The making of a Bollywood King - Shahrukh Khan

He came, he saw and he conquered the world, he is none other than our very own King Khan of Bollywood- Shahrukh Khan. The man certainly needs no introduction as his every move becomes breaking news. Besides his magnetic presence on screen, his personal life too has been equally appealing to his fans. Mr and Mrs Khan’s immortal love-story is the Rome Juliet of modern age, albeit with a happy ending. His love-filled real life is probably the secret of the eternal love stories that he creates on reel.

Deewana: Made us Deewana
After his tele-stints he happened to Bollywood with the film Deewana. His un-groomed personality with lanky body and weird hairdo though were uncool, but his unconventional acting charmed the audience. Barring the lumberjack dancing moves of Badshah Khan, the song Aisi Deewangi… sure struck a chord with the audience. Though the stardom was unforeseen the then promising actor with his circussomersaults was certainly “different’.

Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman: Made Shahrukh a gentleman
As Raju, Shahrukh became the most empathized actor on celluloid. He was no larger than life hero in the film who jumps off the cliff and brushes off 10-15 goons at once with his muscular arms. In fact he showed up as a very ordinary guy who is battling within himself to make choices in life. The youth of 90s could identify with Raju who becomes “Gentleman’ at the cost of love and relations. Dil hai mera Deewana showcased the innocent charms of a young boy with big ambitions. He gave a whole new meaning to the heroism in the Hindi cinema with this film, not to say a new disease Loveria too!

Baazigar: Baazigar Badshah
Romancing two heroines on the screen only to ruin them later… An impossible idea of anti-love clicked big time for SRK. The audience showered their love on him, that’s the magic of being Mr. Khan. Apparently audience loved Shahrukh above everything, so much so, that pushing innocent Shilpa from the building terrace was excusable as after all he was the prince charming on a white horse for Kajol, as she sways singing Baazigar.

Darr: Charismatic K…K…King Khan
Love him, or hate him, you just can’t ignore him, the acceptance of SRK as a bad-boy in the film Darr confirms the very fact. He became an obsession of Bollywood after his obsessed lover act in the film. His fond-style of addressing his lady love K…K…Kiran became a rage. Jaadu Teri Nazar became a cult classic with the innocent Juhi being led on by her silent admirer. Wishes are fulfilled in Tu Mere Samnewhich sees Shahrukh not believing his luck that he is actually with his love.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: Raj is still ruling!
The magic of “Raj’ on celluloid is still running high. The love story of Raj and Simran is among the few immortal stories of Hindi cinema that will liven up the silver screen and several hearts for many decades to come. Raj- a directionless brat of Indian origin on foreign land, when comes to India following his love, imparts all the desi-morals so convincingly that not only several Simran’s, but also their mother across the globe fell in love with him. There are generations of Simrans awaiting Raj humming the romantic track “Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jana Sanam…’ SRK with his naughty smile, strumming mandolin made many a heart say Ruk Ja O Dil.

Pardes: Issi Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil
Every time he loved his women, he loved them unconditionally but portrayed them differently onscreen. In Pardes he falls in love with Ganga’s simplicity at the very first sight but contained himself till the end. His love-filled eyes peeping through the arc of guitar conveyed his unspoken state so strongly that Ganga ultimately finds solace in his arm. His rage at not being able to express his love is eloquently expressed in Yeh Dil Deewana. Thus he etched out yet another definition to love – If you love her so dearly no matter where she is, she will come back to you.

Yes Boss: Bas Itna Sa Kwaab Hai
In the song Chand tara….undeniably SRK was very much in his element. It looked like he is once again living the time when his dreams sounded hazy to others. He was all raring to go and catch the stars above, meant only for him. The madness he portrays makes it evident that he could go to any length to achieve his treasured dream. Whereas in Main Koi Aisa Geet he returns to his sweet lover boy image and woos a confused Juhi with his darling antics and brings the magic out of the hat!

Dil Se…
The unbeatable groovy number Chhaiyya Chhaiyya rocked the music charts that very year. The song became popular for its unconventionality - SRK and Malaika Arora Khan danced full-throttle on the top of a moving train. Apart from SRK’s adventurous performance on this Sufi number, he also stupendously performed a formation dance with Manisha Koirala on Satrangi Re…his every expression conveyed that a selfless love is to get destroyed with her!

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Kuch Kuch happened all over
He won million hearts when he sheepishly lost the basketball match against Anjali or when he failed to realize his underlying love for her in the presence of the glazing beauty of sensuous Tina. We all experienced the strange “Kuch Kuch’ feeling watching Anjali and Rahul accidentally realizing their long buried feelings for each other while dancing under umbrella all drenched in rain. As Rahul, he distinctly re-defined friendship and love in the film.

Asoka: King as King
King Khan in his late 30s pushed all his hair back, put the raj-tilak on his bare forehead and donned the attire of the brave emperor Asoka. The most reminiscing song sequence Chhuke Bole Chhunana Mujhe…a love making duet with the very young and lovely Kareena Kapoor exemplifies the most elegant period-romance in the history of Hindi cinema.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum: All in the family
SRK played the elder son in the star studded family in the film K3G where the Shehanshan and the Badshah of Bollywood shared screen space as father and son. Besides the film being heavy duty emotional drama SRK-Kajol romantic pair did its share of magic. Their dream sequence in the song Sooraj Hua Madham… manifested the beauty of their onscreen togetherness once again.

Veer-Zaara: Old is still gold
Veer and his captivating poetry in the end of the film left us awed for the perspective that he gave towards love - for that we all have to rise far above the regional boundaries. In the court when he recites the poetry, his voice certainly conveyed the ignorance that one develops towards the material world when in love. Giving solace, Shahrukh convinces Preity Main Yahaan Hoon and makes her realize he is only for her in Tere Liye.

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna: SRK glorifying act
We have only looked down upon the extramarital relations, considering it scurrilous but watching SRK falling for a married woman in the song Mitwa looked very convincing. May be only because he is SRK! His open arm act in the middle of the stadium manifests the sheer incompleteness in his life without his “soul’ mate. Though the film faced flaks on moral grounds, but SRK’s unfolding dilemma in the film exposed several facets that were previously overlooked.

Don - The Chase Begins Again
Who else could have matched the demure of Big B, in the remake version of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer cult classic “Don’! Matching the steps of Big B, Shahrukh effortlessly steeped into his shoes and song in Khaike Paan Banaraswala. Shahrukh Khan gave his panache to the stylish track Main Hoon Don and made bad boys look tasteful like never before, he gave a class to Bollywood mafia.

Om Shanti Om
Only King Khan could have done this, rehashing a 70ish concept to multiplex audience was a Herculean task, but Shahrukh can! He made the audience of realistic-cinema believe in the tale of re-births. Audience who were scoffing at SRK’s retro-side, dropped jaws with the drop of his shirt, to all our surprise his “Dard-e-disco’ six-packs baring act was a killer rage. It made girls drool over his bare cuts and made men go green with envy. Ahem! A lot of Bollywood biggies reworked their fitness regime to match up to the king and his abs.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
SRK played a recluse officer in the film but disguises himself to keep his high flier wife happy. Juggling between the geek and the hunk act he made the audience and finally his onscreen wife fall for him. His geeky look may not have appealed to his wife, but the audience Haule Haule fell in love with him, and found his dorky look “cute’! It was a delight for them to see him in a changed avatar - simple trouser and shirt with curt moustache. Whereas Dance Pe Chance was a faint revisit to the Rahul days of Kuch Kuch!

I would love to work with Shah Rukh again: Parzaan Dastur

He popularised the line 'Tussi na jao' (Please don't go) as the cute Sikh kid in Karan Johar's 1998 hit 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hain'. Parzaan Dastur, now 17, plays the protagonist in new film 'Sikandar' and says he would love to take up acting as a career and work with Shah Rukh Khan again.

'Acting is something I have been doing for long. I have loved doing it and enjoyed every moment of it. But that time (during 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hain') it was a hobby. If it turns out to be a career, I will love it because I just enjoy being in front of the camera. I enjoy taking commands from the director, performing and getting the appreciation,' Parzaan told IANS in an interview.

Parzaan wants to act with Shah Rukh and Kajol again. They played the lead in 'Kuch Kuch...'.

'I would love to work with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol again. 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' was an experience of a lifetime and I would love to have that again,' said the teenager who is currently studying management in a Mumbai college.

'Apart from that I want to work with a legend like Amitabh Bachchan. Any young aspiring actor would love to work with him simply because you get to learn so many things off the sets from him,' he added.

As a child actor, Parzaan has also featured in other films like 'Mohabbatein', 'Zubeidaa' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. He was also seen in the award-winning film 'Parzania' (2007), which was about a boy who goes missing during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

His latest 'Sikandar', which released last week, revolves around a boy in the troubled Kashmir Valley who wants to make it big in football, but his life changes when he finds a gun lying on the road.

The film, shot entirely in Kashmir and directed by Piyush Jha, also stars Ayesha Kapoor, Sanjay Suri and R. Madhavan.

Parzaan believes that 'Sikandar' helped him mature as an actor.

'With 'Sikandar' I became more mature. I understood what acting is all about. What does it mean to get into the character and how can one adopt a role. This film took me way ahead as far as acting is concerned,' said the youngster who has also worked in many commercial advertisements.

He has found a good friend in Ayesha who has won awards for her performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black' (2005).

'We had 30-35 days in Kashmir, working together. It's been great working with Ayesha. She is a brilliant actress and apart from that she has worked very hard on the film.

'She can't speak Hindi, but she had to speak the language for the movie... so the amount of hard work she has put in to portray the character, to say her lines properly with the correct emotions, is just great. She has become a really good friend,' said Parzaan.

Shah Rukh-Kajol voted most romantic on-screen couple

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol have been voted the most favourite romantic on-screen couple in a poll conducted by MDRA and Outlook magazine to find the popular favourites in the romance genre.

Interestingly, Amitabh-Rekha came second in the list of romantic on-screen couples followed by Salman-Madhuri, Akshay-Katrina, Shahid-Kareena, Hrithik-Aishwarya and Rishi Kapoor-Dimple.

“Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge”, which has been running non-stop in a Mumbai theatre for the last 14 years, has been voted as the most favourite romantic Bollywood movie of all time. “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” is second, followed by “Maine Pyaar Kiya” in third position.

“Tujhe dekha to ye jaana sanam”, again from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge”, has been voted as the favourite romantic Bollywood song. “Tum paas aaye” (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) is in the second place and “Kal ho na ho (Kal Ho Na Ho) has come third.

Shah Rukh Khan has also been voted the Favourite Romantic Actor, followed by Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, and Kajol has topped the list of Favourite Romantic Actors (Female). Trailing her are Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Katrina Kaif.

SRK-Kajol-Rani’s Kootchie Kootchie Hota Hain is almost ready

The much awaited animated version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai titled Kootchie Kootchie Hota Hain is almost ready and is being scheduled to release soon to commemorate 10 years of the film. This mega budget animated venture is a joint production between Karan Johar’s banner Dharma Productions along with Los Angeles-based Prana Studios and the Mumbai based 3D Animation Studios. It is learnt to be featuring the latest innovations in computer graphics matching International cinema standards. However though K2H2 was a very successful film marking the debut of Karan Johar as a director, its animated version is not being directed by him but his Dostana director Tarun Mansukhani.

There was also speculation whether Salman Khan who featured in a Filmfare Award winning performance in the film would dub for his animated character since him and SRK have had a fall out. But now we have learnt that his character will be dubbed by Ritesh Deshmukh. The names of stars who shall lend their voices for this animated film are - Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Uday Chopra, Riteish Deshmukh, Simi Garewal and Sajid Khan.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in London

Filmmaker Karan Johar was in London this week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (KKHH) which took the box office by storm, not just in India but broke records in the UK. It’s been 10 years but seems like British Indians just can’t get enough of this blockbuster.

Surrounded by fans, posing for the shutterbugs Johar is as big a star as any of the leading actors in his films. And Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was the film that launched his career as a director 10-years-ago.

When it released in October 1998, It broke records, set trends and gave Bollywood a ‘designer’ look. It also tapped into the huge overseas market. In the UK, the film earned over £1.75 million, breaking every record for Hindi films until then.

“I think what connected at that point of time was the basic rootedness and the western exterior. The film had an Indian soul with a western blend and that’s the combination that worked well. In fact that’s what both DDLJ (Dilwale Duhaniya Le Jayenge) and KKHH did,” said Johar

And even after 10 years, it seems Indians in the UK just can’t get enough.

“I think I have seen KKHH 50 timese, now I also narrate the dialogues when I’mwatching the film which is quite annoying for the family,” said a KKHH fan.

“It was my son’s birthday which was a special occasion for the family. So I went with my mother and kids to watch the film. We were three generations watching the film together,” said another fan.

While the film evokes cherished memories for many, for its director, there is that one special moment.

“The scene where Kajol and SRK in the rain, that one moment in the gazebo, I remember watching it on the monitor and thought to myself - ‘I think I have a special film’,” recalled Johar.

The trend that began with DDLJ got a further boost with KKHH. It opened a huge NRI market for Indian films as Indians living abroad went back to the cinema theatres in droves. And 10 years on, it still remains one of the favourite and most successful films coming out of Bollywood in a decade.

SRK as 'Rocky' in Koochie Koochie Hota Hai

Karan's debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which is being adapted into an animation film, titled Koochie Koochie Hota Hai would be Dharma Productions' first animation film. The film will be co-produced by Prana (a seasoned animation house). However, this animation film, which has a plot similar to K2H2, will be picturised on animals and the animal kingdom.

The core love story is between three dogs, and the supporting cast has roosters, bears, pigs, cats, and many others from the barn. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani essay the voices for 'Rocky', 'Angie', and 'Tina' respectively, (minor tweak on the original names). The potential release date is late summer of 2009.

Last but not the least is My Name Is Khan, which goes on floors in November this year and would be shot at length in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, and Mumbai. The film is scheduled to release by end of next year. Karan adds that, "the film at heart is a love story. At the soul of it, it makes a social comment, and at the whole of it, it's a human triumph tale." Five films in the making, Karan Johar definitely has a lot going on. Keep it up KJo.

Screen India

SRK and Kajol Voted Jodi No 1

It's valentine season and romance is in the air. And romance has been the staple for Bollywood for many years.

So which onscreen couple charmed the hearts of the audience? Which lead pair is the jodi no 1? We here at CNN-IBN decided to find out.

Bollywood has had some memorable onscreen couples who lit up the silver screen with their sparkling chemistry.

While the spotlight has shifted from reel life to real life couples off late, the magic that the male and female leads created on celluloid is definitely a source of inspiration for many.

So this Valetine's week we decided to check out who's the best of them all...the couple that has reigned in the hearts of the audience as the hero and heroine who made their ticket money worth every penny.

On a poll conducted on www.ibnlive.com CNN-IBN asked respondents to vote the jodi no1 in Bollywood. And the nominees are:

Guru Dutt and Waheed Rehman

Dharmendra and Hema Malini

Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol

Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor

From the swarm of responses, it was evident that if there's one jodi that has melted hearts across the board, it's Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol who sizzled on screen in such films as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhie Khushie Kabhie Gham and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

They're the couple we have most enjoyed seeing on screen, they're the couple that has most often made our eyes moist, they're the couple who have immortalized romance on 70mm.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, CNN-IBN's Jodi No. 1 is Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

Watch the video : Click Here

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