23 cameras for Ra.One

Shah Rukh Khan's film sets a record of sorts for number of cameras used for shooting a single frame

Shah Rukh Khan is pulling out all the stops when it comes to his home production Ra.One. The actor has set a record of sorts, using as many as 23 cameras to light up a single frame.

The film is being shot at Mumbai studio, Filmistan. They are currently shooting on a set of a local train that has been created in a suburban studio. The cameras have been mounted in the front of the train and also at the doors.

A source says, "The team was wondering how they would manage to shoot on an actual train, when SRK suggested they build a dummy train and shoot on it. The art directors got busy and built a train that looked exactly like the real model." The train sequence is supposed to be an important part of the movie with major chase and action scenes.

The cast and crew of this superhero flick are working round the clock to complete their schedule before rains hit the city.

King Khan also plans to modify his character G.One's suit, as his kids didn't like it. The actor has been taking lot of inputs from his kids - Aryan and Suhana as he feels that their age group is the core target audience for his next home production.

Airtel digital TV premieres ‘My Name is Khan'

Subscribers of Airtel digital TV can view this film by paying a nominal amount of Rs. 50. The movie will be available on digitalTV from May 27, 2010 on channel no. 180.

Airtel digital TV announced the TV premiere of the Bollywood blockbuster ‘My Name is Khan’ on its Pay Per View (PPV) service on Indian television. Directed by Karan Johar, the film brings together the hit screen pair Shahrukh Khan and Kajol after a long time. This superhit film also stars Jimmy Shergill.

Announcing this on Airtel digital TV’s PPV platform,Sugato Banerji, Chief Marketing Officer, DTH - Bharti Airtel said, “My Name is Khan has been one of the most awaited movies in recent times because of its star cast. The movie also did extremely well at the box-office worldwide. We will continue to add popular movies on our PPV platform and are happy to bring this star-studded movie with unique storyline to for our customers.”

Subscribers of Airtel digital TV can view this film by paying a nominal amount of Rs. 50. The movie will be available on digitalTV from May 27, 2010 on channel no. 180. Customer can book this movie and enjoy multiple shows running on this channel. To book the movie for the day customers need to SMS BOOK <180> or BOOK to 54325 from his registered mobile.

Set in India and USA, the film talks about Indian subcontinent diaspora in USA and how they experience the change in their livelihood after the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. Rizwan Khan (Shahrukh), a Muslim man from India, moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother and sister-in-law. Rizwan, suffering from the Aspergers syndrome which is an autism disorder, falls in love with Mandira (Kajol). They get married and start a small business together. They were happy until September 11, 2001 when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea of change due to terrorist attacks. Their only son was killed due to a collective hate to Islamic faith and this development devastated Mandira Eventually Rizwan was forced to leave Mandira. To win Mandira back, he embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across the United States which consists of faith, love and trust to the humanity that transcends religion, caste, gender and nationality.

DVD REVIEW: My Name is Khan

MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Soniya Jehan, Jimmy Sheirgill, Zarina Wahab, Tanay Chheda, Yuvaan Makar

Director: Karan Johar

Producer: Gauri Khan, Hiroo Johar

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Lyrics: Niranjan Iyengar

THE FILM

Their names are Khan and Johar. And they are no more just candy floss filmmakers.

This statement pretty much describes the effort that has gone into making My Name Is Khan and the best part is that within no time, it is obvious that the 'effort' isn't made visible just for the sake of it. First and foremost the film is a complete turnaround for Karan Johar brand of cinema because he leaves his troupe of 500 group dancers somewhere far behind and settles for a world where the only dance step performed by Shah Rukh Khan is an awkward 'two left feet and one forward move'. Thankfully, this is not the only factor that makes My Name Is Khan entirely different from all the films that Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan have made so far. There is more. Actually, a lot more.

Credit must be given to Karan Johar and Co. for letting know their audience what's in store in the opening reel itself. Within a restricted space of the credit rolls, the picture is completely clear that it is not going to be an easy journey for Rizwan Khan (Rizwan Khan) who is off on a road journey to meet the President of America. His mission? To tell him and then the entire world that 'His name is Khan and he is not a terrorist'. In a way this could well be Bollywood's own take on The Motorcycle Diaries and though the conflict is far more different and serious here, it nonetheless is a tale which is one of its own kinds.

Still, it does take time to settle into the world of Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) with the narrative taking turns to delve into three different times in his life - his growing up years, his past with Mandira (Kajol) and the current times. Though the opening portions are equally endearing, what with some of the sweetest moments with his mother (Zarina Wahab) being brought to fore, My Name Is Khan becomes a lot interesting once Rizwan's love story with Mandira begins.

This is where Karan Johar brings in his maturity as a film maker because neither does he take a melodramatic route where Rizwan's issues with Asperger's syndrome starts taking centre stage nor does he make it all look all so light that it takes a fake or frivolous connotation. Instead, he uses this syndrome to very strongly establish the character of Rizwan who takes things on face value, calls a spade a spade and is still left untouched by the negativities of the world.

This is why even when he is arrested as a suspect terrorist; he doesn't blame the Government of any religion in particular. He continues his journey of goodness and unwittingly kick-starts a movement that takes a much broader meaning. Even around this juncture, Karan Johar risked taking a route that many of his contemporaries (and his own students) have taken in films like Shoot on Sight, New York, Kurbaan or Khuda Ke Liye. However, he plays it all different, in fact very different, and comes up with a euphoric outing that picks up momentum at the interval point and never once looses pace (and focus) right till the end credits title roll.

There are quite a few moments that audiences take home and after avoiding the spoilers, the ones that can be revealed are where Shah Rukh proposes marriage to Mandira, his bonding with their son, the turning point in the film where he is forced to take the road journey, the sequence where he spots the President for the first time and is caught on camera and the point when his movement picks up heat.

From performance perspective, Shah Rukh Khan is simply outstanding. There is no second thought about it and after Chak De India, this one would now stand out as the most definitive performance of his career. Mark my words; this is a National Award winning performance. His dialogue delivery, body language, mannerisms - everything just makes you connect to Rizwan Khan, not Shah Rukh Khan. Though Kajol has a lesser screen time, she occupies her place with authority and is completely and truly natural, something which is expected from the actor of her stature. Yuvaan Makkar, who plays their son, is quite believable as well.

There are number of other supporting actors but the ones who make the best impression are Soniya Jahan, Zarina Wahab, Arjun Mathur and Vinay Pathak. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, come up with a good soundtrack though at places one would have expected the background score to be a little more euphoric. Cinematography is perfect, especially in the scenes set at San Francisco.

PACKAGING

DVD of My Name Is Khan comes in a regular plastic case. Now that's a surprise because one expected the packaging to be far more elaborate and lavish considering the fact that this is the biggest release of the year so far.

DURATION

The film's duration is 155 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

- The Making

- Unseen Footage with Karan Johar

As expected, there is a definite quality feel to the way the entire 'making' segment is presented. One can see an upmarket treatment to this entire segment and though to begin with there is usual introduction about the movie and the casting decisions, the pace picks up once Karan, Shah Rukh and Co. begin to talk about the actual 'making' of the film. It makes for a good watch to see how the entire floods set came into existence. Also, what makes this segment special is to see 'action director' Shah Rukh Khan coming to fore and giving instructing from behind the camera for key action sequences in the film.

There are quite a few deleted scenes that find a place in this additional DVD. Lasting 45 minutes, they were (well to put it mildly) best left out of the final cut. Most of them only end up extending the length of the movie while a couple of them are quite clichéd as well as definitely unnecessarily. For example, a scene involving Kajol talking to her parents about her marriage with Shah Rukh Khan is a plain no-no as it only ends up belonging to cinema of the 90s. However, what is shocking is to know that there was actually an extended version of the hurricane sequence, something for which Karan Johar had got quite some flak already. At the time when the international version of the film is said to be doing away with the entire sequence, it is surprising to see that the DVD here carries an extended version of the same.

Of course there are some beautiful moments as well but then not the kind that were a must to be present in the final cut. These are the alternate cuts of songs like 'Tere Naina', 'Sajda' and 'Noor E Khuda' which do not make for a bad watch at all. However, other than these, there is not much to look forward to in this 'unseen' footage segment except for the commentary by Karan Johar which precedes each of the scenes.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation

- Subtitles in English

- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 399/=

CONCLUSION

So much has been seen, heard, read, speculated and gossiped about the religion and terrorism angle in My Name Is Khan. The fact is that all of this is just at a peripheral level and though its presence is felt right through the film, especially during the second half, it is never too imposing to take over the narrative. And thankfully, there are no debates around 'jihaad' and its relevance (or the lack of it). Really, audience have had enough of it and a subject like this is best left untouched in a mainstream yet meaningful film like My Name Is Khan.

Go, bring home this DVD.

Rating: 4/5

Karan Johar releases 'My Name Is Khan' home video on Reliance BIG Home Video at CROSSWORD

Reliance BIG Home Video continues its endeavor of providing the finest quality in home entertainment and has released the much awaited home video of 'MY NAME IS KHAN'. A special release function in Crossword Juhu, saw Karan Johar and Sweta Agnihotri, Chief Operating Officer of Reliance BIG Home Video releasing the DVD & VCD of 2010's biggest global hit.

Mumbai, Maharashtra, April 22, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Reliance BIG Home Video continues its endeavor of providing the finest quality in home entertainment and has released the much awaited home video of 'MY NAME IS KHAN'. A special release function in Crossword Juhu, saw Karan Johar and Sweta Agnihotri, Chief Operating Officer of Reliance BIG Home Video releasing the DVD & VCD of 2010's biggest global hit.

The movie has created box-office history, with the trio of Karan Johar, Shahrukh Khan & Kajol coming together after a long time. A Dharma Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment presentation, this is Karan Johar's fourth directorial venture. 'My Name is Khan' is the triumphant story of an unconventional hero overcoming obstacles to regain the love of his life. The film holds the record for the highest opening day & also the highest grosser overseas for a Bollywood film.

Keeping the excitement and wide appreciation that the films has received, Reliance BIG Home Video has launched a premium collector's edition - a 2-DVD pack. Apart from the film, the 'Special Features' disc has exclusive, never- before-seen content. The disc contains specials like 'Making of the Movie', 'Unseen Footage with a special commentary by Karan Johar' & the 'Theatrical Trailer' as well. The DVD pack has been released at Rs. 399 and 2 VCD pack at Rs. 149. The Blu-ray will also be released soon.

Sweta Agnihotri, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance BIG Home Video says, "We have always believed in the power of great quality cinema. My Name is Khan is a great example of coming together of highly creative and talented people along with a novel subject which made this film a global success and now a must own DVD."

Vijay Singh. Chief Executive Office, Fox Star Studios says "MNIK is a landmark film that touched millions of audiences and broken Box Office records across the globe. With its superb direction & extraordinary performances by the starcast, DVD offering by Reliance Big Home Video will enable MNIK lovers to relive the experience and know more about their favourite film."

Karan Johar, Director say, "I'm really thrilled that the Home Video of MNIK is being released because this film is very, very special to me. Initially, a few people close to me were nervous when I set out to make the film but today I can happily say that amongst all my films, it is not only the biggest hit worldwide but it has also got more critical acclaim than any of my previous films. I'm really pleased that the DVD gives all those who loved the film a chance to see the many years of effort that went behind making it. And also I have added a very special section on the deleted sequences in the film, including an alternative edit for the hurricane sequence and alternate song edits for the Tere Naina & Sajda. That should be a real treat for fans of the film."

The launch will be supported by an all encompassing marketing campaign across Radio, Internet along with a strong focus on Retail activation and on-ground promotion. Various innovations like a 'Peace Wall' is being set up in retail stores, where people can leave their messages for the 'My Name Is Khan' team. These walls be presented to the cast of the film. Apart from that various retail branding sites have been booked for display across 10 cities. Contests as well as paid promotions will ensure reach and frequency optimization. The organisation is also looking at partnering key brands for marketing and corporate gifting tie-ups.

We are sure that all movies aficionados will be waiting to take this extraordinary journey again. For all of them, 'My Name Is Khan' DVD will be worth the wait.

Shah Rukh Khan MNIK cut 35 minutes for US, releasing May 7!

Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer Karan Johar’s blockbuster flick ‘My Name Is Khan’, which is due for a US release on May 7, has become 35 minutes shorter after Hollywood editor Alan Edward Bell of ‘500 Days of Summer’ fame edited it of hurricane sequence for the US audience.

The reputed editor of Hollywood considered the hurricane sequence unnecessary addition but kept the Hindi song and dance numbers in the film intact. In fact, he took the view that these song and dance numbers should be kept in the film as they highlighted the uniqueness of bollywood flicks.

Sources close to production house say that Alan Bell felt that the hurricane sequences of Wilhelmina town in the US would only irritate the American audience who were fully aware of the reality and would instantly recognize that it was not their town. In fact, Karan Johar had shot that particular sequence not in the US but in the Film City studio in Mumbai, and he knew from the very beginning that it was not up to the mark

Karan Johar roped in Allan Beal to edit the American version of ‘My Name Is Khan,’ as he wanted it to be finalized from the US audience’s point of view without any interference from any quarters.

‘My Name Is Khan’ in its new US avatar will have subtitles and voiceover in English for the benefit of audiences there. However, the flick will continue to be in Hindi language, as the original was, to keep its magic intact.

Shah Rukh Khan plays the character of Rizwan Khan, who is suffering from the Asperger’s syndrome. The US authorities mistook his condition and arrest him for being a Khan. The movie shows the trauma of being a Muslim in the US after the bombing of New York by suspected terrorists.

3 reasons why SRK picked Shahana Goswami for Ra.One

Shahrukh ‘King’ Khan is pretty pumped up about his next home production in which he dives into the superhero genre playing a superhero who can solidify electricity (an out of the box idea). And, as per the latest buzz, he has roped in the talented Shahana Goswami (who got noticed in ‘Rock On’) for a pivotal role of a video gamer. Here are the 5 reasons why SRK picked Shahana for the role:

1. Shahrukh and the director Anubhav Sinha were on the hunt for a young and vivacious maiden and Shahana fits the bill perfectly. “SRK and director Anubhav Sinha were looking for a young, cheerful girl to play SRK’s colleague. They were considering various names for the role, until they finally zeroed in on her. She is young, lively and suits the character to a T. She will be sporting a completely new look for the film.”

2. Secondly, Sahana is a relatively fresh face and hence, has an edge over the other over-exposed actresses. Plus, she, herself, is very gung ho about experimenting with different films.

3. A beautiful face is of no use until it is backed by a powerful performance. And Sahana has proved her mettle in films like ‘Rock On’ and ‘Firaaq’. Hence, Shahrukh had no qualms about casting her for the role of a videogame designer. After all, she is beauty with brains.

Shahana signs up for Ra.One

Will play videogame designer and colleague of SRK

Shahana Goswami is the latest addition to Shah Rukh Khan's ambitious superhero project, Ra.One. The actress, who was first noticed in Rock On!!! and then appreciated in Firaaq, will play a videogame designer like Shah Rukh. Her character helps out Shah Rukh's when a gaming character causes problems for him. Apparently, Ra.One's director Anubhav Sinha and Shah Rukh were looking for a young, cheerful actress to play Shah Rukh's colleague. They considered various names before they thought of Shahana.

Of course, Shahana is excited about the role and the fact that she will be sporting a completely new look in the film.

Khan is box office king

Shah Rukh Khan and the controversies surrounding him will always sell. Need proof?

His latest Bollywood love drama, My Name Is Khan, has been certified a box office hit in India, chalking up box office collection of Rs250 million (S$7.7 million) on the opening day alone.

The movie had initially sparked outrage in India because of comments made by the Bollywood superstar.

According to Channel News Asia reports, the extreme right wing party, Shiv Sena, based in Mumbai had taken offence to Shah Rukh's statement on India-Pakistan relations. Shah Rukh had earlier stated that cricket players of Pakistani origin should be allowed to play in India.

Party workers of Shiv Sena had since torn movie posters of MNIK and were threatening movie theatres against showing the film. Police had arrested 300 Shiv Sena members so that the movie screening would not be disrupted.

Elsewhere in the world, Yahoo! News India has reported that MNIK has grossed US$18 million (S$25.4 million) during its opening weekend, which is the highest ever recorded for a Bollywood film (In the US, MNIK collected US$2.3 million in its first four days).

Back in Malaysia, Shah Rukh continues to enjoy his supreme reign. The TGV cinema in Cap Square, which is the latest centre of Bollywood films in the country, reports that it's been a full house everyday since the movie opened on Feb 12.

"We expect MNIK to stay in the cinema for a month," Saravan Letchmanan, the marketing consultant for Suraya Film Distribution and Production Sdn Bhd, the distributor of the movie here, offers his optimistic view when contacted by The Daily Chilli.

"Aside from the Klang Valley, we've also released the movie in Malacca, Johor, Kedah and Penang. The response has been good with 75 to 85 per cent of the tickets booked. We're only left with the front seats," Saravanan adds.

Set against the backdrop of post-911 racial discrimination, the film features Shah Rukh as an autistic Muslim guy, Rizwan Khan, who embarks on a journey across America to win back the love of his life, a Hindu girl named Mandira, played by Kajol.

But upon his arrival in Los Angeles,Rizwan is unfortunately detained by authorities at LAX who mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour.

Is SRK a better investor or an actor?

Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re Korbo Lorbo Re Jeetbo. This is the theme song of the high profile team Kolkata Knight Riders owned by the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan. Juhi Chawla Mehta and her husband Jay Mehta are co-owners of the team. The theme song has been composed by music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar and since then this song has been played in all the stadiums where KKR has played.

Even before the auctions of IPL were initialized and it was in the stage of planning, SRK was sure who he wanted as the captain of his IPL team. Team India was playing an international match against a visiting team and SRK was also there to watch the live action. When Team India was batting, a television grab of Saurav Ganguly walking from the pavilion to the VIP stand to meet SRK seemed normal as the actor had been friends with many cricketers. Well, rest is history. Shah Rukh Khan bought an IPL team and made Saurav Ganguly the face of the team.

There were loads of expectations riding on KKR as Shah Rukh left no stone unturned in making his team a high profile brand, with theme song, TV commercials, tie-ups with other brands, thus earning a huge fan following in the process. One of them being Shatrughan Sinha’s son Luv Sinha, who debuted inSadiyaan. Luv says, "Mr Khan is great at whatever he does because he does it with passion”.

Brendon McCullum was not even in the playing 11 for his national team, New Zealand. But at the opening night of the first season of IPL, he smashed the ball at all the corners of the park scoring 158 runs. This record is still not broken by any cricketer in IPL. Also, this knock guaranteed his place in the national side.

SRK jumped with joy when his team did well. He threw lavish parties for his team when they lost. Also, television TRP’s were considerably high during KKR matches as SRK ensured his big family of Bollywood was also there at the stadium. Sometimes, he also used to sit with the team in the dug out but ran into trouble when the ICC (International Cricket Council) issued a notice that no team owner will be allowed to enter the dressing room when the match was in progress.

With such hype around the team, controversies were bound to happen. A fake IPL player blog helped many electronic and print media to fill up their spaces as lot of inside information was leaked through the blog. There were also rumors about rift between SRK and Dada. However, the blog died with the end of the first season of IPL and KKR finished at number of 6 out of the 8 teams. Too bad for a team where the owner has always been a winner. That year, SRK only had two release; Bhootnath and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, both of which failed to set the cash register ringing at the box office.

If IPL season 1 was bad, IPL season 2 was worse for Shahrukh Khan’s team. Team not performing well was just one side of the story. The team was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Saurav Ganguly was stripped of his captaincy and Brendon McCullum was made the captain overnight. Australian coach John Buchanan also introduced a new concept of multiple captains, which was completely thrashed by the experts. The fake player blog returned again with lots of more sensational information from the dressing room.

However all this did not stop SRK from what he does best, marketing his brand Kolkata Knight Riders. He also organized a talent hunt show and picked cheer leaders through that show. SRK has been known for coming up with unique marketing ideas be it in films or for his IPL team. Yes, he was grilled with questions about the controversies but he tackled all the problems with his chin up. The second season of IPL was shifted from India to South Africa due to security concerns. In the first quarter of 2009, the actor had only one release, Billu.

In spite of nursing a shoulder injury, he didn’t leave the team alone. He travelled with the team to South Africa and cheered them all the way. This time, it was a different Shah Rukh Khan in the stadium. Unlike dancing in the stadium in India when the team did well, this time he was calm. He clapped when the team put up big runs on the score board and did the same when they lost.

Shah Rukh Khan is someone who follows his heart and is not scared to take risk. That is clearly visible from the kind of roles he chooses to setting up a production house with VFX technology. Chandan Roy Sanyal, Kaminey fame says, “I have always been his fan for being the entrepreneur he is. He took a risk by acting in Baazigar opting for a negative role unlike other hero's who would have gone for a positive one. So it comes as no surprise for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. He is a risk taker and he also gains benefit from it, something to take a leaf from his life”.

It is not a cake walk to keep the fans happy and also maintain consistency in doing well all the time. But he makes it so easy inspiring millions of people. It is the humor that he has in himself which helps him sail through troubled waters.

A nation where cricket is considered as a religion had reason to cheer for. IPL grew bigger year after year and the big news was that the third season was going to be in India and not in some foreign land. After the 26/11 attacks Pakistan players were kept away from the IPL action. Not that any rule was passed, but none of teams bought any Pakistani player during the auction. It was only Shah Rukh Khan who voiced his interest to include players from the neighboring country.

Shah Rukh Khan starrer, My Name is Khan, one of the most anticipated movie of the year was dragged into problems by a political party in Mumbai. They demanded an apology from the actor but he did not bow down. Even though he couldn’t include any Pakistani player in the team, he had his way by hiring Wasim Akram as a bowling coach for Kolkata Knight Riders. He held his ground and gave a loud message stating sports is above all religion.

IPL 3 came in with a lot of changes. Firstly, Saurav Ganguly was made the captain again and secondly, the team jersey changed from color black to purple. So far the team is doing decent winning 50 percent of the matches played so far. “The weight of huge expectations is off KKR’s shoulders and the good thing for the team is that Dada is back with a bang. As for SRK, he is just better than the rest at everything he does”, says Vaibhav, one of the young actors in Teen Patti.

The league matches are going to end soon and now it is at the business end of the tournament, each team eying the semis berth. Saurav Ganguly and his team are on a winning streak and he himself is back in form. In a week’s time, it will be clear which four teams will be in the semis.

Shah Rukh Khan attended most of the matches until lately where he is Goa shooting for his next action thriller. But he is not out of action. His tweets are more than enough to generate breaking news. He wrote on his twitter that he will dance naked if his team enters the finals. It was all said in humor, but the big question is, will KKR make it to the finals? For now, we can only wait and watch.

Coming back to the big question, is SRK a better investor or a better actor, have your say...

SRK offer prayers with Tabu for Juhi Chawla's ill brother

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan offered prayers along with actress Tabu for the speedy recovery of actress Juhi Chawla's brother.

Bobby Chawla, CEO of Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment, was taken to a hospital on Sunday after he collapsed while dining at a restaurant.

"Offered namaaz with tabu the wonderful friend & actress she is, atop the hospital. she is so beautiful and kind to do that with me (sic)," Khan wrote on his Twitter page.

The 44-year-old actor was also elated with the victory of his IPL team Kolkata Night Riders over the Delhi Daredevils.

"I pray & hope both my boys...bobby & kkr want to keep winning the next few days. we can fight life only with belief in positivity," Khan wrote in a post.

"Good news all around. bobby my friend is stable...the kkr boys did awesome. actually its all about who wants to win more on a day (sic)," he added on the micro-blogging website.

SRK to dub 'My Name Is Khan' in English

Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan is on a roll. The film that has reportedly touched the life of scores of people across the globe, plans to continue with its winning streak overseas.

The original Hindi version is the No.1 grosser in the UK and it has also broken several records in the regular diaspora markets across the US. Now, Karan and Fox Star Studios will release a re-edited, two-hour long version (that’s minus 45 minutes!) in 25 countries like Germany, Poland and France between April and June, with SRK dubbing his lines in English.

Karan says, “Right from the beginning we had plans to release a fresh cut meant mainly for the non-diaspora markets in North America, Russia and certain parts of Europe. We will have a platform release in the art-house circuit. MNIK is the first global movie with the ethos meant for a world audience and Phase II was designed to take it to markets where no Bollywood film has ever been.’’

In Indonesia, the film is said to have broken records of all previous Hindi movies with a box office of 1.5 million USD. And the local distributor Harris Lasmana says, “My Name is Khan has appealed to the Indonesian audience, where Islam is followed by the majority of the population. Moreover, the film reviews have been excellent.’

Delirious with the praise that has been coming his way from across the globe, Karan says, “It’s humbling and heartening at the same time to hear from people almost every single day as to how MNIK has touched their lives in so many ways. It has empowered SRK and me to continue with releasing this film in markets where Bollywood has never had a presence. The cumulative gross of MNIK makes it SRK’s biggest hit overseas.’’

Speaking of the accolades that have come to SRK for his outstanding performance as Rehan Khan in MNIK, Karan says, “It is and will remain one of SRK’s most special and memorable performances. And, I’m happy that I made this film for him and with him. You have no idea how encouraging the feedback on the film has been.’’

Shah Rukh Khan MNIK in English, shorter for Germany, Poland, France!

Shah Rukh Khan, the badshah of bollywood who played the character of Rizwan Khan in Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ and earned the goodwill of the UK, US audiences with his seasoned performance, is all set to woo countries like Germany, Poland, France with English version and a shorter duration film (about two hours) this April-May.

In fact, the flick has been totally edited again keeping in mind the tastes of these countries where Indian audiences or NRIs are not present in large numbers. To this end ‘My Name Is Khan’ has been trimmed of its flab and song numbers and now will not have the portions of about forty five minutes.

Sources close to Karan Johar’s production house say that the plan was to release the film after Shah Rukh Khan completes the dubbing of his lines in English language, which is easily understood in these countries. The buzz doing the rounds in the industry is that Fox Star, which has the distribution rights of the flick, was elated by the response to the film and wanted to tap the areas which have been traditionally out of bollywood’s ambit so far.

The industry watchers say that the main factor which has been aiding Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer flick in different countries is its humanistic theme. The storyline of the flick, which is based on problems of Muslims in the US after the New York bombing, is such that people everywhere feel sympathetic towards the plight of the beleaguered religious group.

Shah Rukh Khan plays the part of a person who is suffering from Asperger’s syndrome and is detained by the US security agencies at an international airport due to his name having the word ‘Khan’ and his unusual behavior. Kajol plays the part of his wife and supports him during this ordeal. Shah Rukh Khan’s efforts to meet the President to save his love, is touching.

Shahrukh Khan and Ra.One: Is SRK fit enough to do the stunts?

Bollywood buffs must be pretty abreast of the facts that SRK was out the entire last year carrying a sling owing to his excruciatingly painful shoulder injury. And the King Khan has also battled an agonizing back pain in the years gone by.

And now, a persistent knee problem is bothering him for which he is undergoing treatment by Andrew Leipus, the expert physiotherapist from his KKR camp. However, these constant niggling injuries are not only giving him and his fans heart ache but also are coming in as a barrier to his career. His next flick Ra.One, which is a superhero flick, demands tons of stunt actions which need a fully fit and agile SRK. However, SRK is keeping his knees (err…fingers) crossed.

“SRK is doing some high energy stunts in his home production Ra.One which will be filmed soon. The last two days of the shoot were cancelled because of Bobby Chawla’s (CEO of SRK’s Red Chillies) health scare. The next schedule of Ra.One is drawing near and SRK hopes the exercises Andrew has prescribed will fix his knee problem in time.”

“Ra.One is a superhero film and Shah Rukh’s character will have to do several high risk stunts and he really needs to be physically fit to pull them off.”

Now, it would be an uphill task for the Badshah but then adversity brings the best out of him. Right?

´My Name Is Khan´ DVD May Release On 14th June!

Karan Johar's Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer, 'My Name Is Khan', is now ending its run in India. The film is likely to finish after netting around 75 crores from India. And is the only hit of the first quarter of 2010.

'My Name Is Khan' is already Bollywood's biggest Overseas grosser with $16.50 million, and is still to release at many other un-explored markets.

The good news for those fans of King Khan, who want to add the film to their collection or who reside in countries that have not yet seen a theatrical release, and also is that the official DVD is likely to release on June 14, 2010.

SRK wants best SFX

With James Cameron having already spoiled the movie buffs with the out-of-the-world special effects in this mega-blockbuster 3-D film Avatar, Shahrukh Khan, who’s producing and acting in the sci-fi thriller Ra.One, wants the best special effects (SFX) as well.

We hear that the brief SRK has given out to director Anubhav Sinha is that ‘Ra.One’ should have the most visually stunning SFX yet seen in any Hindi film.

Sinha further has given instruction to the SFX team to watch and study the special effects in notable Hollywood movies like ‘Avatar’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Terminator’ and ‘2012’. The team is also sketching and making models of the most imaginative looking characters that might be incorporated in ‘Ra.One’.

SRK and Kareena Kapoor have started shooting the film. The SFX will be added in the post production stages.

Ra.One seeks inspiration from Avatar, 2012, etc

Anubhav Sinha is going all out to ensure that the Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ra.One becomes a landmark SFX film for Bollywood. To make sure that only the best effects are incorporated in the film, he has given the Red Chillies team a list of Hollywood’s most outstanding SFX and 3-D movies for reference.

A source from the team reveals, “Anubhav is currently shooting in Goa with Shah Rukh and Kareena. They will be returning by the end of this week. As soon as they are back we will start our work. The actual SFX work on the movie can only begin once we get the film footage. Till then, the director has asked us to do our homework. We have been given a list of movies like Avatar, Star Wars, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, X-Men and Terminator to study the various special effects used in them. Each movie is different and he wants us to understand, learn and implement those effects in Ra.One .”

The source continues, “Apart from studying these movies, we are sketching, sculpting various characters that might fit into the movie. We are also fine tuning various special effects.”

Anubhav Sinha remained unavailable for comment.

Shahrukh Khan to Wear Costly Costume in 'Ra.One'

If anyone deserves to wear pricey outfits in movies, it's B-town's golden man Shahrukh Khan. And he is indeed about to give movie fans a run for their money as he will sport one of Bollywood's most expensive body suits throughout history in Anubhav Sinha's upcoming movie "Ra.One."

The suit, that was custom made for King Khan in Los Angeles, cost a whopping $220,000, but as they say in the TV commercials, he's worth it!

But the body suit's price tag wasn't the only big deal! In order to make the latex-like outfit, the star had to receive a warm liquid on his body that became hard as it dried and then had to be taken off of Shahrukh's almost naked body!

That can't have been very comfortable! But we guess being uncomfortable for an hour is the least SRK can do for one of Bollywood's most expensive body suits in history!

And it's not only the suit that is costing a lot of money, the sci-fi flick has a reported budget of over $22 million, only John Abraham's and Akshay Kumar's action film "Blue" was more expensive!

So what makes this movie so special?

""Ra.One" is a superhero film. There is a good guy, there is a bad guy, there is a beautiful girl, there is a wonderful singer and a fantastic director," SRK recently told reporters during a press conference with his co-star Kareena Kapoor.

"It's a kind of film, a genre we guys haven't tried at 'Red Chilies.' On behalf of the whole team, I would like to try and I hope we succeed. It's a new thing for all of us, so we are giving it our best shot," he added.

Well we can't wait to see Shahrukh Khan wearing one of Bollywood's most expensive outfits in history! How about you? Do you think he will look hot? Drop us a line.

Star Plus hopes 'My Name Is Khan' to strengthen its TRPS!

While it’s not a new fact that Bollywood films take the help of small screens when it comes to promoting their movies and songs, these days, TV channels are now taking help of Bollywood films in a bid to survive the race for highest TRPs.

It is believed that Star TV has approximately paid RS.15 crores for acquiring the TV rights of My Name is Khan which has been co-produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Dharma Productions.

This piece of news has been confirmed by Anupam Vasudev, executive vice-president (marketing) at Star, though he did not divulge anything about the amount the channel had to shell out.

It is believed that when a channel airs a big Bollywood movie, GRPs gets a hike of about 30-40.This means that the channel can move one spot up in the viewership listings.

Vasudev is optimistic that My Name is Khan will be watched by many people when aired on TV, since it was a big-budget film and quite new. While an average film gets a rating of 2 and 3 when it is aired on the TV, it is expected that My Name is Khan will manage to earn a rating of 4-5.

Shah Rukh Khan Tweets about Ra.One

Filming on anticipated superhero action flick Ra.One got underway on March 24th, and the main thing on star Shah Rukh Khan’s mind, according to his Twitter account, was making sure he was on set on time for the first day:

have to go now. first day at shoot & all. let me impress my ppl that i land up on time..at least on the first day.

Ra.One is expected to break new ground in terms of special effects and stunts for a Bollywood film, with Shah Rukh Khan taking on the avatar of Shekar, a software engineer who as a video-game hero must battle Ra.One, a techno monster he creates. In order to save mankind, Khan’s character is rumoured to have to take to the skies and fight with ten maniacal villains that represent the ten heads of the Hindu demon king Raavan. For his superhero role in the film Shah Rukh has also been working hard to regain his famous six pack abs, first displayed in Om Shanti Om.

Joining Khan in the confirmed cast of the film, helmed by director Anubhav Sinha, are Kareena Kapoor, reportedly playing a ‘trendy’ mother character, and Arjun Rampal as the villain of the piece. Vishal-Shekar will be providing a rocking soundtrack and R’n’B star Akon has already visited India to collaborate on a track for the film.

Previous reports had stated that Jackie Chan and Aishwarya Rai would also have roles in the film – both rumours that Shahrukh has laid to rest through his Twitter account.

no jackie chan in ra.1 thats final now

no film yet with aish.

Following the completion of the first day’s filming on Ra.One SRK once again took to his favourite social networking site to share his thoughts on the day’s work:

first day...first shot. fantastic unit...nikolai,neha,andy,spiro,amy,sabu cyril & jeff. kareena was a pleasure always so gung ho about work.

missed my workout...was too happy that we started the film. cant wait to show u all the stuff..but will have to wait sometime for the site.

gung ho means eager & enthusiastic. everytime i face camera i realise there is no place i rather be than acting.love it so even after 20 yrs.

Star Plus shells out Rs15 cr for TV rights of My Name is Khan

The channel is said to have paid approximately Rs15 crore for the satellite television rights of the film, co-produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Dharma Productions.

Star Plus, the flagship Hindi entertainment channel from Star India Pvt. Ltd, will soon bring Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film My Name is Khan to the small screen. The channel is said to have paid approximately Rs15 crore for the satellite television rights of the film, co-produced by actor Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd.

Anupam Vasudev, executive vice-president (marketing) at Star, confirmed that the channel had acquired television broadcast rights for the film, but he refused to comment on the price paid for the rights.

However, according to a senior executive at a rival channel who specializes in buying films for the small screen, Star forked out Rs15 crore for My Name is Khan. Incidentally, Star’s sister company Fox Star Studios had bought the marketing and distribution rights of My Name is Khan, reportedly for Rs100 crore.

Vasudev maintained Star Plus expected the film to do well since it was a new and a big-budget release. “Paa (featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan) has delivered 2-2.5 in ratings, which is a reasonably good performance,” he said.

Attracting viewers: A still from the movie My Name is Khan. The TV screening of a big Bollywood film could trigger a surge of 30-40 gross rating points for the channel during the week in which it is aired.

Attracting viewers: A still from the movie My Name is Khan. The TV screening of a big Bollywood film could trigger a surge of 30-40 gross rating points for the channel during the week in which it is aired.

According to L.S. Krishnan, president of media specialist agency Radar at the Mudra Group, My Name is Khan is a good acquisition for Star, and should get enough traction. “An average film gets a rating of 2 and 3, which is considered good. I would expect a rating of 4-5 for My Name is Khan,” he said.

Based on his discussions with Star India executives, a media buyer, who requested anonymity, said that the channel was charging Rs3 crore for 300 seconds of airtime, for the title sponsorship of the film. “Ten seconds of advertising inventory around the film is going for as much as Rs10 lakh. If I had that kind of money, why wouldn’t I put it on the Indian Premier League (IPL)?” he asked, referring to the ongoing IPL T20 series that is hawking advertising inventory at a premium.

He said the steep tariff on the inventory is unjustified as the film was not a huge commercial success.

Meanwhile, Mona Jain, chief operating officer of VivaKi Exchange, the centralized buying unit of French advertising and communications firm Publicis Groupe SA, said the channel could justify the high ad rates if it telecasts the films several times. “The movie will spark off an interest, but there ought to be multiple airings in a single day. Just like when Star Movies got the rights to James Cameron film Titanic and it was shown four times in a day. It makes sense for both the channel and the sponsors associated with it,” she said.

To be sure, the race among Hindi entertainment channels for big films has been heating up. Star Plus recently acquired the TV rights to other new films such as Rann, London Dreams, Aladdin and De Dana Dhan. Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd’s Hindi channel Colors, meanwhile, won the TV rights to releases such as Kaminey and Kurbaan.

The TV screening of a big Bollywood film could trigger a spike of almost 30-40 GRPs (gross rating points) for the channel during the week in which it is aired. That has often helped channels to displace competition in the viewership ranking.

In the period from 14-20 March, TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd’s TV viewership data shows Star on the top with a 24% channel share, Colors at No. 2 with a 23% share and Zee TV in the third place with a 20% share.