Shah Rukh to invite barbers, hairstylists for Billu premiere

In a move to appease the Hairdressers' Associations of Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan is planning to invite various barbers and hairstylists for the premiere of Billu, which was earlier titled Billu Barber.

"As far as I know, Shah Rukh is planning a premiere for the various barbers and hairdressers' associations, so they'd see and know that the film doesn't ridicule them in any way. In fact, the film is a homage to the hair-cutting technique. I can't understand how there can be a protest about the film or its title without anyone seeing the film," Priyadarshan told IANS.

According to Priyadarshan, Shah Rukh is not inviting friends from the industry for the screening.

The film was earlier titled 'Billu Barber', but when Hairdressers' Associations of Mumbai objected to the use of the word "barber" in the title, Shah Rukh, who is producing the film and making a guest appearance, decided to change it.

"I'm in Chennai. Shah Rukh Khan tells me all the posters hoarding with credits will blacken out the word 'barber'. If it was hurting anyone's sentiments, I'm okay by it," Priyadarshan said.

He wonders how the word 'barber' could be okay in other languages and not in Hindi.

"Does it mean half the Indian population is not put off by the title and the other half is upset about it? I don't understand the controversy. And I've left it entirely to Shah Rukh to deal with it."

The director has no plans of being in Mumbai for the release of Billu. "I've done my best. And Irrfan Khan in the title role is the best homage that can be paid to any profession."

Priyan does wonder, and so do we, if we as a collective nation protest too much.

Irrfan Khan plays the title role and is paired with Lara Dutta in the film, which is releasing Friday. Shah Rukh will make a guest appearance along with Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone.

Dish TV renews contract with Shah Rukh Khan

Dish TV has extended its endorsement contract with Shah Rukh Khan for another 18 months. Dish TV, which leads the DTH category in the country, had signed up with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘07 to endorse its service.

According to Dish TV officials, the service has a base of 4.85 million subscribers. Rival Tata Sky too uses Aamir Khan extensively in its advertising.

As reported by ET last week, Shah Rukh tops the list of celebrity endorsements on TV according to a new Tam AdEx report.

The economic slowdown seems to have had a positive rub-off on the DTH industry, as people have started restricting their entertainment bills and going out less. In the July-September ‘08 period, the DTH industry was adding six lakh subscribers per month, but the base jumped to one million in the October-December period.

SRK's next is a super-hero film

The excruciating pain on his shoulder notwithstanding, Shah Rukh Khan is going all out to promote his new film Billu (the word 'barber' has been removed from all posters/billboards) Tell him that he's the best marketing brain in the industry thanks to the kind of promotion he did for Om Shanti Om, he says, "Not Om Shanti Om, but Yes Boss was the film that started it all."

Although Billu is an SRK production, with Irrfan Khan enacting the title role, SRK hasn't forced himself in the story. On the contrary, he has removed two of his scenes from the film.

Not many are aware that Priyadarshan had offered SRK two choices - a film on heist and the other, a story on friends.

"I chose the second." And the actor is extremely happy with the way Billu has shaped up.

"We had a screening recently for family and friends. I wasn't expecting people to get emotional, but a lot of people did. The last 20 minutes did make me moist-eyed as well. I think the film will connect with the audiences," Shah Rukh reveals.

Financially too, SRK will make a neat profit on the film. Reportedly, he has sold the film for a fantastic price (Rs. 50 cr.) to Eros.

"The rumours just don't stop. Sometime back I was told I was charging Rs. 100 crores for a film. I've never over-charged any of my producers. Now this one! The truth is, we've spent quite a bit on the making of the film. Coming to the point, the price is not Rs. 50 cr, but Rs. 35 cr," the actor says.

Next on the cards is a film with Anubhav Sinha.

"It's a super-hero film. I want it to be the best super-hero film made in India. We're hiring technicians from abroad. I'm really looking forward to this one," he adds.

SRK shoots on the lawns of the White House

Karan Johar wanted to shoot some scenes for My Name is Khan in the White House in Washington DC, USA. Now it is confirmed that the director shot for a sequence on the lawns of the White House with former President George W Bush’s lookalike.

A source says, “Getting permission to shot even on the lawns of The White House was a big deal. Usually, production houses have to go though a long procedure. It was a big win for Dharma Productions to get the space to shoot. This makes My Name is Khan the first Hindi film to be shot on the White House grounds.”

The film is set in 2001 right after the 9/11 attack, hence the sequence required Shah Rukh to interact with Bush (the then President of the United States). There are several lookalikes of Bush used, in numerous Hollywood movies. Karan chose the actor who looked the closest to ex-president.

The unit of My Name is Khan will leave for USA once again in July to finish the film. It is said that the film will be shot in San Francisco then.