ONE ON ONE with Shahrukh Khan on ALJAZEERA

He calls himself a "rank outsider" of the Indian film industry and with nothing to lose says he was able to take chances.

Shahrukh Khan's risk-taking in his choice of roles got him noticed first as a TV actor and then in movies and he has become one of India's most successful actors of all time, recognised internationally for his performances.

Known as "King Khan" or S-R-K to his fans he is a master of action and has produced more than 60 films - a prolific record even by Bollywood standards.

Acting was not a path he had planned and he only turned to it when his hopes of becoming a hockey player were ended by injury.

Born to Muslim parents in New Delhi, Khan gained an honours degree in economics and began a masters in mass communication.

After the death of his parents he travelled to Mumbai, the centre of India's film industry.

Thinking he would try out acting for a short while, he told friends he would return home after a year, but after nearly two decades and with dozens of hit movies under his belt, they are still waiting.

This episode of One on One airs from Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0300, 1630; Sunday: 0430, 2330; Monday: 0300, 1230.

‘Shah Rukh is like a father figure to me’

Karan Johar, who was in the City, tells Metrolife that any movie made with sincerity goes well with the people

You can call him King Kool. For he is unfazed by all the hullabaloo that greeted his My Name is Khan. Even the mention of box office feats of My Name..., only evokes a grin from Karan Johar. Confident, suave and articulate Karan Johar was in the City recently on a private visit. He told Metrolife that he makes films on themes that are largely rooted in reality. “World realities excite me. While films mean a lot of entertainment, they must have an element of reality as well,” he says.

Is that why the bit in My Name is Khan where the hero was detained and checked inserted, much like what happened to lead actor Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) in real life? “Oh… that bit was inserted in the movie way before the incident happened. It was sheer coincidence,” he shrugs off.

Ask him what inspired him to make a film just for his mentor Shah Rukh Khan, Karan says, “Shah Rukh is like a father figure to me. He has seen me through good and bad times. He’s family to me,” he reasons. He feels that any movie made with utmost sincerity will go down well with the people. About Karan, SRK and Kajol working together, Karan says, “We’re most comfortable with each other. We know each other’s body language and respect our spaces. That’s what made us a team.”

On his most memorable movie thus far, he says, it’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

“It’s very close to my heart. It’s the first movie I directed and I thought there was a lot of innocence about it,” he says and adds, “Dostana too was real and brought forth an
important aspect of reality.

It was powerful in its content.” In Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Karan says, he effectively dealt with extramarital affairs.

“It’s something that’s happening. It’s real and could happen to any one of us,” he reasons. As a film-maker he thinks that he doesn’t have to be provocative all the time. Entertainment is key. While Karan is proud that his TV show Koffee with Karan did exceedingly well, he hopes he’d excel with his newest show Lift Kara de .

“I hope to rope in the biggest names on the show. It’s for a noble cause and I don’t want to disappoint the umpteen fans,” he quips.

Karan says he’s taking his much needed break and will zero in on a theme, for his next film, once he returns.

About Bangalore, he observes , “I don’t come here very often. I slip in for a few hours and leave almost immediately. I have never had time to explore the City.”

WATCH EPISODE 02: Living With A Superstar - Shahrukh Khan

PART 01


PART 02

Akon comes to India for Shahrukh Khan

Akon certainly enjoys a huge fan following in India and the singer is soon going to land here. But the ones for whom he will sing ‘Smack That’ are not his fans but friend Shahrukh Khan. Whoa!

As per reports, Akon and SRK are good friends, and coming Monday he will make a special appearance at the actor’s high-profile, lavish party to celebrate the beginning of third season of IPL. The party will have several Bollywood stars, many international cricketers, business tycoons and many celebrated fashion people. Akon will perform live at the event which is going to happen in Mumbai.

And possibly Akon will also record the song for Shahrukh’s first sci-fi film ‘Ra. 1’during his tour to Mumbai.

Bang on!

FAN STORY: My name is Amritanshu, & I Met Shah Rukh Khan!

After all the drama that unfolded during the last few weeks, Amritanshu a crazy die-hard fan, finally met Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, after camping outside his bungalow Mannat for three whole days.

Inspired by SRK’s character ‘Rizwan Khan’ in the recently released movie ‘My Name is Khan’; Amritanshu who hails from Delhi, decided to adopt the same act, to visit his favorite star Shahrukh Khan. Amritanshu spared no efforts in tracking SRK whereabouts in various parts of Mumbai.

What a journey this had been for Amritanshu, who has put in remarkable efforts, from tracking SRK for two weeks from Delhi, to waiting outside Mannat for three days; stalking each person who in anyway was connected to SRK.

On reaching a roadblock, Amritanshu through personal contacts, approached the Red FM team to help him out, in his quest to meet SRK. Excited by his passion, the Red FM Delhi team decided to help him and literally gate crashed an event at Delhi where SRK was present. Sharat, Red FM’s programming head managed to contact an organizer, and somehow managed to enter the event. Another team member from Red FM, Pankaj managed to speak to Karuna (SRKs manager) and Barkha Dutt, who promised to make SRK meet Amritanshu! But these efforts were futile as Amritanshu never managed to meet his hero.

A week after futile wandering on the roads of Delhi, Amritanshu not willing to easily give up on his dream, decided to take his journey forward by going to Mumbai, geared with a placard in his hand which read, “My name is Amritanshu & Shahrukh I want to meet you.” After spending three days and constant support given by the Red FM team, Amritanshu finally managed to meet his idol, SRK at Mannat.

Red FM Mumbai’s morning jock, Malishka accompanied Amritanshu to Mannat, and sat with him through the evening. Amritanshu described his meeting with SRK, as a very candid and engaging one. Their meeting ended with SRK repeatedly thanking the Red FM for helping Amritanshu facilitate his unique and remarkable journey.

SRK series a hit, claims Discovery

Discovery Communication has said that its new series Living With a Super Star – Shah Rukh Khan has been a huge success, attracting higher viewership than all English entertainment and news channels at prime time on February 26, Budget day.

Discovery Travel and Living had premiered the first of the ten episodes on the life of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan at 9 p.m. last Friday.

Quoting TAM Ratings, Mr Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Discovery Networks India, said the show “has emerged as India's No. 1 English entertainment series”.

One of Discovery's biggest and most expensive productions, the new series telecast last Friday was ahead of all English movies, news and entertainment channels with 0.15 per cent TVR (All India cable & satellite homes,15-plus age group, SEC AB)

It was also ahead of all Hindi news channels on Budget day with a 0.19 per cent TVR (All India C&S homes, males, 15-plus, SEC AB), Discovery said. The show offers a peek into the actor's family time, his relationships with family members, business undertakings, his home and character. The series has got eight sponsors and is fully sold out.

“It is a big deal for us,” Mr Johri said, adding that it would help Discovery Travel and Living become the No. 1 English entertainment channel in India.

India has been a priority market for Discovery, where the company has a network of six channels.

The Indian market accounts for about eight per cent of Discovery's global subscriber base of 1.5 billion.

Discovery Networks Asia Pacific has announced the launch of Discovery HD, a 24-hour high-definition, English channel in India which will be available on DTH platform Sun Direct.

It will be a pay and advertisement-free channel. Subscribers will be charged Rs 25 per month, said Mr Johri. The broadcaster recently launched Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo.

Living with a Superstar: an open book on Shah Rukh Khan's life

There is little mystery to what Shah Rukh Khan does, yet in his first tele series, Living with a Superstar, Shah Rukh Khan has proved that everything in his life maybe an open book, but this is one book that never ceases to interest you.

Telecast on Discovery Travel & Living, the first of the 10 part series, which was shown on 26 Feburary, had an all time high TRP rating for the channel, beating even the TRP's of Hindi and English news channels in the country.

It was Budget Day and trade pundits had predicted that it was a bad day for the channel to start a series on SRK, but the actor chose to put his detractors on the wrong foot. Samar Khan, who directed the series said, "Shah Rukh Khan is a legend. People will never tire seeing him. Whatever he does, generates tremendous interest. In the second episode, which will air on 5 March, we will take a peek at SRK and his time management. The episode is all about how the actor spends his time, juggling between acting, shooting endorsements, running a production house and an IPL team as well as attending public engagements."

The 10 part series has already been declared a hit and the channel believes that the best is yet to come. Khan added, "We shot with SRK for 60 days from the start of IPL last year to this year, February. We have travelled across continents with him to South Africa, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Mumbai and Delhi. And we have saved the best for the last."

Shah Rukh Khan is a show stealer and inspite of knowing every facet of his life, SRK's life and his story will always remain a bestseller.

For the world, a long-awaited good guy on the screen

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The 100 or so young couples, college students, middle-aged parents and grandmothers in head scarves that packed a movie theater could have been mistaken for an audience in Mumbai, Lahore or any other South Asian city.

They had come to see My Name Is Khan, a new Bollywood film that has shattered box-office records in India and is now making a respectable showing in the United States.

The film features dramatic plot twists and sensitive social subjects but throughout pounds home a tolerant message that the main character learned from his mother: There are two kinds of people in the world, the good guys and the bad guys.

And until recently, Muslims — at least those depicted by Hollywood — have nearly always been the bad guys.

Some of that, however, is changing. A small but growing number of films shown in the U.S. depict Muslims positively, or at least as something other than terrorists. Although creators say Khan is a love story above all, it has not been lost on audiences that the story's hero is a Muslim who preaches messages of peace and tolerance.

“It's nice to see a Muslim hero because we're so used to not seeing that,” said Azam Nizamuddin, a 42-year-old lawyer in Chicago. “Even more important was the spirituality of the central character. They really showed his commitment to God, despite his situation.”

Khan is showing in almost 1,600 movie theaters worldwide, including more than 100 in the U.S.

Set in San Francisco, the film stars Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan in the role of Rizwan Khan, an Indian Muslim immigrant with Asperger syndrome. He courts and marries Mandira, a single Hindu mother with a young son, Sameer. They live happily until the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Khan's Muslim name makes the family a target of discrimination.

Customers stop going to Mandira's hair salon. Khan's sister-in-law is attacked and stops wearing her head scarf. Sameer is rejected by his best friend before being killed in a racially motivated attack.

“I never should have married a Muslim man!” Mandira tells her husband, ordering him to leave. It doesn't matter that he's not a terrorist. “Why don't you go to Washington and tell the president, ‘My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist.”'

And so the literal-minded Khan does just that, embarking on an epic journey across America that touches many of the major social currents coursing through the Muslim-American community.

The movie is replete with Islamic references and imagery that would be familiar to Muslims: Khan frequently cites the Quran; bows in prayer at the bus stop and in jail; and takes a compassionate lesson from the story of God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son.

Jack Shaheen, author of Reel Bad Arabs, attributes the growing number of films with sympathetic Muslim characters to more Muslims working in the film industry and a greater cultural sensitivity in Hollywood.

Despite progress, Shaheen said the effect is modest because most of the films with sympathetic Muslim characters are independent, low-budget productions with limited distribution. Without reaching major audiences, negative stereotypes of Muslims will persist, Shaheen said.

A broader-reaching film may not be far off. Director Jonathan Demme is reportedly considering a film based on the award-winning book Zeitoun, which documents the true story of a Syrian-American man who helped rescue residents of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina but landed in jail when police suspected him of being a terrorist.

Despite its relatively modest distribution in the U.S., Khan has also found fans among non-South Asian audiences as well.

“Tolerance is one of the most important messages that movies need to deliver,” said Stephen Marks of Cambridge, Mass., who saw the movie with two friends. “That's a message that should sell.”