Latest Box Office Report for SRK's Chak De! India

As people got into a weekend mode, the unthinkable happened and the film was running to a houseful response all over. All current booking counters showed a houseful board while tickets for Saturday and Sunday too were sold out pronto. In nutshell, a film that was now slated to be yet another success for Shahrukh Khan.

End of story? Not quite.

Typically the best of films see a fall over the weekdays (as expected) only to pick up again in the weekend to follow. It would have been natural for CHAK DE INDIA to follow the same route to. But did that happen? Not really. The film saw a dip in collections but far lower than what other films have shown in recent times. Also, the dip was observed only on Monday and the first half of Tuesday because as the day came to a close, the holiday mood was back again due to Wednesday being Independence Day.

Situation at the box office on Tuesday evening and entire Wednesday was same as observed over the weekend which meant that the film was simply relentless in accumulating great collections along with immense appreciation.

As things stand today, the film has shown a bumper second weekend with excellent collections on Friday/Saturday with Sunday looking phenomenal too. The film has already collected close to 20 crores from the first week and with hardly any major opposition in second week (MARIGOLD has opened to a disastrous response while BUDDHA MAR GAYA has it's own set of audience), it is widely expected that collections would be tremendous in second week too.

Source: BollywoodTradeNewsNetwork

OM SHANTI OM music in September

OM SHANTI OM, an extravagant offering from Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan, is aiming for a November 9th release. The film's promotion is all set to get started in a week from now while the music album is expected to hit the stands somewhere around middle of September.

Music of film has been in news ever since the project was announced. To begin with A.R. Rahman was finalised as a composer. Later due to certain differences over holding of rights, replacement for Rahman was sought and duo of Vishal-Shekhar was instead roped in. Also, services of Pyarelal [of Lakshmikant-Pyarelal duo] were sought to arrange one of the songs from the film.

As per insiders, Vishal and Shekhar have come up with a terrific soundtrack that traverses genres. A complete Bollywood soundtrack that goes with the 'masala' flavour of the film.

OM SHANTI OM is one music album to watch out for as it hits the stands next month.

Source: IndiaGlitz

Preity Women is in love with Shah Rukh Khan

According to sources, pretty actress Preity Zinta is in love with the character Shah Rukh played in Chak De! India . Preity was all praise for SRK starrer after she cleverly got away from the theatre in her burkha.

Says Preity, “The movie has elevated patriotism to a higher level, it's given energy a new meaning and youth a new direction.”

Preity could not control her honest opinions and praises about King Khan as she said, “He is mind blowing, too good to express in words, and I just love him.” We are sure Gauri Khan will ignore this as one off.

Source: IndiaTraget

Shah rukh khan one of the finest actors in the Hindi film industry

After playing yuppie lover in several romantic films he got tagged as the best entertainer in the country. But Shah Rukh Khan has surprised everyone with his latest "Chak De! India" where his performance as a no-nonsense hockey coach establishes him as one of the finest actors in the Hindi film industry.

If writer Jaideep Sahni and director Shimit Amin are getting accolades for making such an unconventional film, Shah Rukh too is winning praise for his natural performance as Kabir Khan, the disgraced hockey player who tries to redeem his prestige by coaching the women's hockey team and making them winners. Those who thought "Swades" was SRK's best performance, as an Indian American NASA scientist who comes home on a visit only to get involved in developmental projects in a village, will be surprised with his emoting in "Chak De! India".

The actor, who had earned much flak for doing "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna", shows his prowess and shuts up critics as "Chak De..." has so far not received any negative feed back.

While fans say they are proud of him for choosing an unusual film like this, critics across the globe are raving about how effortlessly he plays a coach who travels to glory from gloom.

"After 'Swades' Shah Rukh has again essayed a role where he has totally negated his own superstar self and completely become the character he is supposed to play. There is not a single trace of the superstar that we have seen in most of his films like 'Don'," said Anuradha, a Shah Rukh fan.

Critic Andy Webster in his review in New York Times writes: "For his part, Mr. Khan, to his credit, lets his co-stars' youthful charisma carry the movie. He also laudably portrays a man who vigorously and unabashedly advocates the advancement of women."

The film is based on former India goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi who lost his glory after conceding several goals in a match against Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final. He was dropped from the team. Negi returned to the hockey field, most grudgingly, 16 years later as a goalkeeping coach and helped India in winning the 1998 Asian Games men's gold at Bangkok and the women's gold at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.

Shah Rukh convincingly portrays the shame, disillusionment of the disgraced hockey player and determination to win back his prestige.

Negi, who was roped in as a technical director of the film, said he was impressed by Shah Rukh's performance.

"He is a fine actor and evoked the right emotions in the movie. He has done justice to the role," Negi told IANS.

Aditya Chopra's mega hit "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" gave the actor the yuppie romantic hero image, and others hits like "Dil To Paagal Hai", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho" built on that persona.

Post the success of these films he became the superhero and directors began to concentrate on his image, mannerisms and style. As a result, Shah Rukh never got enough chance to prove his versatility as one who could ably play unpredictable roles.

However, film critic Anumpama Chopra's recently released book "King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema" reveals that diverse roles give Shah Rukh creative satisfaction.

Which is quite true. The actor, who is often accused of playing safe and not working with untried directors, tried to be versatile in "Baazigar" and "Darr". They were anti-hero roles and nobody would have dared to touch them, but he managed to twist negative roles in his favour.

He has tried to play unconventional roles - in "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani", as a journalist, in "Asoka", a historical, and "Devdas", as an alcoholic lover. But the films, though appreciated, didn't benefit him much.

But it was Ashotosh Gowariker's "Swades" which was the turning point in his career, which critics described as his coming of age. His performance as NASA scientist Mohan Bhargava didn't show a single trace of his iconic attitude. He immersed himself in his character and wowed both critics and fans.

And now the acceptance of his role in "Chak De! India" substantiates the fact that there is perhaps no one like Shah Rukh.

People can go on arguing whether Aamir Khan or Irrfan Khan or Amitabh Bachchan is a better actor than Shah Rukh, but the truth remains that the superstar is being accepted as the best and one shouldn't underestimate his potential.

Such is the performance of Shah Rukh as Kabir Khan that it will live with the audience for a long time.

Source: Khabrein.info

King Khan Vs Big B

The fall-out:
Talks of snubs and tit-for-tat behaviour have been doing the rounds ever since SRK agreed to host Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Khan even skipped the IIFA Award show in May, which happens to have Big B as its brand ambassador.

Spat-free strategy:
Exchange gifts.
If sending a gift is the rich-and-famous way of raising the white flag, then the rivalry between the the two biggies seems to be thawing out.
After SRK gifted Bachchan an expensive computer game, Big B returned the gesture with a Dolce and Gabbana jacket and a note that said, "Let bygones be bygones".

Peace Lesson :
If you don't care about the intangible advantages, like growing as a person and learning how to deal with relationships, you will at least be one gift richer.

Source: Mid-DayMumbai

King Khan to cast spell on retail high street

Senior industry sources said that he’s partnering real estate major MGF in its retail arm Aryan Lifestyle, which has just picked up the exclusive franchisee rights for Nike and Tag Heuer.

Aryan Lifestyle is also in talks to pick up the distribution and store rights of Tommy Hilfiger. The move is interesting as an equal JV between the Murjanis and Arvind Mills holds the brand rights for Tommy Hilfiger in India. The brand has banked on a multiple franchisee model to develop exclusive shops till date, but is now keen on speeding up expansion through department stores as well.

Aryan Lifestyle COO Deepak Chabbra confirmed that the company has taken over the franchisee rights for Nike and Tag Heuer but declined to comment on the prospective partnership with Tommy Hilfiger and whether King Khan is a stakeholder in the company. “I cannot comment on future plans.

We will make announcements at the appropriate time.’’ Interestingly, Shahrukh’s 10-year-old son Aryan and the actor have been the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer for almost three years now. The CEO of Tommy Hilfiger in India Shailesh Chaturvedi also declined to comment. “I have no comments to make on this.’’

Sources, however, said that Aryan Lifestyle is also in talks with several brands for similar franchisee arrangements, including international beauty retailer, Sephora. Some industry analysts believe that high-street retail is not directly connected with being a real estate player. Many companies are entering this category as it is a profitable business in its own right. Players need deep pockets but need not necessarily be involved in the real estate business.

Experts, who link retail to real estate, feel that the Shahrukh-MGF combine is a good idea for roping in international brands but may not work for mass affluent brands. “While it’s true that MGF is a mall developer and has access to good locations, it’s still a small player.

It has announced only 11 projects of which six are operational. In this scenario, it may be a good idea to rope in luxury brands which are happy with five to six stores nationally, but I don’t know how a premium label like Tommy Hilfiger, which has the potential to be present in 50-100 exclusive stores, would manage,’’ said a retail expert who did not wish to be quoted.

Source: TNN

I never thought of acting in a film and that too with SRK It feels like a miracle: Chitrashi Rawat

It’s not everyday that a teenager gets to share screen time with Shahrukh Khan in a box-office scorcher and get noticed. In Chak De! India , 18-year old Chitrashi Rawat manages to do that in her Komal Chautala avatar.

The reel tomboy with attitude stumbled onto movies by a stroke of luck. So how did it all happen? “Director Shimit (Amin) spotted me when I was playing at the National Hockey Tournament in Jabalpur.

He asked me to come for the audition, which clicked, rewinds an overjoyed Chitrashi.

For this petite Dehradun girl who’s pursuing her bachelor’s degree in mass media, acting happened by chance, but it was like a dream come true, I never thought of acting in a film and that too with SRK.It feels like a miracle,” she says.

How tough was it to learn Haryanvi (she plays one in the film) for her? “Initially it was very difficult. But many people helped me learn the language, including Shahrukh, who speaks very good Haryanvi,” she chirps.

Ask her about her real relationship with her co-star Sagarika Ghatge (on screen, the two are on warpath) and she quickly points out, “Oh, it’s completely different. We share a very healthy relationship. We never had even a single argument during the shoot.

Chitrashi, who actually plays hockey for Uttranchal, says, “Being a player, I had an advantage while portraying my character.” So did she ever flaunt her talent on the sets? “Never,” says a modest Chitrashi.

Though there were many issues shown in the movie, according to Chitrashi, it is regionalism and not cricket, which is affecting hockey. “Regionalism needs to be checked,” she says.

Source: TOI