Exclusive Theatrical Trailer of 2010's Biggest Movie "My Name Is Khan" - Watch the Video

SRK promotes My Name Is Khan at Avatar's premier - Video

Shah Rukh Khan takes the opportunity to promote his forthcoming film My Name Is Khan at the premier of Hollywood film Avatar.

'My Name Is Khan' to screen at Berlin film festival

The latest Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol film "My Name Is Khan" has been selected to screen at the 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival, next year, according to the festival organisers.

Directed by Karan Johar and set in the US, "My Name Is Khan" will screen at one of the oldest and most respected film festivals in the world and in a country that has a growing appetite for Indian cinema.

The Berlin International Film Festival runs from Feb 11 to 21, 2010 and will host premieres from top filmmakers from dozens of countries including the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's next film "Shutter Island" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Both Johar and Scorsese will be debuting their fourth feature films with actors Khan and DiCaprio, respectively.

"The Competition of the 60th anniversary Berlinale will be marked by a mix of styles and genres, by exciting newcomers and renowned directors," says festival director Dieter Kosslick.

"My Name Is Khan" is set to be released in theatres in India and over 40 countries including the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East on Feb 12 on Valentine's Day weekend.

In North America, it will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures which previously released "The Namesake", "Bend It Like Beckham", "Water", and "Slumdog Millionaire".

An exclusive first-look trailer for "My Name Is Khan" will air on STAR TV Wednesday, at 10:00 p.m. IST and will then be beamed across 70 countries worldwide.

In the film, Shah Rukh stars as Rizvan Khan, an unconventional hero who embarks on an incredible journey across America in order to win back the love of his life. Along the way his unique brand of goodness and humanity touches the lives of many and inspires a nation.

"My Name Is Khan" reunites Shah Rukh, named by Time magazine as "the world's biggest movie star", and Kajol for the first time in eight years. They were last seen together in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" (2001).

They have previously starred in five films together, including "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", all of which were blockbuster hits that established the pair as Bollywood's hottest on-screen couple.

The film also marks a re-teaming of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, who most recently collaborated three years ago on "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (2006).

Over the years, Karan and Shah Rukh have enjoyed an unbelievable run at the box office, working together on such hit films as "Kal Ho Naa Ho" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", some of the most successful Indian films at the international box office.

Shahrukh Khan & Kajol's global moment

At 10 pm sharp on Wednesday night, television sets in 70 countries will have all the Star channels playing just one thing - the first trailer of Karan Johar’s upcoming film My Name Is Khan starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles.

In a first of this kind for any Bollywood film, this roadblock strategy to promote MNIK has come about as a result of a tie up between Fox Star Studios and K-Jo and SRK who are the joint producers of the film.

To grab as many eyeballs as possible, about eleven Star channels including Star Plus, Star One, Star Gold, Channel V and Star Pravah will simultaneously telecast a three-minute trailer of the film tonight.

Meanwhile, the theatrical promo of MNIK will be screened along with the latest Hollywood release Avatar.

Fox Star has ambitious plans to release MNIK with as many as 600 prints overseas alone. No other Hindi film has had such a wide release abroad.

Directed by Karan Johar, MNIK is a story of a Muslim man who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. It’s the tale of an unusual journey a man undertakes to win his love and respect back in the US. The film is set for a February 12 release in 2010.

I do my best work when Shah Rukh is on the sets, says Karan Johar

• How long do you plan to work only with Shah Rukh Khan considering that actors have a limited shelf life, unlike directors?
I have never worked without him and I have no clue what the experience will be like. I do my best work when Shah Rukh is on the sets as there is this tremendous sense of comfort when he is around and I feel that everything will be fine and fun on the sets. I think I will be working with him for the rest of my life as we have this special connection not only personally but also professionally. We understand each other very well, he is a member of my family and vice versa.

• Don't you think that right now the audience wants to watch entertaining films while yours is a serious film?
Well, I don't know as I never calculate anything as far as creativity goes. I know that I have made a film with my heart, soul and a lot of passion. My entire team- SRK, Kajol, Ravi Chandran, Shibani, Deepa, Sharmistha and everybody else- has really toiled to make it a soulful venture. I firmly believe that emotions are universal and I know that when they connect with the audience, it works. There is no such thing as an entertaining or a serious film; there are good films and bad films. Good films will always find a vast audience.

• Your last film Kurbaan had a terrorism backdrop and was promoted as a love story, which clearly did not work. Do you plan to have a different strategy for the promotion of My Name is Khan?
There is nothing about terrorism in Khan. It is a soulful emotional journey about a man who is all for love and that's exactly how we are promoting the film. I certainly have no idea why the rumours about terrorism in Khan are doing the rounds.

• My Name is Khan releases on February 12. Do you think it's the ideal release date considering its Valentine's Day week and youngsters would want to see a romantic film?
Absolutely! Khan's core content is a love story. The entire journey is the love story between Rizwan and Mandira, my protagonists. What better time than the Valentine's Day week for the release of this love story about two people who go through so much in life for love.

• My Name is Khan will have the biggest release till date, even overseas. Do you think it's the right strategy?
We have a great partnership with Fox Searchlight and it is their strategy to have a platform release, which is what they call such a release. They believe that My Name is Khan has a market way beyond what’s expected and it is their strategy to break certain boundaries of exhibition for this film. They have full faith in the film and I hope their faith pays off. The real work for any filmmaker stars after he finishes directing a film. I spent two years making the film but most of my efforts for the next two months will go in the promotion, marketing and connecting with the audience.

SRK wants kids to watch Avatar

Last evening Shah Rukh Khan was the special guest at the screening of James Cameron's ,Avatar at a suburban Shahrukh khan with his family multiplex.

Shah Rukh was so enamoured after watching half the film, that he came out of hall and went up to the studio officials and requested them to organise a special screening for his two children and family members. The officials of the studio immediately assured him that they will do the needful.

A source said, "SRK has always been quite fond of science fiction and superhero films. Even as a child, he would always watch similar kind of films.This is why he immediately agreed to attend the special screening of Avatar.

He was also keen to attend the screening of Avatar at the suburban multiplex as the first theatrical promo of his new film My Name is Khan was scheduled to release during the screening. Everybody knows about SRK's love for superhero films so much so that he is right now in the process of making Ra.

One, which will be directed by Anubhav Sinha. SRK loved Avatar, which is why he also wants his kids to watch it."

Earlier this month, SRK's children couldn't wait to watch Paa and Amitabh Bachchan had sent some extra passes for them on SRK's request. "Aryan and Suhana love films and they would love to watch Avatar. The kids could not watch it last evening with SRK as they were busy with their school and studies," added the source.

Vijay Singh, Indian CEO of the company which produced Avatar, confirmed the news and said, "Shah Rukh was very excited about Avatar and the scale on which it was made. He requested another screening on Saturday so that he could watch the film again with his family. We will definitely and will decide on the venue and time today."

SRK, Karan, Kajol are back

It has the ‘K’ factor going for it. Eight years after Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Kajol came together for one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of all time – Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham – the charismatic trio are presenting the trailers of their February 12, 2010, release, Fox Star Studios’ My Name is Khan.

MNIK is the first production of Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar together. Karan, SRK and Kajol will unveil the first look of the film that will then be beamed across 70 countries worldwide on the Star TV Network.

Says Karan, “This is a first in the history of Bollywood – that the promos of a film will play across such a wide platform. And, this has mainly been made possible because of our synergy with Fox Star Studios. It is my first production with SRK, and also the first time a Bollywood company is tying up with a mainstream Hollywood studio. So, there are many firsts to this venture.”

He adds, “The idea of the launch was suggested to us by Fox Star. Both Shah Rukh and I felt that it was the best way to flag off our campaign. We wanted to create a road block and since the Star network has such a broad base globally, we both conferred that it would be an ideal way to launch our first promos.’’

So wherever you are, across the globe, you can catch the promo of My Name Is Khan for sure.For Karan, MNIK is not just his biggest professional challenge, it is also an emotional journey. One of India’s brightest talents, he says, “Shah Rukh and Kajol have never gone wrong in their pairing. For me, collaborating with these two actors is not only a professional high, it is also an emotional bond. The three of us have done two super-hit films in the past – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G). Now, we’re hoping that we can recreate the same magic with My Name Is Khan.’’

The buzz is that MNIK is the most expensive deal to have ever gone through in Bollywood history. Unconfirmed reports say that Fox has allegedly picked up the film for Rs 100 crores. The theatrical trailers of the film have been attached to the prints of James Cameron’s Avatar, which is about to be released.

Trade specialist Komal Nahta says, “Never before has there been such an excitement over a film; nor has there been such a wide release for any Bollywood film so far.’’

Fox Star Studios will release MNIK with 600 prints overseas, making it the widest release ever for a Bollywood film on foreign shores.

My Name is Khan: First film to use ad roadblock strategy

If big-spend advertisers such as Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Nokia, Cadbury India and Vodafone have used the advertising roadblock My Name is Khan will mark the first instance of a film using such a tack.

The roadblock, which will be the film’s three-minute trailer, will be on air on all Star India channels on 16th Wednesday at 10 PM.

My Name is Khan, produced and directed by Karan Johar, is scheduled to be released in February next year. Fox Star Studios has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for this film for around Rs 80-90 crore for a 15 year period.

It covers all rights except music, which has been bagged by Sony Music. Fox STAR Studios, a production and distribution company, is a joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox and STAR. My Name is Khan stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

"This kind of roadblock has never been done before for a film. About eleven Star India channels including Star Plus, Star One, Star Gold, Channel V and Star Pravah, will telecast a three minute trailer of the film," says Anupam Vasudev, executive vice-president (marketing), STAR India. This will be across the network’s audience in 70 countries.