A ‘hot’ suit for our hot superstar SRK

Here’s a mazedar khabhar which our birdies are discussing of late….

For a superhero flick, the costumes and looks of the hero matters a lot. And related to that department, our King Khan who is working on Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Ra.One’ recently went through a lifetime experience for the film.

Birdies revealed that Shah Rukh Khan had been to Los Angeles, specially for the film’s costume. In ‘Ra.One’, Shahrukh said to wear a special body suit and this one was custom made in LA at a whopping amount of Rs.1 crore! Wondering what’s special in the suit? Well read on…

Sources behind the making of the costume said that the suit is steel blue in colour and made of a special material like reinforced latex, meant to provide both flexibility and protection. It acts as a tough exoskeleton to minimise external injury while being flexible enough not to hamper body movement while performing stunts. Besides, the suit is fitted with micro-computer circuitry required for the film; thus costing nearly one crore.

And do you know the star himself was involved in the suit-making process?

Shahrukh said to have immersed himself neck-deep in a warm liquid latex-like material. A mould was formed once the liquid got cooled. It is said that the whole process took one hour.

Well, as they say, superheroes are supposed to deal with all kinds of troubles. And looks like our hero is all set to take on new hurdles for making his film a success…

WATCH: Shah Rukh Khan reveals the secret of his success

CNN TALK ASIA: Shah Rukh Khan reveals the secret of his success

Airtimes

Indian Standard Time: March 24 at 1800 hrs IST | March 25 at 0900 hrs IST | March 27 at 1630 hrs IST | March 28 at 1400 hrs IST

He’s known as King Khan of Bollywood and is one of India’s hottest actors and producers. This week Padmashri Shah Rukh Khan joins CNN's Talk Asia for an in-depth interview in Mumbai with host Anjali Rao. The global superstar explains why the time has come for developing nations like India to assert themselves internationally, discusses the furore surrounding the premier of his film ‘My Name is Khan’ and talks about his hopes for his Kolkata Knight Riders team in this season's Indian Premier League.

Khan recalls his detention at Newark airport and the subsequent uproar sparked among Indian communities around the world: “We have reached a stage in India and I think rightly so, when a developing nation is on the threshold on coming out and - Inshallah - taking over the whole world – in terms of economics, in terms of politics, in terms of business, I think certainly we have a voice. We’ve been pushed, all developing nations, I’m not just saying India and suddenly we have a voice in the world which matters and sometimes that voice is a little louder than it should be. So anytime anything goes wrong with Indians anywhere in the world, you notice all Indians get up.”

When asked about his reflections on Pakistani players in the IPL, comments which also proved controversial, he tells CNN: “I didn’t think it would go this extent. Strange things were said and I said the bottom line in my country is that, there is a certain amount of freedom of speech which we also restrain unto. We are not completely outspoken, we don’t do strange things – at least I don’t and most of the people I know don’t. So there’s freedom of speech. This was my point of view.”

The main Hindu Nationalist party took Khan’s comments as a provocation, campaigning against him and threatening to disrupt the premier of his movie. “I just think it became bigger than the personal relationship that we share with them, it went onto a different platform. It just went onto a political agenda platform, onto an activist platform, onto just an issue based platform. I’m not on the same playing field. I’m an actor, I’m not a politician. So my logic was, as long as we are not on the same field, I can’t play this game with you.”

Now in its third season, Khan talks about his team’s focus on this year’s IPL. He says: “I think what we tried to do, is to get the Indian part of the team stronger. I think the senior guys like Ishant and Ganguly, they just need to get into the groove. I think the main thing the coach has brought in this time is the fact that we are training the young guys just to enjoy themselves. 20-20 needs to be enjoyed. You can’t just have the test match pressure on your head or the one-day pressure on your head. You need to go and enjoy yourself and have a good time.”

The actor shares his views on the Academy Award-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire, its success and the role of quiz show host which he turned down: “I really wanted that film to be made. I’d read the Indian novel, I’d bought it. I wanted to make it myself but an Indian film. When I read the script, I knew they’d made a much better film than I could ever.”

He also tells Anjali Rao how Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), one of India’s biggest ever blockbusters, cemented his career, saying: “DDLJ has managed to turn me overnight from being one of the most macho stars to being a romantic sweet loveable kind of guy. And I’ve never been able to overcome that. It has been the biggest hit of my career in a certain sense and I owe everything to it. But I also owe the fact that I still haven’t become a stud. That’s what I wanted to be – a big guy with muscles and fight and beat up people.”

As to his own career path and how he can get even bigger: “The reason I like being a star is because I think that stars get noticed. Stars are big. Everyone follows them. And I want to get so big that one day my parents from heaven can see my films. “Oh we can see his films are bigger than 3D Avatar” so they can at least know I did this. Because I think heaven is a little far away.”

Shah Rukh Khan’s interview with TALK ASIA will be available online soon at SRKTHEDON after the first airing.

Barry John, the man behind SRK

He was Delhi’s resident authority on all things theatre and also on info related to Shah Rukh Khan’s early struggle as an aspiring actor and drama student. But ever since Barry John shifted base to Mumbai in 2007, the tempo of theatre activities in the city has somewhat slackened. But, Delhi’s loss seems to be Mumbai’s gain as Bollywood has found an actor in Barry.

 

‘ No other student has achieved the success SRK has’

No conversation with Barry is complete without a question or two about SRK. He is often credited with SRK’s success as an actor. How does that feel? “The credit goes to SRK that he learned all that he needed to launch himself to the highest galaxy of global stars,” says Barry.

Shahrukh Khan: Once a King, Always a King!

There is only one King in bollywood, that is Shahrukh, and he has proved it time and again with his amazing acting prowess, and his movies creating magic at the box office, with amazing sales of tickets.

Now, with his business ventures in the game of cricket, by becoming a franchisee owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, he has once again proved that he sure is the King of this business venture as well.

The IPL team KKR, had managed a staggering profit of Rs. 13 crores, in its first year and is almost sure to make three times that amount this year. But, King Khan reportedly has said that he has not purchased the IPL team for business ventures. This proposition is purely for fulfilling his passion for sports, and that too cricket.

As for his over flowing Bank Balance, he has hundreds of products to endorse, and a never ending line of films to work in. So, that takes care of his financial needs.

Thus, SRK is not much saddened by his IPL team's defeats, nor is he very ecstatic when they win any match. This year, King Khan has surely showed his grit and determination in controlling his emotions while his team is playing for the tournament. His earlier emotional side is not much evident.

Thus, Shahrukh has conquered it all; he has shown to the world that he remains a King, no matter where he is, in bollywood or in the world of sports. Perhaps, the saying once a King always a King, does fit him in all respects!

SRK gives young ones tips for six-pack abs

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who flaunted six-pack abs in blockbuster Om Shanti Om but couldn't maintain them later, is doling out fitness tips to youngsters through micro-blogging site Twitter.

"Six-pack more to do with diet than exercise alone. You need to be very disciplined. (Do it for) 30 to 40 days...they will start to show," Shah Rukh posted on his Twitter page Monday.

"Exercise regimen - four times a week. Thirty minutes do a weights or any exercise which makes you sweat. No rice or bread at all with food, grilled food. Lots of water. No alcohol. If you do, then exercise (for) 50 minutes. No music and wasting time during exercise. Just do it like a job...push yourself."

"No desserts, ice creams or colas. No food in between meals like chips, etc. Singlehandedly try and bring the junk food industry to closure," he wrote.

Shah Rukh says he does 100 push ups and 60 pull ups when he is regular. "When I start I can only do five push ups and one pull up. It just happens (later) if you are regular," he posted.

The actor, who was last seen in "My Name Is Khan", is strictly against quick fix diets, and says people must make a careful choice about what they eat and drink.

"You make your choices according to your needs. When I work out I don't drink colas myself."