Star - studded Screening of Om Shanti Om Held

Even though its premiere is scheduled to take place in London, Shah Rukh Khan organised a special screening of his keenly-anticipated film Om Shanti Om for the crème de la crème of the film industry on the night of Tuesday, 6th November at Yash Raj Studios.

All speculation about the Bachchan – SRK cold war seems nullified as Amitabh accompanied by son Abhishek Bachchan made a point to attend the screening of the film.

Rishi Kapoor’s presence came as a surprise because his son’s debut film Saawariya is also slated for release this Friday, but Rishi is an integral part of Om Shanti Om. Also present at the screening was Rekha, who seldom makes an appearance at film events these days.

Saif Ali Khan walked in with his kids and Kareena Kapoor, while Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra made an entry together. Priyanka had mehndi on her hands…. “I’ve come straight from the shoot of God Tussi Great Ho. Don’t think otherwise,” she joked.

The guest-list included Yash Chopra, Ravi Chopra, Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowariker, David Dhawan, Subhash Ghai, Kunal Kohli, Sajid Khan, Ratan and Ganesh Jain of Venus, Ramesh Taurani of Tips, Vidya Balan, Lara Dutta, Amisha Patel, Urmila Matondkar, Neelam, Sanjay Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Shabbir Boxwala, Milap Zaveri, distributor Anil Thadani with wife Raveena Tandon, Dino Morea, Rakesh and Ajai Acharya of Baba Films, Mimoh Chakraborty with mom Yogita.

A number of film-makers showered compliments on Deepika Padukone, who was present till the screening concluded.

Shah Rukh and Farah Khan played excellent hosts, personally receiving each and every guest and staying at the venue till the very end.

Sify.com

King Khan's Dream Studio

Shah Rukh Khan, who’s not too happy with the state of most of Mumbai’s studios, has been planning to build his own studio for a while. But believe it or not, money constraints have been stopping the superstar from realising his dreams!

He admits, “Yes, I don’t have enough money to build my own studio, with the rate of properties having gone so high. I want to build it with my own money. I need at least five acres of land to build a proper studio. I am speaking to the government about this, about giving me a proper commercial place for this. But it looks like that dream is slowly being shifted outside Mumbai now.”

Talking about his dream studio, SRK says, “It will obviously be in a better condition than a lot of existing ones. God has given me so much that I think it is my duty to give back something. If I can’t do it, I am not going to kill myself. I still have to make a lot of good films.”

The superstar adds, “I need something to end my career.

Otherwise, I will go on. So, a studio seems like a great idea where I can at least sit back and watch movies being made.”

DNA - AfterHours

"Diwali sirf meri hain" - King Khan

Shah Rukh Khan isn't leaving anything to chance.

Hours before leaving for the London premiere of his Om Shanti Om on November 8, Khan took the stage at a Nokia event on Wednesday evening in Mumbai's JW Marriott Hotel and decided to give the folks behind rival Diwali release Saawariya something to chew over.

Speaking about his stellar track record with Diwali releases, Khan laughed. "Diwali sirf meri hain. Yeh sirf main manaata hoon," he joked. ('Diwali is all mine; only I get to celebrate it') Khan's jibe is only half a joke. He's had major Diwali hits each time, and his Don last year completely buried Jaan-E-Mann, starring Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.

This time, Saawariya doesn't have star power -- with newcomer star-kids Ranbir and Sonam -- but is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Khan said that cinema is about the complete package. "Saawariya may be a wonderful film, lekin 17 saal maine bhi jhak nahin maara." (but I haven't been idle for 17 years either)

There have been difficulties for OSO in getting multiplex owners to agree to their distribution deals, even as Saawariya is picking up the bookings across India. Khan is all too aware, and appropriately quoted the Om Shanti Om dialogue, 'Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost.' ('The movie is still left, my friend.')

"I am promoting this film so much," Khan said, about the publicity going into probable overkill. "Now I feel all that's left for me to do is write Om Shanti Om on my forehead. People will say 'itna bol raha hai, dekh hi lete hain.'" ('He's saying so much, lets see the film anyway.)

Khan's words pretty much eclipsed Nokia's event, where the firm was tying up with the film and bringing exclusive deals for Nokia customers. As a part of this tie-up, Nokia users can video clips, crazy OSO mobisodes, and animated characters of Om, played by SRK , that can be downloaded by dialling 55555 or from nokia.co.in/oso.

'We are just exploring if mobile devices can take entertainment further. This tie-up is just the beginning,' said Khan. Consumers purchasing select Nokia phones will also get a chance -- via a lucky draw across the country -- to meet King Khan in person this December.

Rediff.com

SRK Dances with Rakhi Sawant

Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to make Om Shanti Om a whopping success. And the actor even made an appearance on a reality dance show as a judge to promote his latest film.

SRK did what he is best at, charming contestants and audiences alike on the sets of the popular dance show Nach Baliye.

Dancing to the hit track Dard-e-disco from Om Shanti Om, the actor bonded well with item girl Rakhi Sawant and even did an impromptu jig with her.

As has been evident in the last few weeks, Om Shanti Om has been bombarded on viewers of all television channels in different manners. So, is this a little too much of aggressive marketing?

“This is not aggressive marketing at all. My film is about peace, love and meditation. It’s like a chant Om Shanti Om,” Shah Rukh said in his usual witty manner.

The peace chant certainly seems to be working on King Khan who seems to be enjoying every minute of the pre-release publicity. And the actor also has a message for his viewers on what to do this Diwali.

“I never tell anyone to go watch my film but this time I will say so. That is because if you do so, it will be fun. It's an entertaining film with lots of drama and good acting,” Shah Rukh said.

So, here's hoping the smile stays put after this Friday too, when the film releases worldwide.

Watch the Video

IBNlive.com

Please make Om Shanti Om the biggest hit : SRK

CNN-IBN’s Rohit Khilnani caught up with the King Khan at yet another promotional event for his big Diwali release Om Shanti Om and quizzed him on the publicity blitzkrieg surrounding his film.

Rohit Khilnani: It is the first time you have gone all out to promote a film. Can we say you are the best producer?

Shah Rukh Khan: Not really. What happens is that every time, the bar is set a little higher. Like Don, for example, required people to come and see the styling. Om Shanti Om has come in at a time when it’s important that people come in hordes and see it during the celebration period. So depending on the kind of film, I go out and promote it. The next film that we do will have a bigger platform, thanks to you people, thanks to Nokia, communication, internet and networking now.

Rohit Khilnani: Has the problem with multiplexes and distributors been sorted now?

Shah Rukh Khan: Yes, it has been sorted out. Like the Godfather, I made them an offer they could not refuse. So I just want to tell everyone that advance booking is open now so please rush to a theatre near you and quickly buy all the tickets for Om Shanti Om and make it the biggest hit of the century.

Watch The Video

Rohit Khilnani, IBNlive.com