SRK has taken it upon himself to make Ra.One the biggest of them all films,

"The film hasn't become costly during the process of its making; it was always supposed to be expensive right from the time film's script was being written. Later when the process of storyboarding started, Shah Rukh and Anubhav rea...lised that Ra. One would require much more than just 100 crores. As things stand today, the making itself has cost over 125 crores. This doesn't include Shah Rukh's remuneration as he is the film's producer as well and hence is a partner in all profits that come along", confirms an industry source on condition of anonymity.
Given the fact that even on a conservative side Shah Rukh's fees wouldn't be less than 25 crores, the cost of making Ra.One elevates to a good 150 crores. This would be notches above Rajnikanth's Endhiran/Robot (132 crores) which is the costliest India film ever made and Bollywood's Blue which was pegged at 100 crores. Going by the super-success of Endhiran which was a regional film and had a limited market in Hindi speaking circuits, the makers of Ra.One are confident though that they would not just recover the amount but also make neat profits, courtesy the huge market that Shah Rukh commands

"Not to forget the scale at which the film has been made", says Anubhav Sinha who has invested half a decade into the making of this film, "The kind of VFX that would have seen in the film belong to never seen before variety. Also, when we claim that the film is big, it is big in all regards. It was all planned though."

Continuing in the same vein, he adds, "We invested as many as two years into the pre-production of the film, the actual filming was spread through one full year and then the post-production has been a year long process as well. Don't forget that Ra.One is not one of those films where only the shooting days consume money."

When asked to quote the exact money that has gone into making the film, Anubhav just smiled it all away. "Please ask Shah Rukh about it. All I can say is that the amount of money Shah Rukh has pumped into the film is unimaginable. Trust me, it will all show on screen. I can see how passionate Shah Rukh is about this film and he has taken it upon himself to make Ra.One the biggest of them all."

Akon to sing, celebrate b'day in city, Shah Rukh, Siddharth Mallya expected to attend midnight birthday bash after R&B singer's Friday,

POPULAR rapper and R&B artist Akon will be in the city this weekend. The rapper will not only perform before a 2000-strong audience at Westin hotel on Friday, but will also bring in his birthday -- April 16 -- with a grand celebration there at midnight.

According to sources close to the event, biggies from Bollywood and other celebrities are expected to attend the birthday party, including Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Mallya.

Though Westin authorities said they did not know whether Khan or Mallya would be present on Friday, they confirmed the singer's performance and birthday bash.

"We can not confirm Khan's or Mallya's presence because there haven't been any reservations in the hotel, but we have heard that a few VIPs will be present at the party -- but we do not have the names yet," said Nasir Shaikh, director, food and beverages, Westin.

Akon will also be performing at Gurgaon and Bengaluru over the weekend. But the inclusion of the city in his itinerary happened at the eleventh hour, said sources close to the event. They said they had started working on the programme just a few days ago and were having a tough time managing things.

"We have loads do, including the concert and the birthday celebrations," said a source. "The event got confirmed only last week."

Birthday cake
Hotel authorities said they had booked a presidential suite for the artist as he was expected to stay the night.
"We are planning a special Akon cake and menu for him, especially for his birthday. We are looking at what he likes and after that the chef will decide on what to prepare," said Shaikh. "As for the cake, it's going to be a chocolate cake."

According to hotel authorities, a popular poultry brand from the city is getting the singer to the city. Though a spokesperson from the poultry company denied the concert and the birthday celebrations, other sources said it was on. About 22 people will accompany Akon, crewmembers as well as family. His sister and personal bodyguards will be with him.

"He will be belting out six popular tracks, after which there will be the birthday celebrations," said Shaikh.
Though the singer had performed at a private party in the city in December, this week's event will be his first before a large crowd.

Last week there were reports that Shah Rukh Khan was throwing a birthday bash for the rapper and that the singer would perform either in Mumbai or the city,

Long way to go in the tournament: Gambhir

A guarded Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir on Monday refused to get carried away with their victory over Deccan Chargers here and said the Shah Rukh-owned team have a long way to go in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

After the shocking two-run loss to Chennai Super Kings in their tournament opener, all eyes were on the Knight Riders in their first home match today and they did not disappoint the crowd, securing a nine-run victory over Deccan to register their first points in the ongoing Twenty20 tournament.

"It was a great feeling. We want to play some good cricket and bring some joy to the people of this city. The venue is fantastic. We hope to win a lot more games. We are hungry and we want to do well," he said at the post-match press conference.

"We are just happy, not relieved. It's just the start of the tournament. We got a long way to go. I don't believe in a word called relief. I want to take every game seriously. It's a good feeling to get points on the board and we hope to continue with the momentum," a visibly upbeat Gambhir said.

Gambhir said he was confident of a victory after setting Deccan a challenging 164-run target.

"It was a very good total on this slow and low wicket. 163 was a par score. We have a good bowling attack as well. Initially we were thinking of 150, but getting to 163 was good," he said.

Gambhir hailed young left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who returned with impressive figures of three for 24 runs from his four overs.

"The wicket suited him (Abdulla). We thought he could be used in the first six overs. He is a quality player and has a great future ahead.

"The way he has shown his character bowling in the first six overs and then in the death, it says a lot about him. I hope he can keep his head on his shoulder and it will be a lot more for him," the left-handed batsman said of Abdulla.

Gambhir insisted that his team was the better side on display today but said Knight Riders should have won their opening fixture against Chennai Super Kings the other day.

"It was not much different. We just played better cricket. I feel we should have won the first game as well. It's how you finish the game is important. Our batting order was flexible and we have the depth," he said.

I want KKR to win for Ganguly: Shah Rukh Khan

Aware of the negative vibes in Kolkata after the exclusion of local boy Sourav Ganguly from the team, Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on Monday night dedicated his team's nine-run victory to Sourav Ganguly and the sports loving people of the city.

"I came back only for the fans. I wanted to do this for Knight Riders, the fans of Kolkata, I wanted to do this for Sourav Ganguly.

"I want my team KKR to win the IPL for Kolkata and Sourav Ganguly," said the matinee idol.

"I am very happy. It was really a cool moment. (Skipper Gautam) Gambhir and (Jacques) Kallis were really cool. It was really a cool moment as our team is unused to wins," said Shah Rukh Khan after KKR clinched their first win in IPL edition four.

Shah Rukh also expressed his disappointment over unnecessary controversies revolving the team for the last three seasons.

"A win is always welcome. We had lot of unnecessary controversies in the last three seasons," said Shah Rukh.

SRK and Anubhav set high standards for ''Ra.One'',

While RA.ONE is in its first leg of promotion, in parallel there is extensive work being done on the film's post production. This means that director Anubhav Sinha is neck deep into supervising finer details for the film which are being added shot-by-shot at various studios all across the globe. Meanwhile VFX department of Red Chillies (Shahrukh Khan's production house) is driving the entire show to ensure a view in totality.

"Red Chillies VFX team is the best in our country. Period", exclaims Anubhav whose earlier films like DUS and CASH have boasted of heavy duty VFX as well, "Jeff Kleiser is the best VFX supervisor that I could have got while people like Harry Hingorani and Ketan Yadav from Red Chillies are just superb. I could be convinced by a particular shot in the film but they find it difficult to convince themselves. Since they are at the helm of making the biggest Indian film ever, they know that the stakes are high, reputations are at stake and hence they are in no mood to compromise."

No wonder, despite the film's shoot being over late last year, there were as many as 9 months reserved for the extensive post production of RA.ONE.

"The team's standards are really high and folks involved are the masters of the game", says Anubhav with a sense of contentment in his voice, "These are the folks who have been associated with some of the best visual effects in many major films. When you have such people in your film and a producer (Shahrukh Khan) who goes all out to make it happen, you do end up reaffirming your own belief that there is indeed something special on the way."

SRK to do cameo in Always Kabhi Kabhi

It has been known for some time now that Karim Morani's daughter Zoa is being launched by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment in Always Kabhi Kabhi. However, there was much speculation about SRK's presence in the film.

Well, it has now been confirmed that King Khan will not be a part of the film but he will do a promotional video for it. The said promotional video will feature SRK talking about his school days.

With the backdrop of high school students, their issues and their relationships, the film is expected to hit the screens on June 17. Besides Zoa, the film also stars Love Aaj Kal damsel Giselle Monteiro, Ali Fazal and Satyajeet Dubey.

New-look KKR eye a fresh start,

For three years, the Kolkata Knight Riders have been the Indian Premier League's most under-performing side. The Shah Rukh Khan-owned KKR have lost a whopping 24 games out of the 42 they have played in the three editions.

In the two seasons that the IPL was played in India, KKR won a meagre three matches away from Eden Gardens. They are also the only franchise not to have made the last-four grade even once. In a bid to turn things around, the team management changed the coach, captain, players as well as support staff, but to no avail.

Lack of success perhaps explains the non-retention of a single marquee player by KKR for IPL 4. By freezing out their former icon player Sourav Ganguly and not showing interest in the likes of Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle and Ishant Sharma, the KKR management has made it amply clear that they want to make a fresh start with 'new' faces.

At the auctions they spent half of their $9 million purse in picking up Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan, whose reputation as a big hitter has taken a big hit in the World Cup. The KKR management has tried to correct the imbalances in the their squad during the first three seasons by assembling an array of all-rounders who are expected to mount a strong challenge for IPL glory.

Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan, Rajat Bhatia and Laxmi Ratan Shukla are all Jacks of all trades who are expected to back up the specialists - Gambhir, Eoin Morgan, Brad Haddin and Manoj Tiwary in batting and Brett Lee, L Balaji, Jaidev Undakat and Iqbal Abdulla in bowling.

There is no denying the fact that there is plenty of quality in the KKR's 20-member squad but the Indian component is rather lightweight.

Gambhir has the right credentials to lead KKR, having led India successfully against the Kiwis in the run-up to the World Cup, but apart from the skipper himself, Pathan and Tiwary, the other Indian players are yet to prove themselves at this level. KKR's other big worry is that they will miss the services of Lee, Haddin, Pattinson and Shakib for at least the first two matches as they will be on national duty. KKR, however, will take heart from the fact that on paper they have a pretty decent side. It may not be as imposing as the ones assembled by the Chennai Super kings and Mumbai Indians, but KKR are certainly better on paper than the likes of Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers.

The biggest challenge for Gambhir and KKR, however, will be to win over the spectators at the Eden Gardens, who are known to swear by one Sourav Ganguly.

Gautam Gambhir (Captain)

No doubt, he is right man to lead KKR in IPL 4, but his brand of leadership will constantly be compared with that Sourav Ganguly, the man he has replaced. Gambhir must win over the KKR faithfuls, who remain distinctly bitter about the manner in which their favourite icon was discarded.

Key players:

Yusuf Pathan: He could be the key to winning over KKR faithfuls in the stands with his big hits. KKR need him to fire consistently with the bat and finish close games, something they have failed to do in earlier seasons. Pathan's quickish off-spin gives Gambhir an added option if one of his frontline bowlers take a pounding.

Shakib Al Hasan: Will be worth his weight in gold when he joins the squad after national duty. His batting and bowling in Indian conditions will be an asset for KKR. The Bangladesh captain will be a key component in the middle-order as well as the middle overs.

Squad: Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Manoj Tiwary, Jaidev Unadkat, Sarabjit Ladda, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Rajat Bhatia, Manvinder Bisla, Pradeep Sangwan, Shami Ahmed, Iqbal Abdulla, Laxmi Ratan Shukla Foreign players (7) Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, James Pattinson.

Shah Rukh, Hrithik patch up!

SRK and Hrithik Roshan seem to have patched up after their mini-war...

There were talks that actors Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan weren't on talking terms. And it was all around the time Hugh Jackman was in Mumbai. Apparently, Hrithik Roshan was miffed that SRK didn't invite him and wife Susanne at the bash at Mannat, SRK's residence thrown in honour of Hugh Jackman.

There were talks that Hrithik was going to adopt the eye-for-an-eye attitude and not invite Shah Rukh and Gauri for a bash hosted by him, but all seems to be well now. With the cricket World Cup came about a spirit of friendship and unity.

Hrithik and Susanne Roshan made it to Shah Rukh Khan's house to watch the India-Sri Lanka finals with much luxury and with friends. The actors later went outside and even danced with the crowds gathered there in jubilant furore when the Men in Blue brought home the cup!

So, there's no bad blood between SRK and Hrithik. MS Dhoni, Sachin and the boys seem to have undone what Hugh did!

Chak De India! says SRK on World Cup win

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said "Chak De!" on the Indian cricket team winning the cricket World Cup in a thriller against Sri Lanka here Saturday.

"Chak De India," Shah Rukh exclaimed in front of media at his Bandra residence after the team picked up the trophy.

Until India winning the World Cup the tattoo 'D' in his hand was meant for " Don 2" but from now it would mean skipper M.S. Dhoni, said the actor.

"Now the tattoo 'D' would mean Dhoni," said Shah Rukh.

SRK, Ranbir's tribute to Big B.

Producer Bunty Walia is organising a live concert to honour Amitabh Bachchan's acting career.

The Forever Bachchan show, which incidentally coincides with Amitabh's 69th birthday will be held in Mumbai in October.

The show will feature all of B-town's contemporary leading men dancing to their favourite Bachchan song.

A source tells us, "s is the brain-child of Walia. When Amitji learnt of this, he was embarrassed. He quipped, 'Who would want to dance to my songs? Don't they've anything better to do?' But Walia was adamant. It has taken him a year to convince the Big B that the concert is a good idea."

Reportedly, Shah Rukh has chosen Khai ke paan benaras wala from Don (2006). Ranbir has opted for Saara zamana haseenon ka deewana from Yaarana(1981), which also happens to be Bachchan Jr's pick.

When contacted, Walia said, "It's really too early to talk about this. Nothing has been confirmed yet. It is my dream project. We're a long way from going on stage."

''Ra.One'' will change the genre of films. SRK

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan says his upcoming sci-fi superhero film " RA.One" is an attempt to create something that will change the genre of Indian films.


"It's an indigenously made film and it's made in VFX studios in India and is trying to create something which will change the genre of films. If Indian filmmakers would like to make something alike, they have the access to the technology," King Khan told reporters at FICCI-Frames Friday.


He also said that the film would be his first step in paying back to the audiences the love and honour he has received in the last 20 years of his career.


"I have made one promise to every one in India. I have been working for 20 years and I have been given too much; much more than I deserve as an actor, as a star, and I think it's time to give back some," the superstar said.

"RA.One" is scheduled to release at Diwali time but the star has already started its marketing so that the superhero character sinks into the psyche of his audience.

"I just thought that we don't have any background of a superhero in terms of comics like 'Spiderman'. We have superheroes like 'Krrish' and 'Drona' but they are film superheroes.

"I tell people this is the one who's gonna do... he is going to fly, he has these powers and once this becomes known, then people would like to come and see the film... I just thought to market a year before, hope it pays off," Shah Rukh said.

SRK to romance Katrina now

Following our story on September 28, 2010, about SRK in Yash Chopra's next directorial venture, the industry was abuzz with speculations over the actress that would make the cut.

All rumours can be put to rest now. For the first time in her eight-year acting career, Katrina Kaif, will star opposite SRK in the YRF project.

A source close to YRF says, "Katrina was the first choice for the heroine's role in Yashji's film. She immediately said 'yes' to the film. She has loved the script and is looking forward to working with Yashji. She will play Shah Rukh's romantic interest."

Talking about the film's storyline, the source reveals, "Obviously, the film will be a love story. Yashji is a master of romance. There is no reason why he will not generate and extract great chemistry between Shah Rukh and Katrina."

Since the production house has witnessed some turmoil in the recent past, YRF is depending on the success of this project. When asked if SRK and Katrina feel secure about this endeavour, the source says, "Shah Rukh and Katrina have very good relations with Yashji and Aditya. They have equal faith in both of them. They are like family to them."

Considering, the last film that SRK did with Yash Chopra (Veer Zaara, 2004) was a success, here's hoping that all works out well for YRF.

Religion is a personal thing, SRK

The Badshah of B-town Shah Rukh Khan yesterday graced the India Today Conclave held in Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The renowned actor spoke on the topic - 'Movies, Magic, Life: Making Movies Work in a Brand New World'.

With the presence of King Khan the serious event was literally turned into a light-hearted session, where SRK came up with his usual tongue-in-cheek speech. Remarked the star, "My wife always tells me, 'Please don't try to be funny at serious events, please don't speak too much'. And I am told this is a very serious event."

In the course of the event, Shah Rukh was asked about his famous six-pack physique and the actor sportily pulled up his shirt to show the audience his abs. "I don't know whether it is a six pack, but it is definitely a four," said SRK, which was followed by applause and cat calls.

The star went on cover issues related to politics, religion and of course cinema. Shah Rukh poked fun at the politicisation of the word 'Mumbai' and on speaking about communalism and Indian cinema going global he said, "Indian cinema is going from Mumbai to Melrose. Though I would have preferred saying Bombay to Beverly Hills, that kind of alliteration is not allowed to Muslim actors,"

He stated that religion and politics should never be mixed and he finds communalism "low down and deplorable". "I truly believe that politicians should not use religion as an agenda. It is just not acceptable. The issues like education, development and women's upliftment, which are sidelined are the basic political issues which need to be looked upon," quoted SRK.

He went on to add further, "I am a Muslim myself and I am married to a Hindu lady and my children know about all religions and its my conscious decision to make them aware of it. Religion is a personal thing and nobody in this world has the right to come between you and your God."

Stressing about the importance of our Indian films, the actor said that "We need to make our own Harry Potter films. Hollywood has trained the world to watch films that are made on a set format. To sustain ourselves in the market, we need to master the skills in which we are lagging behind."

He finally summed up his session, by re-phrasing his famous dialogue from ‘Om Shanti Om’- “Duniya ko hamari badi badi filmein abhi dekhna baaki hai mere dost.”

There's no bigger superstar than me, SRK

Actor Shah Rukh Khan on Friday said there was no bigger superstar than him and that he wished to be recognised by all age groups, especially the young people.

Khan wowed the audience and kept them in splits throughout his session 'Movies, magic, life -- Making movies work in a brand new decade' at the 10th India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

While agreeing that movies are a way of life for India, Khan said that the film industry needs to learn a few things if it truly wants to go global.

Known for his wit and easy charm, Khan was a different, more serious self as he broke down the issues plaguing the industry.

"We need scientific screenplay writing and the organisation and discipline we see in Hollywood and the science of marketing firms," explained the Om Shanti Om star.

Recounting a meeting with Hollywood actor Will Smith, he said that Smith had shared that he worked in just two films a year, one was to satisfy the actor in himself and the second was to satisfy the urge of working with someone bigger than him.

Khan joked that his problem was that couldn't find a bigger superstar but, on a serious note, he added that the bigger star needs to be visual effects.

Sharing his secret ingredient of making the movies work in a brand new decade, he said that though the Indian film industry had the music, the film and the math (economics), it was missing a symbiotic relationship with Hollywood.

Also tearing into the Indian industry's long-time obsession with crossover films and actors, Khan suggested a ban on the phrase "crossover films" because they just don't exist. "We should instead take Bollywood to the world," he said.

"Mumbai to Melrose, the road is shrinking. Warner Brothers and Sony are making movies here while UTV is doing the same in Hollywood. If you want to do crossover films, then you are barking up the wrong tree because the Indian audience loves the musical dramas," said Khan.

Abiding by his wife Gauri Khan's strict instructions not to make a clown of himself, Khan, instead, thrilled the gathering by flashing them a lightning fast look at his four-pack, if not a full six-pack, abdomen.

On a more sombre note, he also touched upon communal tensions. He explained that the reason the film industry has not fallen prey to such filmmaking is because it makes films that have to please everyone and are acceptable to the whole country.

On politics, Khan added, "Politicians should not come between you and your God." He later diffused the solemn topic by joking that if he were the prime minister, he would probably take a holiday right now to an undisclosed location.

In the end, he aptly described what his epitaph would read. For Khan, who can charm a billion Indian hearts and break them just as easily, his life would read, "Here is Shah Rukh Khan. He tried hard. Very hard."

Bollywood lacks film-making skills: SRK

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan stole the show at India Today Conclave 2011 in New Delhi with his charm and wit. Shah Rukh spoke about the shortcoming of the Hindi film industry.

During his session - 'Movies, magic, life - Making movies work in a brand new decade,' he presented his view on films and magic and discussed how Bollywood lacked the basic skills of film making. He said, "Bollywood lacks the 3 important film-making skills - Screenplay writing, special effects and science of marketing."

While discussing Hollywood and special effects in Bollywood, SRK said, "We need better visual effects & discipline in Bollywood."

"We don't need Hollywood investment as much as we need their knowledge," added Shah Rukh Khan.

SRK has six-pack abs, we have pictures to prove it!

Actor Shah Rukh Khan on Friday said there was no bigger superstar than him and that he wished to be recognised by all age groups, especially the young people.

Khan wowed the audience and kept them in splits throughout his session 'Movies, magic, life -- Making movies work in a brand new decade' at the 10th India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

While agreeing that movies are a way of life for India, Khan said that the film industry needs to learn a few things if it truly wants to go global.

Known for his wit and easy charm, Khan was a different, more serious self as he broke down the issues plaguing the industry.

"We need scientific screenplay writing and the organisation and discipline we see in Hollywood and the science of marketing firms," explained the Om Shanti Om star.

Recounting a meeting with Hollywood actor Will Smith, he said that Smith had shared that he worked in just two films a year, one was to satisfy the actor in himself and the second was to satisfy the urge of working with someone bigger than him.

Khan joked that his problem was that couldn't find a bigger superstar but, on a serious note, he added that the bigger star needs to be visual effects.

Sharing his secret ingredient of making the movies work in a brand new decade, he said that though the Indian film industry had the music, the film and the math (economics), it was missing a symbiotic relationship with Hollywood.

Also tearing into the Indian industry's long-time obsession with crossover films and actors, Khan suggested a ban on the phrase "crossover films" because they just don't exist. "We should instead take Bollywood to the world," he said.

"Mumbai to Melrose, the road is shrinking. Warner Brothers and Sony are making movies here while UTV is doing the same in Hollywood. If you want to do crossover films, then you are barking up the wrong tree because the Indian audience loves the musical dramas," said Khan.

Abiding by his wife Gauri Khan's strict instructions not to make a clown of himself, Khan, instead, thrilled the gathering by flashing them a lightning fast look at his four-pack, if not a full six-pack, abdomen.

On a more sombre note, he also touched upon communal tensions. He explained that the reason the film industry has not fallen prey to such filmmaking is because it makes films that have to please everyone and are acceptable to the whole country.

On politics, Khan added, "Politicians should not come between you and your God." He later diffused the solemn topic by joking that if he were the prime minister, he would probably take a holiday right now to an undisclosed location.

In the end, he aptly described what his epitaph would read. For Khan, who can charm a billion Indian hearts and break them just as easily, his life would read, "Here is Shah Rukh Khan. He tried hard. Very hard."

No bhaang for SRK

Just a while ago, Baadshah Khan had come to Delhi sporting long tresses – revealing his look in Farhan Akhtar's " Don 2: The Chase Continues" , but since he came to town this time, for bro-inlaw Rustam Tiwari's wedding , we know he's bid goodbye to that look.

In town for promotional activity , SRK was asked if he misses his long locks, and he replied with a smile, "Not at all. In fact, I've begun to respect women even more, for they can manage their tresses all their lives, I couldn't do it for a few months. I was massively irritated with my hair when we were shooting in Malaysia in that humid weather... bahut sweating hoti thi... aur main bahut pareshaan hota tha..." he said, reaching for his hair, "When I woke up in the morning , it would feel like many people were sleeping with me, and it used to take two people to shampoo my hair... and believe me, I didn't feel pampered at all. And I insisted on getting my hair chopped off the same night the film's shooting got over."

Buzz has it that Shakira will be singing for KKR. "I came back from Malaysia a few days ago, and till now, I have no idea of it. In fact, my team partner too has no clue! So, let me go back to Mumbai and find out if it's true. I'll be happy if it is," was SRK's reply.

Talking about the rumours about his production house flouting a few rules, Shah Rukh chose to laugh it off, with a, "Yes, I am all for flouting a few rules here and there..." Talking of mannerisms, he was asked as to how many hours does he spend on his mobile phone. "I spend a good 3-4 hours on my phone, but while shooting I keep my phone away. Though I keep frequenting my vanity van to check missed calls and texts, I keep it away when on the sets. And if my colleagues are listening, I hope they follow this too," said SRK.

Lastly, before he left, he was asked whether he loves to have bhaang on Holi, as the festival is approaching. "I have never tasted bhaang in my life. I think, apart from smoking, aur koi buri aadat abhi tak nahin hai mujh mein," he said and asked during the chat, "Holi kab hai, by the way?" which spread some laughter in the hall, "Guess I will be shooting that day."

SRK hosts special screening for ''Always Kabhi Kabhi'',

Guess some of the good habits of Aamir Khan are rubbing over Shah Rukh Khan as well. It is a known fact that Aamir Khan hosts special screenings for practically each of his films prior to their theatrical release. Now Shah Rukh too has done the same for Always Kabhi Kabhi, a film coming from his production house which is directed by Roshan Abbas.

Informs a source closely attached to the film, "Yes, there were a couple of test screenings that were held a few weeks back. Unlike many film makers who host special screenings only in Mumbai, Shah Rukh took the film to Delhi as well. He wanted to gauge reaction from the two biggest audience bases for his campus entertainer."

The test screening was held for hundreds of students and youngsters who belonged to 14-24 year age group, which is also the film's target audience. This is not a first in Bollywood though as Aamir has done this for each of his films, whether it is 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par or even nephew Imran's Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa.

"The idea is to closely monitor audience reaction and see which are the scenes that are the highest as well as the lowest points in the film's narrative. Roshan was quite involved in both these screenings and took notes so that he could go back to the editing table and make necessary changes, if required", continues the source.

Roshan doesn't deny that these screenings indeed took place. "I had shown Shah Rukh some portions of the film to understand if we are reaching out to the audience we had in mind", he says, "I was also of the view that we should show the film to sample of such audience. Shah Rukh too converged on my point of view and we went ahead with the screenings."

Since the film's final edit was not yet done, Roshan and his team set expectations with the audience.

"We told that that the film that we were showing them was a rough cut and yet to be polished in totality", says Roshan, "To our delight though, the audience was pretty involved with what they saw and later commented that the film was reflecting their own story. They laughed with us at the right spots and then went quiet when the story touched their hearts."

Well Roshan, hope the wider audience too shares a similar thought.

''Ra.One'’s VFX supervisor wants credit for his 750-strong team.

Star-producer Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that his superhero sci-fi fantasy, RA.One, is a one-of-its-kind Hindi film. Recently, director Anubhav Sinha got a mail from his VFX producer, Keitan Yadav, stating that officially 750 people were working on the visual effec related stories

Anubhav reaction was, “I love my team, I love my kafila. Shah Rukh and I started dreaming about RA.One four years ago, and today such a large number of talent is colouring that dream. I can never thank them enough.”

The team has been picked from across five countries, including India, Canada, France, Thailand and the US. And at least five of them, Anubhav, Keitan, Jeff Kleiser, the lead VFX supervisor, Harry Hingorani another supervisor, are on video conference everyday at the oddest of hours because of the time difference.

Anubhav admits that both Shah Rukh and he are making this film primarily for their kids. “Shah Rukh’s son Aryan is 13, and his daughter Suhana is 10, while my son, Shlok, is nine. Every father wants to be a superhero in the eyes of his child,” he muses. “It’s a cycle. As a parent you go beyond your capabilities to make your child proud of you. And then, when the child grows up, he or she goes beyond his capabilities to make his parents proud of him. It’s my turn now, both as a father and a son.”

Just before the film’s first look was unveiled, Anubhav left on a 10-day, much-needed break. On his return, he was prepared for some negative reactions because Shah Rukh has never been presented like this before. “SRK’s blue look has been universally acceptable,” he exults, quick to dismiss speculations about RA.One being a ‘desi’ Avatar. “But if it does even half the business of James Cameron’s sci-fi adventure, I’ll be a superhero.”

In this age of sequels, will we see a RA.Two? “Why not?” retorts Anubhav. “Sequels are in vogue, and this one is designed as a franchise. But there’s still time for Part 2. Right now, I’m so busy with RA.One that I have no time to eat or sleep. I haven’t even had a drink in months.”

Thanks- Hindustan Times

10 lakh people don't make a hit!! SRK

Shah Rukh Khan has been one of the most active Bollywood celebs on social networking site Twitter.

However, the star has been out of action since sometime now. Many would be content in believing that the Khan is inactive as he has no projects to promote and will be back as soon as his films near release. But the real story is very different from the common assumption.

In a recent interview when enquired about his absence from micro-blogging, Shah Rukh explained, "As an actor and as a celebrity, I often come across people who look into my eye and ask me embarrassing questions at press conferences. However, I don't have any option other than putting up a smiling face and replying to the questions even if I am upset or angry.

"It has been happening since 20 years and it happened even during my interactions on Twitter. But I am socially inept, I don't know how to handle relationships and am not very good at dealing with such questions and therefore I thought it would be best to quit," said Khan.

SRK also said that he was having a great time while on Twitter and thought it's great to deal one on one with his fans, until some people started posting crazy questions and comments. Relating one such instance SRK said, "There were comments that 'Oh he only comes on Twitter when he wants to promote his films'. Well with all due respect to everyone, I want to say that 8-10 lakh do not make a film hit."

But SRK also confirmed that he would go back to Twitter someday and as usual talk about life.