Shah rukh khan's Chak De India to premier on 09 Aug 2007 at Somerset Hall, London

Yashraj Films has invited Queen Elizabeth II to the premier of their film Chak De India on 09 Aug 2007 at Somerset Hall, London. The queen is yet to respond to the invitation.

The film starring Shah Rukh Khan, is loosely based on the story of the former Indian hockey goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi who, having faced opprobrium for having conceded goals in a crucial India – Pakistan match during Asiad 82, redeemed his lost honor as a coach of the country's women's hockey team

"We expressed our desire to have the Queen over for the premiere to the London Mayor Ken Livingstone. He has communicated our message to her and we have sent her a formal invitation. If all goes well she will be gracing the premiere," a reliable source from the production company told The Mumbai Mirror.

Shilpa Shetty's participation in the Big Brother reality show and her stoic handling of the racial barbs aimed at her by other house participants during the show has sparked new interest in India and things Indian, prompting the London Mayor and Indian tourism department to organize a three-month-long festival focused on Indian art, theatre, music, films, food, fashion and business.

Source: MumbaiMirror

I am 42 and have to look after my body now, King Khan

Its not often that Shah Rukh Khan chats about ordinary, everyday issues, but when he does, people strain their ears to listen. Thats the power of the Badshah.

After a long break, SRK is back in the thick of action, promoting his film Yash Raj's Chak De and shooting for Om Shanti Om . Whats striking to the world at this point is SRK's new lean look and long, unkempt hair.

He is looking visibly fitter and younger by the day. Some say I look good and others feel otherwise. When I look in the mirror, I see myself, good or bad.

My daughter Suhana says that when I don't gel my hair, I look like her! And now my hairstylist is thinking of changing my look, King Khan said in mock exasperation over coffee with BT.

He explained his new avatar, so to say. I was on a vacation for a few months and so I just decided to grow my hair. And my lean look, well, I am working out more than ever now. I have taken up sports big time too, because it keeps me fit.

I have got Aryan and Suhana also into it. I am 42 and have to look after my body now, he said blushing.
Fitter yes, younger and hotter, certainly. Is that how he is planning to change the fate of Indian hockey through Chak De?

Spare me! I don't claim to change the world, the actor smiled, adding, Lets put it this way, I started playing hockey for a few months because I love it. So if people see the film and take to playing hockey like me, well, it'll be good.

Otherwise, no problem. He admits to be an ardent hockey player. I love hockey more than soccer. I have played it but not in big way.

Does he believe that hockey is one of the most neglected games in India? All games in India like kabbaddi, basketball, football, badminton, tennis, squash, and golf are neglected. And we grudge cricket because it is getting more importance than all other games put together.

On the contrary, we must applaud the fact that at least in one game India is doing relatively well, said SRK with conviction. Would he object if his son Aryan takes up hockey? Why Aryan, if my daughter Suhana wants to play hockey, I will be fine with it, he added.

He talked about Sanjay Dutt, the topic of hot discussion in Bollywood. Well, we all feel the same about him. Honestly, I am not exaggerating, but Sanju is one of the nicest guys I have known since I came to the industry.

He helped me immensely in every possible way when I was a newcomer. I owe him, said SRK of his friend, who he says is family to him. Whenever I asked him to come over, he would make a point to drop by for sometime, even if it was late in the night.

I cannot relate to anything bad about Sanjay. I have never seen his aggressive side or his famous temper. He has always been so mild mannered and sweet, its difficult to assume Sanju in any other form.

Destiny has its own plans for him, but we can only keep the faith. God looks after good people. I hope and pray that he gets out of this at the earliest.

Source: Timesofindia

I think Chak De! India is a film with a different kind of a soul and a different story line, SRK

An Exclusive Interview With Shah rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan’s first release of 2007, Chak De! India is on its way to hit the theatres on 10th August. Based on our national sport - hockey, this Yash Raj Films’ production showcases SRK in a radically new avatar, that of a go-getter coach and ex-hockey player Kabir Khan.

Also, this time around, for the first time you won’t see this star clean-shaven, romancing his co-star… in fact he is simply flanked by many a new faces, mostly girls who have been his ardent fans since their childhood.

As expectations soar high from this SRK starrer, we get the man himself talking about this not-an-offbeat film (as he claims) and his challenging role, which to our surprise he reveals not to have understood yet!

What made you decide on taking up Chak De! India?

There were a lot of reasons. First, of course, is the director (Shamit Amin) who I have known for years. He’s very simple, hardworking and talented and has worked with me in Asoka too. I have chosen a sport based film, which normally is a neglected territory. Say perhaps apart from Lagaan, Hip Hip Hurray and Iqbal, we haven't really made a film in that genre. This was something that I wanted to attempt since my younger days, but I didn't get a chance then. So now when I’m old, grey and over the hill, I am glad someone like Shimit thought that I could sort of fit the bill.

Field hockey has been a personal favourite sport of mine and I want my kids to learn it. I do feel I am no one to really comment that the state of Indian hockey is not good. But I have always felt that if there is anything that I can do via the medium that I work for, about my things that I love, like field hockey, I couldn't have got a better chance to make my dream come true. My father used to play this sport, my friends used to indulge in it and I love it too. So when all the factors came together, and of course Yash Raj backing it, I had to be a part of it.

Can you thrown light on your character Kabir Khan?

Kabir Khan is a coach, an ex-Indian hockey player. He is living with some demons, has got some problems, has not seen success and wants to overcome it, but without being cynical or disturbed. He made up his mind and heart to deal with it positively.

So it's a film about achievement in the face of failure, a film that looks at defeat in a positive way, the idea being - if you haven't done well, fairly or unfairly, not to give up or become cynical. It’s about taking up a challenge and trying to overcome obstacles which had barred you earlier. I would say the character is quite aggressive when he chooses to be.

If you really ask me, though I have essayed the role, I really don't know what the character is! I have played it from my heart. It's a amalgamation of Jaideep's writing, Shimit's outlook on the whole film, a bit of Adi's belief and a some of my mannerisms and style, its all rolled into one. I would like to believe the character is like that of an elderly brother, who you feel confident in but who himself is shattered from within. So it's very complex, its not just a simple explanation and I haven't been able to gauge it myself yet.

How was it working with a bunch of newcomers?

Fantastic! Earlier I thought that working with fresh faces would be a bit of a hassle as they would not know their lines. You know one becomes a little patronizing, a little kind, a bit agitated and irritated at times because things are not going the way they should. But I think the whole production team has worked very hard with them and not taken any credit away from these girls. I think they are very diligent and wonderful; they have put their heart and soul in the film. They have learnt and practiced hockey, they knew the lines, the scenes, they knew everything.

At the end of it, after having worked as an actor for 18 years, it was a learning ground for me. There is a bit of rawness when newcomers come in. After facing the camera and working for so many years, you tend to become a little mechanized. I saw a scene with a young girl, who's never acted before, where said her few lines, which seemed liked I would not do it that way. But when you see the final output, it sounds very right. It was a great re-discovering process to work with newcomers. I have gone through a similar experience in Swades where I worked with honed theater actors and not film stars. But this time around the girls were novices so it was a nice and different situation.

You were working with a hardcore girls' team; most of them must have definitely been your fans.

The girls are very sweet and they were working really hard. We had a lot of readings and meetings before the film rolled, which made us easy with each other. Talking about some of them liking me, it is a little embarrassing because most of them were just five-six years old when they saw my films. So it’s a bit abashing to be working with these girls where you suddenly realize, God you are old and you’ve been working a lot.

It was also important for me to be comfortable with them and not treat them like kids because the whole purpose of the character Kabir in the film is not to treat them in a similar fashion but like grown-ups and tough people. So the whole fan and stalwart thing got over soon during the reading sessions. After that we were all co-actors working together and having a great time. They were really nice, very well mannered, very well brought up.

Can we tag Chak De! India as your third off-beat film post Swades and Paheli?

I don't think these are off-beat films. Sometimes I like such stories because they are different. I don't think Shimit and Adi are the kind of people who would make an off-beat film, it's very on the beat I think. But the subject is such that you cannot churn out every year. I don't like boring films myself so I don't attempt them.

I don't know what an off-beat film is. I think Chak De! India is a film with a different kind of a soul and a different story line, that’s what makes its unusual.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear Chak De India?

Chak De strangely to me is a line from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge. I remember we use to say Chak De Phate in DDLJ. I don't know why but it reminds me of that. But I hope Chak De! India becomes a sporting anthem. Whenever Sachin bats or Dhanraj Pillai runs after the ball or when Sania Mirza competes in Wimbledon, the cry should be Chak De India, which means score a goal or hit a sixer.

Source: Businessofcinema

Shah rukh Khan and Suniel Shetty are set to lead a nationwide movement professing their support for Sanjay Dutt

Mumbai, Aug 3: While the news of a Sanjay Dutt fan having sacrificed his fingers for the actor comes trailing in, friends Shah Rukh Khan and Suniel Shetty are set to lead a nationwide movement professing their support for him.

It is not surprising how every person in the industry, who knows Sanjay Dutt, has been personally affected by the verdict against the actor. A lot of them feel that the affable and child-like actor didn’t deserve this harsh a punishment However, while a lot of them are happy with just going tut-tut, close friends like Shah Rukh Khan and Suniel Shetty have apparently decided to gear up and take some action.

According to sources, the two actors have decided to mobilise not only people from the industry but also those from all walks of life. According to a source, “Everyone who knows Sanju is upset with the verdict. It is too harsh. Shah Rukh and Suniel are in constant talks as to how they can help the cause. They have decided to launch a huge movement throughout the country, taking help from different unions, associations and people. A lot of the common people are also feeling that Sanjay should have been shown a little more leniency.”

Apparently, Suniel has already spoken to the hotel association and rickshaw unions, soliciting their support for Sanjay and they have agreed. The buzz is that the actors will also draft a petition, which will be signed by many prominent people in the city. When contacted, Suniel refused to divulge any details. However, he said, “We have to do something for Sanju. Just wait and watch!”

Source: DNA

If anyone works with Shahrukh they know the kind of commitment he brings, Jaideep

Interview With Jaideep Sahni(Writer & Lyricist)

How did Chak De India happen?
Three years back I was in Delhi. At that time I came across a report in the news paper that the Indian women's hockey team had won an international tournament. My heart swelled with pride. The write up was very small and that struck me. If the Indian cricket team would have won something, then they would have got two pages. This subject kept turning in my head. It grew on me. I researched, read a lot on hockey and hung around in stadiums. After Bunty Aur Babli, Adi asked me what are you doing next! I told him there's a story that is not leaving my head. It is about women's hockey team, they do well against foreign teams who have hundred times better resources. I narrated to Adi and he said that this film has to be made. I started developing it and then the principal character of coach came in. Shimit joined us and he is not the kind of person who'd do a film just for the heck of it.

Why did you think of Shahrukh Khan to play the coach?
Once we started writing, it just seeped into our minds that Shahrukh has to be there. He has been a hockey player and we found the same spirit in him.

What was the next step?
The search for girls took half a year and training them took about four months. Searching for the players was a hell of a task. There were parts where we required the physical presence while there were some parts for which we needed actors. Then we realized it was a much bigger thing. From 4:30 in the morning till 2:30 in the afternoon all players were practicing hockey after that till evening tea it was time for acting. After evening tea there was dialect training. The players were from all over the country and the dialect had to be right. After that there was gym, sauna and injury management. We also had motivation speakers, players from various sports etc. We had decided that we won't roll camera till the time they look like players. A team has to look like a team. Then there were readings of their parts with Shahrukh.

The promos of the film haven't generated much curiosity. In fact there were reports that the video of one of the song was hooted when it was played in between Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.
We had been sleeping for 2-3 hours at night. We saw these things in the papers but we were too much into it. Once it got over we slept uninterrupted. The curiosity about the film is natural as it's an underdog story. Our entire promotion plan is a mix of all kinds of things. We showed the music video. It was a new thing. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

What about reports of SRK being unhappy with Shimit Amin and the entire making of the film?
Interestingly we used to laugh at all these reports. If anyone works with Shahrukh they know the kind of commitment he brings. He also acted as an off screen coach as well. He helped in things like crowd management.

Movies based on sports haven't worked in Bollywood barring a rare Lagaan. Does that bother you?
If a movie is a worthwhile experience people will come and watch it. Our job is to tell stories and that's what counts.

You're also associated with Madhuri's comeback film Aaja Nachle?
I've written the script and lyrics.

What are your forthcoming projects?
I've written lyrics for Disney-Yashraj's venture Roadside Romeo directed by Jugal Hansraj. I've also written lyrics for the title track of Johny Gaddar.

Source: IndiaFM

"I think he is the master of sound byte." Anupama Chopra

An Exclusive Interview With Anupama Chopra - Second Part

You start the book with the dream of a fan Bhavesh whose wish came true when he dances with SRK at a concert in US during the Temptations tour. Why did you start with him?
That story of Bhavesh really fascinated me. Of course all I knew was what I saw in Nasreen Munni Kabeer’s documentary ‘Outer World of Shahrukh Khan’. He is on stage and it’s a couple of minutes of the documentary but it just amazed me. Bhavesh had such innocence and such reverence and it just encapsulated the unique relationship Indian fans have with their idols. I don’t think any other fans across the world have the same reverence. The way he bent down and touched his feet, and it was not a giggly fourteen year old teenager, this is a grown up man. And I was amazed as to how that whole interaction played me. I and my research associate Leo Mirani went mad trying to find Bhavesh. It took us months and months to find that man and connect with him. Then I interviewed him and he was in Ahmedabad flying back to US. He lives in a small town Dalton in Georgia and I interviewed him on the way from domestic airport to the international airport. But he was fabulous. I’m very grateful for his story.

You have this chapter in the book: Peshawar and the street of story tellers. Dilip Kumar was born there and Shahrukh Khan’s grandparents belonged to that place. It’s ironical that the man whom SRK was said to have tried to emulate had its roots in the same place.
I thought it was fascinating. There was a street in Peshawar which was called Kissa Kahani Bazaar which literally translates into the street of the storytellers. It was a space where there were people who gathered at this meeting point, drank kahwa and told stories. And from this little neighbourhood, little little gullies comes the family of Shahrukh Khan, the family of Dilip Kumar, the family of Prithviraj Kapoor. So, these great storytellers of Hindi film industry have come from one space. I thought it was an incredible co-incidence and a remarkable thing. I really wanted to go there myself but it wasn’t meant to be.

Before SRK came to Bombay one of the things that he told his would be in-laws was that Amitabh Bachchan has retired and Dilip Kumar doesn’t work any more.
(Laughs) That’s right. I thought that was incredible. Actually Gauri’s Mama Tejinder told me this story. He said that his confidence was just shocking. Mr Tejinder Tiwari was the first confidante in the family. He told me this story that Shahrukh said that Mr Bachchan has retired and Dilip saab is not playing the hero any more so who’s there, there’s only me. I asked Mr Tiwari if he said it as a joke because it sounds comical but Mr Tiwari said that he was completely serious. This man had this confidence and determination when he was no one. He was just an actor on Fauji.

What one expected before reading the book was that there will be detailed passages quoted to Shahrukh Khan. But it’s not like that. SRK’s passages are few and far in between. What kind of research did you do for the book? I read somewhere that for your book on Sholay you had long sessions with Ramesh Sippy.
It was the same for this book as well. In fact most of the stories came from Shahrukh himself. I spoke to him, interviewed him and drove him completely mad (laughs) for about two years. I emailed him on every corner of the globe, I SMSed him. All of the information comes from him. For me as a writer it’s not interesting to just have a first person quoting. I think you have to massage the information a little bit, bring it into the context, I think you have to analyze it. If I would have merely quoted him it would have been a magazine journalistic piece than a book. Apart from him, there were around 80-90 people that I interviewed. The main bulk of the book comes from first person interviews that I’ve done myself. And it’s exactly the same way I researched for my Sholay book. The best way to get the stories is when you go and talk to people.

You’ve also spoken about Shahrukh Khan’s failures especially the aftermath of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
Another area which surprised me and how open he was about saying that maybe it was not a good film. That’s very hard. I come from a film family; I have a first hand experience on what happens when a film flops. How painful it is when people criticize it while you think it is brilliant after all you’ve spent 2-3 years and one Friday people say it is rubbish. He was very open about how hurtful it was. As Juhi says that it was not merely a film, it was an izzat ka sawaal. Nobody even said that it was a good film that bombed. I was moved when he told me that all three (SRK, Juhi and Aziz Mirza) sat in the conference hall and wept. He was very open about talking about his failures, about Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani or Asoka which earned critical acclaim but both didn’t work.

There are passages in the book that talk about Shahrukh Khan’s love life, his sexual ‘preferences’. The passages where he talks about how he courted Gauri, how he came to Bombay in search of Gauri…all this makes for interesting reading.
It’s the great love story that has overcome so many hurdles. It’s a Hindu Muslim match. The girl comes from an upper middle class family while the boy’s parents were dead who had no obvious income revenue, who wanted to be an actor in times when nobody wanted to be an actor. People wanted to be doctors and engineers. It’s a Hindi movie style love story. I also talked to him about talks if he is bisexual or gay. He just laughed and said that I am just more comfortable with women and that’s why even the male friends that I have are not the really macho men that’s why these rumours. He has this great line when people ask him if he and Karan Johar are lovers, he just says that how did I have two children…Heavy petting.

He has had a good relationship with media and except for this bizarre incident where he bayed for a Cine Blitz journalist’s blood about whom you’ve spoken about in detail.
He has. He is a supremely articulate speaker. You just don’t get tired of listening to him talk. Most of the journalists including me love to interview him. He is quotable quote. You ask one question and he is on it. I think he is the master of sound byte.

One thing that comes across is that here is a man who made most of the opportunities he got. He was not the first choice for playing the lead in Fauji…but when he was offered he made it count. He was the second lead in Deewana but he got all the accolades, he was not the first choice for Darr and with Baazigar he was playing a negative character which could have backfired.
In his career he interestingly has had many roles that were supposed to be done by others. He said that he was hesitant about doing DDLJ and Aditya Chopra was contemplating on casting Saif Ali Khan. But the earlier roles were not even offered to him. In fact he was the last choice for a few of the roles especially Darr and Baazigar which every hero had turned down. It’s kismet as well.

You must be having a lot of research material and a book on Shahrukh Khan would have been looked forward to even if it was a 500, 600 pages book. But, it’s a book close to 300 pages. So, how did you manage to cull all the information?
You have to keep it interesting and pacy as not many people read books any more. I think if it’s not interesting why would they care, who has time? Everyone has so many time pressures so unless you make it sort of entertaining and informative why would anybody care. I dread boring the reader.

Are there pictures and other interesting things in the book?
Yeah, in the finished books there are pictures but it’s not essentially a picture book. There’s a picture insert that goes from his grandfather to him becoming King Khan. But it’s only 6 or 8 pages of pictures and that’s it.

Which is your favourite chapter that you enjoyed writing?
You know I really enjoyed the parts about his parents, his childhood, I really enjoyed writing that. I was really interested in the parts involving his parents, his childhood. I was really interested in his mother, his father as characters, as people. They seemed fascinating people. His mother was a very strong willed, fierce woman who braved such an enormous loss. She lost her husband with two small children. I found all that most interesting.

Don’t you think his life can be made into a film?
(Laughs) Yes…Shahrukh Khan in and as Shahrukh Khan.

Even the love story of his parents is interesting?
It’s very fascinating, his own love story, the difficulties he faced and that story when he stood on the Marine Lines flyover and said that one day I shall own this city….when I heard this story I said they are making it up as it sounds like a good story in hindsight but when I interviewed Benny Thomas he said that’s the way it actually happened. Yeah, it’s a great film if one has to make.

One more thing that is noticeable in the book is the secular credentials of Shahrukh Khan which goes back to his parents as his father was a freedom fighter and one of his closest friends was a Hindu.
I was really surprised when he told me that there was a Hindu God in his home. His father really believed in secularism and equality. And those values have come through to Shahrukh as well. In fact Shahrukh’s mother in law was telling me that he celebrates Diwali much harder than us as they are not a family given to Pujas in the ritualistic sense of the word. But he makes sure that there is a proper puja, there is a pandit and every light in the house is on. He really stands for a secular India.

You’ve mentioned in the book that Mr Vinod Chopra had to bear the tap tapping of your laptop?
(Laughs) Yes, you know…Vinod and I have different working hours. He works very well late into the night and I don’t function in the night. I am a very good early morning person. So, my working style is to work between 5 and 7 am as I get my kids ready for school at 7 am and I workout in my bedroom. The poor guy had to listen to the keyboard sound very early in the morning (Laughs again).

What kind of other support did you get while writing this book?
Oh so much of support from everybody, my family, my parents, my sister who were babysitting my little kids while I was busy chasing Shahrukh and eighty other people about Shahrukh. There’s been tremendous support from all the people at Vinod Chopra Films who worked and worked on helping me. There have been lots and lots of other people who helped me.

I’m proud of the word Bollywood. I know lots of people don’t want that name. But it’s a brand and we should be proud of it.
What about your brother Vikram Chandra?
Yes, he is my first reader. From the Sholay book, he is the first person who reads and comments on it. He comments on it, puts things in perspective and sort of tells me that this works and this doesn’t. He is really my first editor.

Finally, what according to you is the high point of your book?
I think what is interesting and what I hope has come across is the portrait of the film industry. My idea was to create a very colorful tapestry of Bollywood and have Shahrukh in the foreground and have all these other things in the background. I’ve been writing on films since 1993 and over these last fifteen years it’s a whole new world. The whole industry has changed so radically and I wanted to create a picture of that change. I’m very proud of where Bollywood is and I’m proud of the word Bollywood. I know lots of people don’t want that name. But it’s a brand and we should be proud of it.

Source: IndiaFM

Shah Rukh is now planning to produce content and serials for a glamour channel

Not new to telly, Shah Rukh is now planning to produce content and serials for a glamour channel.

Shah Rukh Khan's company will be producing television content for a glamour channel. According to company sources, the superstar's company will be providing content and serials.

SRK and wife Gauri have bought a stake in the company on a personal capacity. The couple has together bought a 10 per cent stake in a new company. According to company sources, the duo bought stakes in the company about three months ago.

"The Khans are very choosy about picking business associates. Besides, the superstar plans to expand his production house and also has plans to produce TV serials," says a source.

Khan already has three companies. He has recently started a separate effects department and will be taking up outside work too. Khan is already on the board of an airways and it will be for the first time the actor will be buying a stake in an entertainment company. The source added, "When it comes to business, SRK is very choosy and knows what he wants."

Source: Timesfindia

SRK will be posing bare-chested for the song

And he has every reason to, he'll be shooting a song for Om Shanti Om, but this is no ordinary number.
Shah Rukh Khan is gymming like never before. Even if he's had a long exhausting day at work, he hits the gym with a vengeance.
And he has every reason to, he'll be shooting a song for Om Shanti Om , but hang on, this is no ordinary number.
SRK will be posing bare-chested for the song, and he wants his body to be nothing short of perfect. Believe it or not, he's almost getting there, and he's undoubtedly the envy of most of the younger dudes in town. And we can't 'bare' this wait anymore, SRK. So turn on the heat, quick!

Source: Timesofindia

Anupama Chopra talks about Shahrukh Khan

An Exclusive Interview With Anupama Chopra - First Part

How will you describe your forthcoming book, King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian Cinema? Will you call it a biography?
No, I have always resisted calling it a biography though I suppose that’s the label it’s being given everywhere. It’s more an attempt to look at Hindi cinema and at India through the life and work of Shahrukh Khan. He is in the foreground but I wanted to paint the picture of the film industry. It’s not just him. There are many narratives that are woven through his main narrative. He is the main plot but then there are lots of sub plots.

But when I read the book, it also comes out as a commentary on the socio-political and economic changes in the country over a span of sixty seventy years.
Sure. We wanted to give a context for his rise and why he connects so perfectly with the new shining India. How this new shining India has then evolved and Bollywood has evolved along with that and how Shahrukh is the face of a lot of this evolution. So, that was the grand attempt and I hope I have managed it somehow (laughs).

One of the most poignant aspects of the book is Shahrukh’s idealistic handsome dad Meer. Here was a man who aspired to be an actor, failed professionally most of the time but loved his wife dearly. Ironically many unfulfilled dreams of Meer have been fulfilled by the son. Don’t you think SRK is similar and dissimilar with his dad in many ways?
Yes he was. If you see the pictures in the book, Shahrukh looks a lot like his father. His father was a really really handsome man, very tall, very good looking. Curiously one thing that I didn’t know before I started writing the book was that Meer also wanted to be an actor though it was more like: Let’s try it because he was a good looking man but not in a very focused determined way the way his son did it. I thought that was a very very interesting parallel that Meer came to Bombay, made a half hearted attempt, was friends with Dilip Kumar’s brothers, stayed around for a while, good friends with Anil Kapoor’s father and then left. It’s ironical, it’s also interesting that then the son made the same journey and did it with such success. Shahrukh himself says that his father didn’t succeed at any of the things that he tried to do. His son has succeeded so enormously that it’s an amazing parallel and it’s very sad that his father never saw the success.

Meer was very idealistic and steadfast while Shahrukh Khan has broken ideals. When he entered the film industry it was being said that the kind of filmmakers he started off with (Aziz Mirza, Kundan Shah) had socialistic leanings and hence Shahrukh will strive towards serious meaningful cinema as well. But today he is known more for his Raj-Rahul brand of cinema that you have talked about in great detail in your book.
(laughs) A lot of people see the Raj Rahul roles as propagating Indian values and Indian culture but of course that is a very narrow view of what Indian culture is. But I don’t think he broke values. I think what he broke was the stereotypical and very old fashioned rules of Bollywood like when you come in you shouldn’t be married, you shouldn’t do negative roles. I find that very admirable for this completely outsider guy, makes up his own rules and succeed. The values propagated in Raj Rahul roles for some is Hindu culture, for some it is regressive values. There’s always a debate on what is being propagated.

He broke the rules in many ways for he endorsed products whereas many actors felt that it was below the dignity of a movie star to sell….
He and Aamir were the first two actors to really go in and do advertisements (though Aamir has always been more restrained). I spoke to many people in the advertising world to find out why Shahrukh is considered still effective. They call him a promiscuous brand endorser who sells everything from oil to Tag. They said that he still connects. He made himself into an omnipresent brand. You are right it was not something that Hindi film actors used to do. But then he changed the rules.

One aspect that is very poignant in the book is the detailing of the demise of both his parents.
When he spoke about it, I was a bit wary because no matter how many years distance you from that event it is still a very tough thing. It’s not as if you can ever get used to it or forget about it but he spoke very eloquently and openly about what happened and the way it affected him. I think those two events shaped who he is, shaped his journey. His mother’s death was what really pushed him into films. He figured there’s nothing left for him to do in Delhi any more. Before that he had done Mani Kaul’s film and Maya Memsaab which were art house non stream movies. He said yes to mainstream movies only because his mother died and he had nothing else to do. If you recall there’s a point in the Dilwale Dulhaniaya chapter, where Aditya Chopra talks about Shahrukh Khan as an actor. Adi has this interesting analysis that since he has lost his parents that he is reaching out to the world. The way he acts or connects is in a way related to the death of his parents.

One thing that comes across objectively in your book is that apart from Raj-Rahul kind of hero he doesn’t succeed in other brand of films.
Yes, though there is a whole chapter on Devdas which in a way was his comeback, and his acceptance in a role which was very very difficult. People frankly just laughed that he is gonna do a role that Dilip saab has done. His main success has been in a certain kind of roles. He is frank about saying that I am never the character; I’m always Shahrukh Khan playing the character. But now the kind of films he is doing like Chak De, Don or Dev Saran in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was Raj-Rahul gone bad (laughs).

But he was not accepted that well in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and people had their reservations about Devdas as well.
He wasn’t. Absolutely! But it really stretched him in terms of image, in terms of what he is capable of doing and what he wants to do. But there are lots of suckers like me (laughs) who wants that one last candy floss, Raj Rahul kind of role. I think he is done with it. If you look at what is coming up like Om Shanti Om is not Raj Rahul while Chak De India is absolutely not. I think he is done with it.

Source: IndiaFM

CHAK DE INDIA, KAAFILA and RUSH HOUR 3 open together

It seemed like a solo release for Yash Raj Films and Shahrukh Khan's CHAK DE INDIA when the release date of the film was announced as August 10th. First jolt came in the form of Sunny Deol's KAAFILA which suddenly found itself hot in the industry circles after the success of APNE. After being delayed for quite a while, the film would now be opening simultaneously with CHAK DE INDIA.

If this wasn't enough then there is more to come. Competition now only multiplies with the arrival of RUSH HOUR 3 which sees a worldwide release on August 10. Starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the lead, the film should be yet another Hollywood success in India after SPIDERMAN 3, DIE HARD 4 and HARRY POTTER's latest adventure, which is still doing good business.

With the adventures of Chief Inspector Lee [Chan] and Detective James Carter [Tucker] traditionally been accepted with open arms by the Indian audience, one can expect some real action at the box office counters ones CHAK DE INDIA, KAAFILA and RUSH HOUR 3 open together.

Source: IndiaGlitz