'I was lucky to participate in this historic event' Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan was in Johannesburg to watch the Twenty20 World Championship India-Pakistan final on Monday. Though he was impressed at the energy and enthusiasm of the young team, in an exclusive chat with CNN-IBN, he said that winning the World Cup did not mean this was the best team India had ever had.


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Sanjeeb Mukherjea: It must have been a great experience watching the final of the World T20 Championship, what with India winning the World Cup after so many years.


Shah Rukh Khan: It was absolutely wonderful. I am lucky that I could participate in the history-making piece of sportsmanship that the team has shown and I congratulate the team. I am so happy that I could make it and we won, especially against a well-deserving opponent like Pakistan, which also played wonderfully.


Sanjeeb Mukherjea: Do you think that this new team has brought in a totally fresh new look to Indian cricket?


Shah Rukh Khan: Let's not jump to conclusions so fast. They are all great players, but we have always had great players in our team. The BCCI has always made sure that there is a great team playing. However, the fact is that you win some and you lose some, but when you win some, it does not mean that this is the greatest team and when we lose some, it does not mean that it is the worst team!


But this is a great team. On good days we performed very well and we have had a great spell of cricket these last two weeks. Hopefully the form will continue. And I say that this set of guys is very energetic and they have a great belief in winning and that is good spirit.


Sanjeeb Mukherjea: What do you think of the Chak De... factor across sub-continental cricket?


Shah Rukh Khan: I keep telling everyone that the movie does not inspire people. Real heroes like the Indian cricket team which just won the World T20 Championship inspire people.


I am glad that this film of mine came when we are doing so well in football, cricket and hockey. All I would like to say is thank you for giving us more chances to make more movies on real heroes like the Indian cricket team.

Source: CNN-IBN

I Always Believed India Would Win the T20 World Cup: SRK

Expressing elation over India's historic win in the first Twenty20 World Cup Cricket Championship in South Africa, Bollywood's 'King Khan' Shahrukh tonight said he always had a strong belief that the team would emerge triumphant.

''I and my son strongly believed all through the final between India and Pakistan that we would win. At no time did we feel that India would lose. Fortunately for us, our young cricketing heroes proved us right,''Shahrukh said in his reaction over India lifting the T20 championship.

Speaking to a television channel, Shahrukh, who was in Johannesburg along with his son to watch the exciting final encounter between India and Pakistan, said it was his strong belief in the ability of the Indian youngsters that led him to suddenly decide early this morning to go to South Africa to lend support to the team.

''I was very young when the Indian team won the Cricket World Cup in 1983. But now I wanted my son to watch closely our young cricketing heroes battle in the field. Fortunately for us we were not disappointed,''Shahrukh said.

Referring to his recent film 'Chak De India' featuring him as a coach of the women's hockey team that trains them to emerge victorious in the World Cup, Shahrukh said,'' it is from people like Kapil Dev and Madan Lal (members of the 1983 world cup winning team) and Mohinder Singh Dhoni (Captain of the T20 world cup winning Indian team) that we draw inspirations for films like 'Chak De India' and not the other way round. In fact, it is these sportsmen who are the real heroes of our country. As actors, we only try to draw inspiration from them in our acting.'' Expressing his thanks to people like BCCI president Sharad Pawar, Industrialist Vijay malya and Congressman Rajiv Shukla for arranging his visit to South Africa at such a short notice, Shahrukh said,''I am extremely happy to be present at such a historic moment in India's cricketing history.'' ''I am also happy that this win by the Indian cricket team as well as the brilliant show by the Pakistani cricket team has given the much needed phillip to sports in the subcontinent and brought cricket back into the centrestage after the unfortunate loss at the 2007 cricket World Cup,''Shahrukh said.

Refusing to compare the World Cup win in 1983 and the T20 win, Shahrukh said,''I would not like to make any comparisons. A win is a win. In that sense, the present win is as much cherished as the 83 win.'' Bollywood actor Suneil Shetty also expressed elation at the Indian team's win.

''When Misbah-ul Haq hit that last shot, I had my heart in my mouth. I thought we had lost it. Its only when they showed Srishant catching the ball that I realized India had won,''Suneil Shetty told a TV channel.

Suneil said it was a really exciting tournament that they had witnessed in South Africa this last forthnight.

''I believe that T 20 cricket is here to stay and will give strong competition to one day cricket,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Pradesh BJP chief Harshvardhan also congratulated the Indian cricket team on its historic win.

''I am happy that we are World champions. We feel on top of the world on the cricket team's triumph,''Dr Harshvardhan said in his congratulatory message.

Source: UNI

King Khan Revs Up the Atmosphere

The noise was deafening in a packed stadium and even though the Indians outnumbered the Pakistanis by some distance, the shouting match was almost even. The battle cry was similar: every Jeetega bhai Jeetega, India Jeetega (roughly translated to "Brother, India will win) was followed by Jeetega bhai Jeetega, Pakistan Jeetega.

But the man who almost stole the applause from the cricketers was Shah Rukh Khan, the Indian film superstar equally adored in Pakistan. Shah Rukh, a self-confessed cricket fan, recently starred as a hockey coach in the hit film Chak De India. He was last seen on a cricket ground in England during the Indian tour, and was now seen standing next to Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, deliriously cheering every Pakistani wicket. When his face was flashed on the giant screen, the crowd went even more delirious.

Sambit Bal is the editor of Cricinfo and Cricinfo Magazine

Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan Cheers Team India to Victory !

As the Indian team celebrated the historic Twenty20 World Cup win, SRK exulted with uncontrollable joy.

Indian Film Superstar Shah Rukh Khan was constantly cheering the Indian cricket team on its way to victory in the finals of the Twenty20 tournament against Pakistan.

The New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg was not short of energetic Indian fans who waved Indian flags and shouted slogans to cheer the men in blue in the crucial match against Pakistan.

But one man who stood out among the Indian supporters was Shah Rukh Khan, who watched the match along with his son Aryan from the stands. SRK, wearing a black suit and a indigo T shirt, constantly clapped when a dot ball was bowled from the Indian side and stood from his seat in joy whenever a Pakistani wicket fell.

In the final overs, when Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq looked dangerous and the match seemed slipping away from India’s grip, SRK stood in the stands and gave a thumbs-up sign to Indian captain MS Dhoni in the field.

That was just a moment before the wicket of Sohail Tanvir, who had hit two sixes, fell and optimism returned to team India.

That was also the moment the DJ played a few lines of the song Chak De…Chak De India from SRK’s recent release Chak De India .

Words are not sufficient to describe what happened after that. A billion hearts erupted in joy as Haq flicked bowler Joginder Sharma’s ball into the air and Sreesanth caught it.

As the Indian team celebrated the historic Twenty20 World Cup win, SRK exulted with uncontrollable joy.

Later, SRK went to congratulate the players on the field. SRK hugged each player individually. Harbhajan Singh, who was completely ecstatic, lifted SRK up when the superstar hugged him.

SRK was heard saying to his son: “They (the Indian players) are the true superstars”.

Well said, SRK.

And a million congratulations to team India from us. You’ve made us proud.


N.K.Deoshi, ApunKaChoice

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Is it the 'Chak de' magic?

September 24: Third time in a row, it is Chak de for India. First it was football, then hockey and now cricket.

This time around the Men in Blue rocked the shores of South Africa in the just concluded inaugural Twenty20 World Championship. Team India beat Pakistan in the grand finale on September 24, a day that will be remembered in cricketing history.

It was a nail-biting encounter as the two teams fought with all their might to clinch the coveted title. But as luck would have it, the trophy went into the hands of the Men in Blue after the ball went into the hands of Sree Santh. In fact, the tournament was a big challenge for new Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his young brigade.

So as young guns brought back India's lost pride after a humiliating first round exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean.

Indian Film actor Shah Rukh Khan, along with his son Aryan, was present to grace the occasion and spell his good luck charm. Well, he is the latest sporting icon for India after the release of his film Chak de India . The film looks like a good omen for Indian sport stars.

It all started with the Indian football team creating history after lifting their first ever Nehru Cup title with a 1-0 win over a 10-man Syria in a tough final played in Delhi on August 29, 2007. The victory spurred a resurgence of football in India.

Undoubtedly the win was a return of sorts of the hit movie Chak de India , in which the Indian women's hockey team comes from behind to claim the World Cup.

The next big win for Indian sport came on September 9, 2007. And this time the game that brought laurels to our country was the national sport, hockey. Amidst a roaring crowd, the Indian hockey team did something they last did four years ago - of winning a major multinational tournament - and this time it was the Asia Cup. India retained Asia Cup beating South Korea 7-2 in a hard fought final in Chennai. Not just the convincing win, but the Indian hockey team also added another feather to its cap. Its tally of 57 goals in the event became the highest for any team.

Truely, a Chak de performance by the sporting sensations.

It looks like the stars are shining for Indian sport. As the year is drawing to a close, the match winning performances of India's sporting sensations have taken the nation to a realm of success following a never-ending exhilaration.

The title song of Chak De India is a big hit and overall the movie itself has spread its magic across all sport in India. As the adrenaline is running high with India's seemingly never-ending successes, it's time to say again Chak de India .


Divya Kalra, TimesOfIndia

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Shah Rukh Khan did a Chak de India at the Wanderers in Johannesburg as he watched the match and embraced the Indian team after their victory.

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said it was the film Chak de India and actor Shah Rukh Khan's presence that inspired Dhoni and his men to victory.

Coach Khan was in the VIP lounge with his equally cricket savvy son Aryan, cheering for their favourite team right through the nail-biting finale.

From giving the cricketers his love to egging them on, Shah Rukh thoroughly enjoyed the match.

"It really was Chak de India. I am glad that my son and I became part of history. It was an exciting match and we played a strong team," said Shah Rukh.

Going by the excitement it created amongst the players, they were more than happy to exchange a jadu ki jhappi with the man who made hockey a household name.

NDTV-Correspondent

SRK speaks about his forthcoming film Om Shanti Om and how Bhansali's Saawariya is not a threat

Lately in news for his six packs, the Badshah of Bollywood aka Shah Rukh Khan speaks about his forthcoming film Om Shanti Om and how Bhansali’s Saawariya is not a threat.

The music of Om Shanti Om is catching really fast.

Vishal and Shekhar have given it a lot of thought before deciding upon the music for Om Shanti Om . The interesting thing about the music of OSO is that it has been made in two contrasting periods, one of the 70’s and one for 2007. So we hope that the music of both the eras is liked by audiences. Pyarelalji has composed the music for us for the first half of the film that depicts the 70’s. Farah too has a good sense of music. I do not have a great knowledge of music but I have been fortunate that over the years my films have always had good music directors. And the singers in the film Abhijeet, Sonu and Shreya have all been great in the film. There are two to three songs that are too good. I think youngsters will like Dard-E-Disco a lot apart from which we have also included dance mixes as well. Om Shanti Om , I would say, has a lot of variety to offer as far as music is concerned.

What sets Om Shanti Om apart from the conventional?

At the outset I would say that it is not possible to make every person happy. And also I am not in a position to explain how different Om Shanti Om is. Although the film is about reincarnation and has lots of drama, it has its humourous moments too. As a producer, to recreate the sets of the 70’s was very exciting for me and no filmmaker has tried to relive that period in Hindi cinema before. Hence it was a very enriching experience for me. Also I have a personal thinking that the term Bollywood has been derived from the 70’s cinema. Nor has it has been taken from the 50’s or 60’s or the 90’s. Bollywood has been identified by the global audience as having side locks, wearing bell-bottoms and having long hair and to portray that was exciting. I wanted Farah to do the same for her first film Main Hoon Na when we rewind to my youthful days. Om Shanti Om is a film from the 70’s and yet modern.

Do you personally have a belief in reincarnation?

No, I do not believe in it. I don’t think I can be born again.

How difficult was it for you to build your body that too at such short notice?

See nothing is difficult to achieve if you desire to work for it. Even our film has a main line that says everything turns out to be OK in the end and if it is still not ok then there is hope. I had hope even at my age that I can have abs and my children like it as well. Earlier I had a back surgery and I was told to have regular workouts to improve the flexibility. Four months back I was on diet control. I also took some supplements like amino acids and fat burners and I did 500 to 700 crunches. That has made a difference. And I feel good now having done it. I would advise all youngsters to do the same and stay fit because a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

Whose idea was it to shoot a song with you wearing nothing but a shirt?

Farah always had this dream that I perform a song for her without a shirt. She tried it in Kaal where she made me wear a banian (vest). When I looked at bodies of Salman, John or Hrithik I felt that even I could try to compete with them, though they all have much more fantastic physiques. But I did not want to feel ashamed of myself and so I tried my best. I think that I have sort of succeeded in my endeavour. So the idea was certainly Farah’s but I had set a condition that I would bare my chest when I have a good one. I put in the efforts for the last three to four months and feel I have done just fine.

Tell us something about the characters in Om Shanti Om..

One of the characters is Om Prakash Makhija. And Shreyas who plays a very important role in the film always reminds him that he will never become a star because of his name which is Om Prakash Makhija. He is a 70’s character who is a struggling artist and wants to be a superstar but never succeeds. The second character is Om Kapoor who is a superstar but is not talented. These two characters along with Shanti (played by Deepika Padukone) form the storyline.

We hear that Om Shanti Om has a lot of comedy so then is the film a spoof of sorts at the 70’s era?

The film is certainly not a spoof. Of course there is humour in the film because Farah has a good sense of it. There are a lot of funny scenes in the film which we haven’t shown in the promos as yet but you’ll get to see it later in the trailers in October. What I like about Om Shanti Om is that it is a gritty film that has loads of drama but also has its funny moments. All in all Om Shanti Om is 2 ½ hours of pure entertainment and hope it’s happy 2 ½ hours for all who watch the film.

Was it necessary to rope in so many stars for the film?

The film is set in two different eras. One from the 70’s and the other in 2007 and most importantly the film is set in the film industry. So we felt that if we get genuine stars in the film that will make it more real and bring in a sense of reality. I am grateful to all the stars who gave their time and efforts for Om Shanti Om . Today’s actors are good friends but I must thank all the yesteryear stars like Dharamji, Shabanaji, Jeetusaab and Mithunda. They all came down at just one call to be a part of the 70’s era in the film. And I am really touched by other seniors like Amitji and Rakesh Roshanji who also are part of the movie. The film was about real people and reality, thus I felt it was necessary to get these original stars and not duplicates.

What is the best compliment that you got for the six pack abs that you sport in the song Dard-E-Dsico?

My son tells me that I am no longer fat and that I look better than before. But he thinks that I can still improve on my fitness. So I will keep at it.

Shah Rukh, you had called Salman the Dadasaheb Phalke of Bodybuilding. Now that you yourself have managed six pack abs, what would you say?

I am just a debutant. In fact I should get the ‘Best debut for bodybuilding’ award. Salman, I think, was responsible for the wave of physical fitness that came into India which was followed by Hrithik in modern times. Both keep encouraging me. In fact I showed the first photos of my body to them and they said it looked OK. I am happy that they thought that I looked nice.

Lastly, do you consider Saawariya as a possible threat to Om Shanti Om?

Firstly, whenever one makes a film they make it hoping that it is liked by one and all. To be honest, Sanjay is a close friend of mine. He has given me one of my most memorable films with Devdas which I think is a highlight of my career. I have a lot of respect for him as a friend and as a filmmaker.
Saawariya is being presented by Columbia Tristar. The film has big names like Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee and also has two newcomers Ranbir and Sonam who love and respect me very much. In fact given a choice I would not want to compete with such a huge film and at the same time I love my film so much that I fear for it.
Business wise it would have been wiser if both films had released separately but since it is clashing, all we can do is wish all the best to them and wish that our film does well too. Ours is a comparatively small film but having said that I will try my best to make Om Shanti Om the nicest film of the year. There is no competition but yes, Om Shanti Om is my child.

Source: IndiaTimesMovies