Shah Rukh Khan to perform live at awards function after a hiatus

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan who has begun promotions of his ambitious film `My Name is Khan` will perform live at a film awards function after a gap of two years.

The Apsara Producers` Guild awards will be held at Chitrakoot grounds in suburban Mumbai on January eight.

The night will see over 30 awards being presented in categories of films and television.

The mega event will have performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Vidya Balan and Arshad Warsi will present a number from their upcoming movie `Ishqiya`. Vivek Oberoi will also perform.

The Television industry is represented in the Best Non-Fiction Series, Best Drama Series (Fiction), Best Director ? Fiction, Best Actress and Best Actor in a Drama Series. The 3 special awards will honour the Best Debutante (Male and Female) for 2009 and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kareena Kapoor to start the year with Shahrukh Khan

Last year had its ups and downs for the gorgeous Kareena Kapoor, not only she became style diva and fashion icon, she also delivered two duds in a row Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and Kurbaan. Now, it’s 2010 and the year has a lot of promise.

Basking in the glory of 3 Idiots, Kareena will start the year with her idol Shahrukh Khan. The actress tells a daily, “2010 has a lot of promise. I sincerely wish the Midas touch continues. I will start the year with my idol Shahrukh Khan, with whom I’m travelling to Miami for ‘Ra. 1’”.

So it’s confirmed, Bebo has bagged the sci-fi film ‘Ra. 1’ - SRK’s most ambitious project which he is making for his son Aryan. The movie directed by Anubhav Sinha will boast of some mind-blowing special effects and Shahrukh will play a superhero.

Kareena also has Agent Vinod with beau Saif Ali Khan, and then there is Karan Johar’s Indian version of ‘Stepmom’ for which she’s already shot; both the movies are supposed to release this year. And if all goes well then may be she will star opposite Aamir, once again, in a romantic film by the end of this year.

Quite a handful, Bebo!

Music Review: My Name Is Khan

Singer Richa Sharma’s prelude to Sajda – the first track on My Name Is Khan - is the calm before the storm, as right after her, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan rips in with Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s entire musical troupe – the tabla, the dholak, the chorus – the whole jing bang of their ‘ek-do-teen-chaar’ metered sound, but they've got the heart in place. The song is going to soar on the charts, and how!

Noor-E-Khuda wants to be gospel until Shreya Ghoshal segues into the track at four minutes of enduring both Shankar Mahadevan and Adnan Sami trying to reach out to God in their feeble pop-ish attempt. Must be something about Saraswati being in the ‘kanth’ of a woman; it’s only when Shreya pitches in that the track begins to take a prayer to the skies.

Shafqat Amanat Ali returns to KJo territory with Tere Naina – which oddly sounds so much like Mitwa – the track he sang in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. At three minutes, the song heads into a quasi- qawalli mood and makes for interesting listening thereafter.

Rashid Khan’s Allah Hi Raham never really ascends its scale – notching up with each stanza could have made this a ready beckoner. This one does not rise to the occasion, merely chants to it.

The My Name Is Khan theme is operatic alright. James Horner, we can do it too! Rang De Aman Se Aasmaan – wonderful catchphrase, but did it have to be a Rock On! type screamer? Can peace be achieved by crooning into the barrel of a gun when a rose isn’t fitting anymore? I hope this song achieves its transatlantic message across.

The first promise Karan Johar made to us when he embarked on this film is that there would be no song-and-dance routine in it. I hope he keeps his word. These songs should stay in the background – ‘itemzing’ them would be belittling the effort.

Composer: Shankar Ehsan Loy
Lyrics: Niranjan Iyengar
Singers: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Richa Sharma, Rashid Khan, Adnan Sami, Shafqat Ali Khan
Label: Sony
Stars: 3