My dad taught me is never to dislike anyone : Sahah Rukh Khan

He’s the son of a freedom fighter, a self-made man, highly secular and hugely successful…Shah Rukh Khan is arguably the perfect icon for the children of Free India

‘My dad, the freedom fighter’

My father passed away when I was 15. Before that, dad used to take me to meet a lot of freedom fighters who used to gather every weekend. These meetings had the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and they used to discuss that era in such detail that it is all embedded in my memory. They would meet at places like Karol Bagh, Jama Masjid, drink kawa and chat. Dad used to talk to me like a friend and tell me about their freedom struggle - the time they spent in the jail, about partition and a whole lot of things. I keep those memories close to my heart like a treasure. The children post my generation, like my own children, would be unfortunately completely out of touch. The best thing my dad taught me is never to dislike anyone. He not even once demeaned the status of the British, but at the same time he had absolute high regard for people like Subhash Chandra Bose and others. Dad would read out poems and explain it to me since I didn’t know Urdu. He just wanted me to be a part of that history, and thanks to him, I am.

‘Secularism is in your upbringing’

Secularism is something you learn at home. I was made to read the Koran at home. I learnt about Christianity in school. I was brought up in a Punjabi locality, literally brought up by the Aroras, Diwans and Chabras. I have all the practical knowledge about Hindu festivals. I married Gauri, a Hindu girl. I have had an absolutely normal childhood since children don’t believe in any religion. My parents were naturally secular. Today, I like to read to my kids about Prophet Mohammad, Ramayana and stories of Christianity.

‘I cannot afford to crib about India’

I like everything about India. I like the bad roads, pot holes, uncontrollable rains, corruption in places, the bad traffic…I like all that India offers. I am glad that India, unlike some foreign countries, is not mechanised. I am glad there is sadness and poverty in this country, which makes me understand how humane we are and how plastic some other countries are. I love coming to India from wherever I am. Dad used to say that lets be proud of what you have, because we make our own cars, ambassadors at that time, while lot many developed countries export cars.

I love being rooted to reality. At the end of the day, neither you nor I have had a rich lifestyle and most of us come from a lower middle class. I love the fact that that India is still so pure that we still get excited by smallest of things. Big cars and big homes don’t turn me on; I still get turned on by small pleasures like meeting friends and having a cosy dinner with them. Just the other day, some friends got together impromptu to celebrate the success of ‘Chak De’. It was so much better than a big impersonal party.

‘All we need is education’

We need educated youngsters who believe in the winning mantra. When I was much younger, I trained for parachute jumping for my television serial ‘Fauji’. I had to jump across ten feet, but my trainer would say learn to jump 80 feet, only then you will be able to manage 15 feet. So, we all need to aim higher and for that, education is a must. Not all of us will get ready made opportunities, but we need to aim for the best. There is no harm in being materialistic. For one to lead a comfortable life, one has to be materialistic and aim for success. I truly believe in winning at all costs except dishonesty.

By: Shubha Shetty-Saha Source: DNAIndia

Chak De India sizzles at multiplexes

Business Talk With Taran Adarsh

Winning critical acclaim is one thing. Raking in big money at the box-office is another. It's not right to mix the two. Let me come to the point right away. CHAK DE INDIA has won tremendous acclaim from all quarters. It's an amazing film in all respects. In fact, the makers deserve brownie points for making an unconventional film with the topmost star of Bollywood. But box-office is a different story altogether…

CHAK DE INDIA started slow, picked up on Saturday and showed a jump on Sunday. At multiplexes of big centres, especially at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the film has had a glorious weekend. But the subject and its execution limits it to big city audiences. It's not a film that holds universal appeal [a fact seconded by the Overseas figures]. That explains why its business at single screens ranges from average to below average.

Had CHAK DE INDIA embarked on a 90% + start everywhere [ideally, it should've started with a bang, given the fact that the two giants - YRF and SRK - had been teamed after a hiatus; it can't get bigger than that!] and with Saturday and Sunday figures matching those of Friday, CHAK DE INDIA would've been declared a massive Hit.

But CHAK DE INDIA started on a 40% - 60% note at several screens, but was 20% - 30% at several centres too. Reports from Punjab say that CHAK DE INDIA had a 10% - 20% start at some stations. Things did improve over the weekend, but Monday onwards, while the multiplexes of big centres are performing well [60% +], at centres like Indore [one of the key barometers], the collections at multiplexes on Monday were at par [or lower] with Friday. Have a quick look at the Indore figures -

PVR
Fri - 1,28,000 Sat - 1,89,000 Sun - 2,10,500 Mon - 1,06,600 Tue - 1,12,000
Velocity
Fri - 70,100 Sat - 1,23,000 Sun - 1,69,500 Mon - 43,000 Tue - 56,000
Inox
Fri - 76,000 Sat - 1,16,500 Sun - 2,14,000 Mon - 565,000 Tue - 70,000
Adlabs
Fri - 1,01,200 Sat - 1,63,000 Sun - 1,81,800 Mon - 74,000 Tue - 81,200

Wednesday, 15th August being Independence Day holiday, CHAK DE INDIA got a big boost and the business at multiplexes was impressive.

So what's the final verdict on CHAK DE INDIA? It's good at multiplexes of big centres. In Mumbai, Delhi, Mysore and also a few circuits where multiplexes do contribute to the booty, it stands a good chance of raking in money. Also, it all depends on how it fares in its second weekend.

Source: IndiaFM

Shah Rukh´s co-stars are happy

Model-actress Vidya Malavde, who plays the goalkeeper-captain of the Hockey team, says "It was a fantastic experience working with SRK and the Yashraj banner. We all had a fabulous time and I guess it shows in the film as well. Shah Rukh Khan is a magnificent actor and a good human being and he really went out his way to remove our nervousness and make us feel comfortable on the sets."

She added she was overwhelmed at the response the film has generated and expressed confidence that she would do better work in future.

Sagarika Ghatge (a national athlete), who plays 'Preeti Sabarwal', said that she was missing hockey practice terribly and so she went ahead and got herself a hockey stick to remind her of the fitness trend that her life had got used to during the shoot.

Source: PlanetBollywood

Chak De India has proved to be a surprise of the season

All talks revolved around CHAK DE INDIA in the week gone by.
And no, for a change (thankfully), there weren't mixed reports that were making the rounds around the town. No one stood up and said that 'maza nahi aaya'! In fact it was heartening to see that both industry as well as audience was unanimous in hailing it as a landmark film for everyone involved.

And no, it wasn't just a case of only critics giving it a 4 star rating and audience appreciating it just for an 'effort'. Instead the film has proved to be a wholesome massy entertainer with even commoners accepting it wholeheartedly with feedback ranging from very good to excellent.

The film opened to a positive note and by the time Friday dawned, the word of mouth had spread like a wild fire. As the nation woke up on Saturday morning, the SMSs and calls were the order of the day as everyone acknowledged the fact that Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni had done which other film makers had mainly tried in the past when it came to making a film for the house of Yash Raj Films.

They ensured that a film was made which stayed rooted to it's theme without being trapped in the world of glitz and glamour. A win for Shimit, Jaideep and of course Shahrukh Khan without whom CHAK DE INDIA wouldn't have been what it is today, the film has proved to be a surprise of the season and is poised to be a big hit in the coming weeks.

By: Joginder Tuteja Source: IndiaGlitz

Shah Rukh Khan's Independence Day message is ' DO '

On the eve of India 's 60 years of independence, star performer Shah Rukh Khan comes out with a simple message of two letters ‘DO'.

He said, “It's about getting up and doing things whatever it takes. I did not think of this as lines in a script. I am not a thinker. I'll read about something and do it.”

Source: IndiaTarget

SRK the Boss

Post Rang de Basanti's selction as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, the makers of Lage Raho Munnabhai are now routing for the film at the Oscars as an independent entry.

Going by the global appeal of the film as it deals with non-violence, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has decided to send Lage Raho Munnabhai to the Oscars as an independent entry in the US.

Ken Naz of Eros International, US, is in the process of preparing the relevant documents to apply for the film's entry at the Oscars.

"The record number of fan mails that we have received worldwide have supported our belief and inspired us to go ahead and send the film to the Academy as an independent entry," Chopra said.

Source: Rediff India