhan

That's because he switches off his phone at night. 36-year-old Farhan Akhtar also admits to being unsociable when working and not liking romantic films unless they come laced with drama. All this and more about the man who redefines cool

There are all these rumours linking you to your Karthik calling Karthik co-star Deepika Padukone which the two of you protest at every opportunity. Are you not overdoing it?
Honestly speaking, I can only speak for myself. Initially I didn’t protest, I thought it would blow over naturally. But then it began to get awkward and in very bad taste and that is when I started protesting. Then one thing led to another and now again I am tired of protesting. I also feel that now that we are pretty much coming to the end of the promotion of Karthik Calling Karthik and you will see us spending a lot of time with other people as opposed to each other, it will blow over.

Do such rumours affect you a lot?
It’s important for me because it affects my family. It’s weird for me to answer to my nine-year-old daughter who sees something on TV or reads a headline in a newspaper. Children tend to stress about these things a lot more than we understand. When I wasn’t addressing the issue she couldn’t understand why I was denying something to her but not telling the rest of the world. So to me it was important to come out and talk about it.

My daughter couldn’t understand why I was denying something to her but not telling the rest of the world

What’s with this schizophrenic behaviour you display? You are usually a party boy but when you work, either when acting or directing, you become all reclusive and incommunicado?
The thing is, and most of the people I know also say this, I am an extremist. When I am working I don’t want to know about anything else. When I want to party, I don’t want to work. So when I go on a holiday, more often than not, I won’t answer my phone. I really have to be pushed to deal with work when I am on a holiday. Similarly when I am working on the script of a film, I really don’t want to go out, I don’t want to do things which are going to takeaway my energy from what I really should be focusing on.

What influences you and your work?
Having kids has made me more aware of life beyond myself. I am aware that my choices will affect them even when I am not around. That also affects my work because my sensibilities and aesthetics have changed. I have grown up with women predominantly and that has led to me having a very healthy respect for them in terms of the treatment of them. I have an allergy to women being shown in a crude light, to be shown in almost a sexist way. I have had these allergies in any case; it has got a little more underlined now with kids. When they see my films, I don’t want them to think that dad is doing anything cheap.

Do you think your dad’s (Javed Akhtar with Salim Khan) films reflected the same concern?
Salim uncle and my father had a healthy respect for women. But because while they were writing, there was a lot more formula cinema, it was a requirement of the story that they had to write in a vamp, which you don’t necessarily need to do anymore. If there was a villain, he had to have a vamp. Similarly when I write Don, I go back to that kind of writing, Don had Isha in his life. How we treat the character can be different from how molls and vamps were treated at that time. But when you go back to that kind of writing, it’s a different world and it’s a different sensibility of filmmaking but within that you still want to treat them with a certain dignity. You can’t caricature them and make them one dimensional.

For Don you had a blueprint of sorts to follow. How does Don 2 take the character forward?
For me, Don’s character hinges on his cunning and smartness and the fact that he is playing all the characters in the film and at the same time, he also plays the audience. So, to me, the challenge is to do that again. Of course, you can do great action sequences, you can have great songs, a wonderful looking and talented cast who everybody wants to watch. But this time round, there is now no format to follow. To me that was exciting and what I am focusing again on is how to take Don to almost level two. This film is more of a caper to me than an emotional journey.

And how many ‘mulk ki police’ will be looking for him in Don 2?
Now I think it’s the whole world. Only Antarctica aur Arctic ki police uske peeche nahi padi hai.(laughs)

Could you ever do a mush film? A romcom?
Very honestly I must say that the romcom is one of my least favourite genres, even to watch. There are some of course, which I do thoroughly enjoy but they are very few and far between. Personally, I prefer drama, action and thrillers. If it’s a romance I would much prefer a classic romance like a Romeo and Juliet which has drama in it.

You work with actors as a director and compete with them as an actor. How do you differentiate between the two?
The people that I have worked with are the ones that I am good friends with and I do spend a lot of time with. One is obviously Hrithik and the other is Shah Rukh. Hrithik and I have known each other for really really long. We have been friends from way before I decided I wanted to be in films (he kind of always knew he wanted to be in films). So my friendship with him is beyond actor-director, whatever.

With Shah Rukh, I really started hanging out with him post Dil Chahta Hai. I feel a certain kinship with him. We have similar joys in terms of technology, we jam on many things. And many a times he has been someone I have turned to for advice. He is someone I have almost started feeling over time, again without sounding cheesy, like an elder brother. I know for a fact, not that he has told me so, that he is someone I can really count on, if the need arises. Even if we choose in the future to not work together, we will still hang out, we will still be friends.

For me, Don’s character hinges on his cunning and smartness and the fact that he is playing all the characters in the film and at the same time, he also plays the audience

Today’s actors pay a lot of attention to body and hair, the externals basically. Yesteryear actors looked almost the same in every film but it didn’t affect the strength of their performance. Comment.
I completely agree and I think it should go back to being how it was. Because I think, we are slowly but surely working towards this perfect world that everybody should exist in, which is not true. If there is someone on screen who is even relatively chubbier, immediately reviewers say he needs to lose a couple of pounds. Why? Doesn’t someone who is chubbier have a right to fall in love with someone? I find it disturbing that we are trying to make a Utopian world where great looking people and great bodies fall in love and nobody else has a right to.

Anyone who is skinny or bald or has a stammer or is fat is relegated to being a comedian, a character who needs help. I find this really disturbing. Did anyone stop to question why people fell in love with Sanjeev Kumar? It’s a dangerous obsession because it’s going to start limiting talent that’s coming in.

OFF THE CUFF

Rate Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and yourself on a scale of one to ten on the following parameters

Communication skills
SRK - 15
Aamir - 10
Hrithik - 8 or 9
Myself - 5

Life of a party
It is difficult to rate this in numbers. SRK and Hrithik are very funny. Both of them love dancing so once the party kicks off, they are always dancing. Aamir is a lot more reserved. In all honesty, I haven’t partied with Aamir since Dil Chahta Hai
SRK - 10
Aamir - 5
Hrithik - 10
Myself - 8 or 9

Easy to direct
Honestly, they were all very easy to direct.
ALL - 10

Willing to admit to mistakes
Again, I think, I would give all of them 10 and that’s what makes them good at what they do. I know for a fact that I can be stubborn about certain things.

Emotionally giving
I spend a lot more time with Hrithik and Shah Rukh than I do with Aamir. So it will be really difficult for me to say anything about Aamir on this front.

Extempore speakers
SRK- 10
Aamir - 5
Hrithik - 8
Myself - 5

Aware of the world
All of us are pretty aware of what’s happening in the world around us, so I would probably rate them just up there. Even if we want to detach ourselves from what’s happening around us you media people don’t let it happen. There is no escape. So 10 on 10 for everyone

Be a 3am friend
My friendship is more with Hrithik and Shah Rukh than it is with Aamir. My relationship with Aamir is a lot more professional than personal so to put him into this equation feels very weird as it’s unfair to him.

SRK-10
Hrithik-10
Myself - 0
I switch off my phone when I sleep, I love my sleep. I think I don’t qualify for this.

Politically correct
SRK-3 or 4, mostly he says what he feels
Hrithik- 10
Myself- 7 or 8, I have the knack of saying wrong things as well

Spontaneous
SRK- 10
Hrithik- 8, He has changed a lot from what he was to what he is now

Animal Charm
SRK-10
Hrithik -10
Both of them are very attractive people.
Myself - I don’t know about myself (laughs) how do I rate myself on animal charm?

SRK-Farah fallout not worse than a family squabble

Here's a story which tells you that the spat between Farah Khan and SRK was nothing worse than a family squabble. Vishal-Shekhar apparently are the first choice of music directors for SRK's RA1 and Farah's Tees Maar Khan. As TMK is ready to go on floors, she wanted Vishal-Shekhar to promptly provide the music. The musical duo were not sure about letting go of SRK's film so were in a dilemma. Farah graciously asked them to cater to King Khan's need first. However, when SRK heard of this, he instructed Vishal-Shekhar to go ahead with the music of TMK first as his film had a long pre-production schedule. Who says the film industry isn't one big happy family?

KKR puts on hold tie-up with Lux Cozi

The Kolkata Knight Riders has put on hold its tie-up with hosiery brand Lux Cozi, a deal that had earned widespread criticism and anger among the people of the city.

"Respecting the sentiments of Kolkata and people of Bengal, both, Lux Industries and KKR have decided to put their association on hold until issues are resolved and the sensitivities of the aggrieved group are adequately addressed," the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchisee stated in a release on Monday.

As per the link-up, the innerwear brand, owned by Ashok Todi, an accused in Rizwanur Rahman suicide case, was supposed to be associated with KKR's apparel merchandising.

The Lux Hosiery had also signed the Bollywood star as their brand ambassador.

"Presently it has come to our attention that the sentiments of a group of people in Kolkata have been hurt due to the personal affairs of individuals associated with one of the parties to the association.

"Our association and we say this on behalf of both Lux Industries Ltd. and KKR, was never intended to hurt any sentiments or disturb any sensibilities," stated the release.

The Todis were charged with abetting the suicide of computer graphics designer Rizwanur Rehman after he married Ashok Todi's daughter Priyanka.

A criminal case has been registered with the Todi brothers who are currently on bail.

SRK in his last visit to the city had met Todis as the deal had come up sparking anger in various parts of the city.

In fact, the Imam of Kolkata's second biggest mosque had written to Khan, appealing to scrap the deal.

"The association was worked upon, on the basis of the fact that, Lux Industries Ltd is a company doing business successfully in India and based in Kolkata for more than last 50 years.

"The association was truly professional and offered a sound synergic alliance between the two organizations. No matters concerning individuals associated with the respective organisations were envisaged as this was a purely professional tie-up."

"Having said the above, we again reiterate that this a professional association that perhaps does not merit to be judged on any personal fronts, but our love and respect for the sentiments of our fellow Kolkatans drives us to put on hold any further activity with regard to our association, till such time an acceptable resolution to the situation is arrived at."

"We sincerely hope that our effort to redress this grievance is positively received and this may bring to end any strife, hurt or anguish caused to anyone who has raised their displeasure in this matter," added the release.

The KKR jersey of black and gold colour has been changed with designer Manish Malhotra bringing purple into it even as the gold lining continues to exist.

The Kolkata side had finished last in the second edition, while in the inaugural IPL edition the side had finished second last.

The third edition of the T20 extravaganza will be held from April 12-March 25.

When Shahrukh Khan met Leonardo Dicaprio

Superstars bond in Berlin,
One is the superstar of Hindi film industry while the other is the Hollywood heartthrob. Imagine what happened when they met, shook hands, struck up a conversation. Shahrukh Khan, Leonardo Dicaprio and Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese bonded well during the Berlin Film Festival recently.

“Leonardo, Martin and I spent some time together (at Berlinale)” SRK is quoted as saying in a media report.

To SRK’s surprise Scorsese remembered meeting him way back in 2002 at Cannes where SRK was with Aishwarya Rai and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Devdas.

Now, in the meeting at Berlinale, Scorsese expressed his wish to see ‘Devdas’.

“He (Scorsese) wants to watch Devdas and I've promised to send it to him. I'll do so right way,” SRK said.

Get a new phone, SRK

This is for anyone who is wondering why Shah Rukh Khan, who usually replies promptly to text messages, seems not to be responding these days. No, he hasn’t forgotten his manners - his phone is giving him a lot of trouble. Apparently, his handset is acting up and remains inoperable for hours at a stretch.

A source close to him said, “Shah Rukh is known to reply to each and every message he gets barring those from press people he doesn’t want to interact with. But his phone has almost conked off for the last few days.

He is busy promoting his film My Name Is Khan and very tied up, but he will get it repaired in a day or two.”

The source reveals, “He has been getting feedback about the film from distributors, exhibitors, people from the media and his friends in the industry. His message box is choked with over 1500 messages.

This is also one of the reasons his phone has hung. He is also missing out on the collection readings the distributors are sending him. He has to constantly use a staff member’s phone to call Karan Johar to find out the box office progress of the film.”

Pop singer Akon to make his Bollywood debut with SRK

Acclaimed international singer Akon will soon make his Bollywood debut in Anubhav Sinha's upcoming film RA.ONE.

According to sources both the director and his lead actor of the film Shahrukh, wanted an international star to be part of the film which is a high-end SFX movie.

Buzz is that recently when SRK was visiting the US, he had a meeting with the pop star and Akon expressed his willingness to be part of a Bollywood production. Akon has been signed for some unknown price and will be lending his voice in the SRK starrer that also features Kareena Kapoor in the lead.

SRK , A King overseas

That he is a bigger draw than Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise with the diaspora in the UK and the USA, is an earlier-known fact. This time Shah Rukh Khan has gone a step ahead. His latest film, Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan, has become a global phenomenon.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “It has taken the biggest opening ever for a Bollywood film in the UK, and also in USA. This reiterates the fact that Shah Rukh is King in the overseas market.’’ The film has also taken several other foreign markets by storm. It has broken the record for the biggest initial for a Bollywood movie in the UAE. And is the first Hindi film to release in Egypt across eight theatres. Then, in the first week of March, the film will also release in nine theatres across Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

High on the praise he has received from the Indian and foreign media, an ecstatic Karan says, “MNIK is the first global film that has actually come from Bollywood. It has penetrated far deeper than the parameters of the diaspora markets and has found patronage in countries like Poland, German and Russia where no Bollywood films have found such a huge favour. We have already added 25 odd prints across the Middle East — Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, heartened by the phenomenal first week collections in UAE.’’

Currently Fox Star Studios, Red Chillies and Dharma Productions are smiling their way to the bank because in the Middle East countries, the print counts that stood at 61 will go up to 71 by the first week of March. This is almost double the print tally for most Hindi films. In Singapore alone, the film has done phenomenal business at the ticket windows which is a record for Hindi film. And the great word of mouth continues to keep it on top, says the local distributor. Australia and New Zealand have ended their first week collections with record ticket sales. In Hong Kong the film is running to packed houses.

What has warmed the cockles of Karan’s heart, though, is his recent trip to the prestigious Berlin Film Festival where SRK, Kajol and he walked down the red carpet. Reports say there were 3,000 ecstatic fans braving the minus 10 degrees temperature to participate in their moment of glory. Sources say that when Shah Rukh got the 1,800 lucky viewers who finally made it into the auditorium to dance to the Sajda number, he won these Germans over for life.

But Khan has a long journey ahead. Karan and Shah Rukh still have a couple of aces up their sleeve. “We will be releasing the film in many other countries across Europe and America right till the month of June,’’ says Karan. “The actual assessment can therefore be made only after July, when the real numbers of the film start showing.’’ Karan is right. The film is being dubbed in German and Polish also so that the non-Hindi speaking SRK fans also get to enjoy MNIK.

Bollywood support would’ve fuelled Sena issue: SRK Share

Many Bollywood stars had remained tight-lipped during the recent row between Shah Rukh Khan and the Shiv Sena. But the superstar said Saturday it was for the good as their reactions would have only aggravated matters.

The actor’s remarks about the inclusion of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) had sparked negative reactions from the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. The party even threatened to ban his latest film “My Name Is Khan” in India’s entertainment capital, but Shah Rukh emerged unscathed.

Asked about how he felt when most industry members stayed away from commenting about the issue even though some did so on microblogging site Twitter, Shah Rukh told reporters: “It wouldn’t have subsided the issue. Rather it would have fuelled it.”

Shah Rukh visited Cinemax theatre in Versova and Fun Republic in Andheri here for promoting his film. He has put two graffiti walls there and asked the people to write about the changes that they would like to see in the world.

“My Name Is Khan” released worldwide Feb 12 and has been garnering a positive response ever since. Directed by Karan Johar, it also features Kajol.

MY NAME IS KHAN has a great week!

The results are out; the numbers are in and for all to see! As per initial estimations Karan Johar's Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer, MY NAME IS KHAN has netted in the range of 46-48 crores in its opening week from India.

What must be kept in mind is the fact that MNIK lost around 2-3 crores due to release problems in Mumbai circuit and also the dastardly terrorist attacks in Pune. Had it not been so, MY NAME IS KHAN would have easily touched 50 crores, in all probabilities.

In the Overseas, MNIK is setting new records, even in hitherto unexplored Bollywood areas! The film has in its opening week grossed $2,552,283 from US, £1,325,000 from UK, $1,750,000 (8 days) from Middle East and $521,850 from Australia. In all MY NAME IS KHAN has a huge $8.25 million to show from the overseas market.

With the new releases not posing any challenges, MNIK is all set for another good weekend haul!

Repair the world with love and tell KHAN now

Khan is repairing the world through love. If you haven't seen it yet you are surely missing the word of humanity which is spreading all over the world like fire.
Khan believes their are god people and bad people and almost any cause, problem, issue can be repaired with LOVE. Spread the message. Support a cause - Repair the same with love. Let the world come together to solve its issue.
The movie has smashed all time box office records with all time biggest opening in U.S and U.K. The Berlinale paid premiere sold for a thousand Euro each.
The movie certainly touches life's of everyone and the dialogues create an impact that is inevitable. The music is beautiful and had become an instant hit right from the day it hit music channels.. Infact, the songs are so beautifully composed that they fantastically sink in with the flow of the movie and you love the songs even more.

SRK in middle of controversy once again, courtesy Lux Cozy

No sooner that the controversy around SRK's comments on Pakistani cricket players has settled down, the actor finds himself in yet another controversy related to the IPL.

This time round, it's the courtesy of inner wear brand Lux Cozy, of which, SRK is the recently appointed brand ambassador. The story goes that, since SRK is the brand ambassador of the said brand, it was rest understood as to they will be sponsoring the uniforms for Khan's T-20 team Kolkata Knight Riders, besides a monetary angle of course. All was well so far. Now the twist in the tale is that the Lux Company is owned by the Todi brothers (Ashok and Pradip). They are the same Todi brothers who were charged with apparently leading to the suicide of computer graphics designer Rizwanur Rehman, a Muslim, after he married Ashok Todi's daughter Priyanka, who was a Hindu by religion.

This news had made it to the national headlines and remained atop for quite sometime. This 'sponsorship' move by SRK for KKR with the said brand has not been taken kindly by many. That's the reason why it has sparked anger in many people's heart. Not just that, since it has a religious pinch to it, a few religious bodies too have come in the forefront to express their opposition. In the lieu of all this, there has been a meeting that has been arranged which will include artistes, actors, dancers, writers, performers and also a few prominent names express solid opposition to the controversial tie-up.

My Name is Khan Defeats 3 Idiots

Just when 3 Idiots was supposed to be the biggest hit ever, Shahrukh Khan's My Name is Khan has broken world records for a Bollywood film. It has bettered all previous international box office records to record the highest-ever single opening day collections for a Hindi film.

Despite having a restricted release in Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, MNIK's worldwide box office collections are estimated at Rs. 25 crores for Friday! This is the highest ever collections for a non-holiday Friday in Bollywood history. Trade analysts estimate that it could have easily earned an additional 5-6 crores if it had been released normally across India. With the film playing everywhere across the country from Saturday onwards and given the strong buzz, this number is only expected to grow. it is a matter of time before My Name is Khan becomes a huge box office history, surpassing 3 Idiots as well.

WORLDWIDE RECORDS

UK BOX OFFICE RECORDS

In the UK, MNIK previewed on Thursday with an incredible £123k from 89 sites, 4th in the market place behind Avatar, The Wolfman Previews and Invictus.

In this market, MNIK has broken the record for the biggest GBO preview figure for any Bollywood release. The biggest single day preview figure in the UK was previously KANK with £98k.

The biggest total previews figure was 3 IDIOTS which had 2 days of previews (Wed/Thu) during the Xmas holiday period with £121k. MNIK single day previews are bigger than both days of 3 Idiots put together!

It is expected to be the biggest opening Bollywood film ever in this market by the weekend.

ANZ RECORDS

In Australia, Thursday previews of "MNIK" grossed a very good A$39K (US$34K). The movie is ranked #11 in the market. This is 107% of 3 Idiots Thursday BO.

In New Zealand, opening day took LC$ 13,627 (US$ 9,727). Bollywood films traditionally open on a Friday. The exception is 3 Idiots, against which MNIK has over-performed by 204%.

MIDDLE EAST RECORDS

The film is already 50% higher than any other previous film in Bollywood history with an opening day estimated at USD 300k.

There's a huge demand for additional prints in the existing chains across the Middle East and the print count is expected to increase to around 60 by next week.

Given the strong buzz, the film also will be released in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Oman and Lebanon in the coming week.

MNIK takes shortcut to US

This summer, My Name Is Khan (MNIK) will be playing for a non-NRI audience in theatres across the US. The version of MNIK that American audiences will get to see will be different from the one released so far in India and overseas for NRI audiences.

Confirms Shah Rukh Khan, “Yes, we are cutting down the length of the film for the American audience. Their requirements are different from the traditional audience for Hindi cinema. We’re in this way extending the life span of a Hindi film with first a worldwide release for Indian audiences and then phased out releases for non-Indian audiences.”

Says the film director Karan Johar, “Yes, the version for Americans will be shorter though not radically different. We’ve left the American version’s editing to the film’s editor Deepa Bhatia. She understands what would be palatable to American audiences. She has edited films for everyone, from me to Govind Nihalani.”

Karan admits it’s not the songs nor the length that will determine the shape and size of the American version of MNIK. “The first thing we heard from the American market is that they love the songs. So the songs stay. Deepa Bhatia is looking at what to remove.”

SRK ranks after Scorsese & Rolling Stones for Germans!

While the foreign press is going gaga over Shah Rukh Khan’s performance in MNIK, (specially the Germans who love our King Khan and give his movies ‘star studded’ reviews always) the makers are apparently planning to dub the film in German too.

And we aren’t surprised by this, because recently while talking to SRK, he told us about his terrific fan following in that part of the world. “I remember when I was there the last time, I saw a very sweet headline in the papers, and though I don’t believe in such headlines, this one was very interesting. It read — ‘There was Martin Scorsese, there were the Rolling Stones and there was King Khan.’

So there were a huge number of people who watched and liked Om Shanti Om in Germany, and they have always been very kind to my movies.” We believe SRK when he says that, why else would his fans trudge to Berlin all the way from Vienna, Prague, Austria and other parts of Europe to pay upto 1,000 Euros per ticket (and those were sold out in five seconds flat) to meet our ‘royalty’ Khan. Well, well, well... in the West we think, it is Brad Pitt... then there is Shah Rukh Khan. How cool, huh?

Discovery Channel to telecast SRK's success story

Shah Rukh Khan's astounding journey to superstardom will be chronicled through an hour-long programme "Revealed-Shah Rukh Khan" on the Discovery Channel this Friday.

The programme will show how the actor's insatiable ambition combined with the overall socio-political changes during the last two decades and the countrys globalization path transformed an industry-outsider into an icon of contemporary India.

Blue Mango Films and Red Chillies Idiot Box were commissioned to produce the programme. Social anthropologists, film-makers, scholars, critics and lifestyle commentators will detail the virtues which make him the consumer-friendly face for brands, an innovative entrepreneur, a mega film star, an icon for the NRIs and an ideal family man, Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager-India, Discovery Networks, Asia-Pacific said.

The experts will explain in depth the impact he has had on both Bollywood and Indias image abroad. "The programme is an opportunity to examine the beginning, growth and impact of one of the biggest success stories of contemporary India Shah Rukh Khan," Johri said.

Featuring anecdotes, interviews and footage from his films, the programme chronicles the birth of an anti-hero who rose to capture the spirit of the nation.