Sallu reacts to his spat with SRK

The new concept of connecting to the audience through blog is becoming extremely popular amongst our Bollywood celebrities.

And the latest star to join the Bollywood bloggers is none other than Salman Khan. He started with writing about his show Dus Ka Dum and now he has once again resorted to blogging to express his feelings on his fallout with Baadshah Khan.

Post the fight, Salman had clearly told his fans not to believe in reports that will keep flowing in about him. Salman is one candid actor and so is his girl friend Katrina who is no more part of Shah Rukh’s Temptation Reloaded Tour. Needless to say, the decision to opt out of the show comes after the Khan war on her 24th birthday bash.

Apparently, Salman’s new blog explains that these things don’t matter to him. He laughs, “Ha ha ha... I told you...didn’t I? Ki Farak Painda Hai (How does it matter)...You keep whacking a stick in water, what will happen to the water? Nothing. If the person doing this does not know that, then what does one do? Laugh because it’s funny or feel sad because it’s sad?” He signs off.

Needless to say that Salman, who is a King of entertainment by himself, doesn’t care about SRK’s King Khan Status and is not bothered about all that’s being said and written about him. That’s what we call Salman’s Just Chill attitude!

India Times Movies

Shah Rukh's new Mannat

A few months ago, all the Delhiites were only talking about the palatial bungalow which Shah Rukh was planning to build at No 1, Jor Bagh.

Once the construction began in earnest, and the Mannat board came up, crowds were constantly milling around the bungalow. But SRK's spokesperson denied that he was building the house and around two months back the Mannat board was taken off and replaced with a new nameplate that says 'Sarins'. Goes without saying that the crowds dissipated in no time.

But the Delhi grapevine insists Shah Rukh has not abandoned his plans for a dream home in the city. Apparently, SRK has bought a huge plot of land in Panscheel Park adjacent to the plot where his in-laws, the Chibbs reside. It's not on a main road, so Shah Rukh feels it should be easier to keep the crowds at bay unlike the scene at Mannat in Mumbai.

I can't help feeling SRK is being a wee bit optimistic. Wherever in the world he builds a home, people are going to gape at it. Guess, there is a huge price to be paid for fame. Right, SRK?

Buzz18

SRK is the Highest Tax Payer again

Shah Rukh Khan will be the highest income-tax payer from Bollywood for the second year in a row.

He has paid advance taxes of Rs 27 crore till December 15, 2007, said sources, putting his income for 2007-08 at over Rs 100 crore. It is a glittering jump from the money he made the previous fiscal when he paid a modest Rs 18 crore in tax.

2007 has been a particularly prosperous year for Shah Rukh Khan, who has often called himself “priceless’’. He has not only had two mega hits under his belt - Chak De, India and Om Shanti Om , which he also produced - but also earned Rs 1 crore for every episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati .

In the income-tax stakes, SRK is far ahead of the competition. Hrithik Roshan, who paid Rs 15 crore last year, had no releases in 2007 though his endorsement list has grown longer. Aamir Khan, who paid Rs 6 crore last year, released only one film, Taare Zameen Par , and is known to have taken the distribution rights as part of his remuneration. He has paid advance taxes worth Rs 3 crore.

While Amitabh Bachchan paid Rs 8 crore in income tax last year, his advance tax payment until December 15, 2007 was only Rs 1.8 crore. Bachchan, who is said to have upped his fee in 2008, is no more among the highest paid actors but his endorsement roster is still a blue-chip one.

Among those who have paid a high advance tax this fiscal are Akshay Kumar (Rs 7 crore, although there have been media reports in the recent about the actor paying tax of Rs 26 crore) and Himesh Reshammiya (Rs 2.5 crore). The singer charges Rs 5.5 crore as a composer and actor. Abhishek Bachchan has paid Rs 3.7 crore (much higher than his returns the previous year) while his wife Aishwarya Rai has paid Rs 1.6 crore. Close behind Rai is actor Kareena Kapoor with Rs 1 crore in advance tax.

On the corporate entertainment front, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Pvt Ltd paid advance taxes worth Rs 70 crore. They have done the maximum buying of films in 2007 including hits like Om Shanti Om and Taare Zameen Par . Hindustan Thompson was next (Rs 6 crore) followed by Balaji Telefilms (Rs 4.5 crore), Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies (Rs 3 crore) and Amitabh Bachchan’s company AB Corporation (Rs 2.4 crore).

Eros Entertainment, which bought the worldwide distribution rights of Om Shanti Om for a whopping Rs 70 crore from Shah Rukh Khan, had deducted Rs 7 crore in tax deducted at source in this transaction alone.

Times Of India

Shah Rukh takes KKR higher

Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat has signed up with Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to held in April next year.

Arafat, who plays for Kent in the English county, confirmed that he was approached by the Kolkata team and had accepted the offer after getting clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"They (Knight Riders) approached me and I was keen to join because it was owned by Shah Rukh Khan. The team has got many exciting players in it," said Arafat, who is having a successful season with Kent in Twenty20 form of the game.

Arafat hails from Rawalpindi, the same city from where pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir belong.

Hindustan Times

A surprise treat from SRK!

Another treat for Shah Rukh Khan fans is on its way — his biography titled 'Shah Rukh Can' will hit the stands next month.

Priced at the Rs 395, it’s an account of SRK’s life, from his childhood in Delhi to the sets of Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain (this was being added to the book at the time this story went to press).

The book’s author Mushtaq Sheikh, who had earlier authored Still Reading Khan and The Making of Om Shanti Om, said, “It’s an introspective study about SRK the human being, the actor and film personality. He’s openly talked about his life, his idols, and also about how exciting his journey from television to cinema has been. He has spoken about his seniors, contemporaries and has not made any controversial statements about anyone”.

Asked about his experience of working with King Khan, Sheikh said, “For me, the most exciting experience was to see the child in him, as he would go down memory lane during each of the sittings.” The book highlights SRK’s achievements in his career as well as his future plans. Ajay Mago of Om Books, the publisher, said, “Each chapter starts with a quote from Shah Rukh. There are so many facets of his life. He personifies the best that a mother would want in her son, a girlfriend would dream of in her lover, a wife would want in her husband, and a child would want in his father”.

The book has 24 coloured pages with pictures from Shah Rukh’s childhood and growing up years as well. Asked why another book on SRK, Mago explained, “We received a tremendous response for Still Reading Khan, but priced at Rs 3,000 it was beyond the reach of an SRK admirer from among the masses. This book is specially developed and designed keeping both the masses and classes in mind.”

The book is an extension of the coffee table pictorial biography Still Reading Khan, according to him. As distributors, selling 20,000 copies of King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the seductive World of Indian Cinema, a biography written by Anupama Chopra, encouraged them to come up with the next book, said Suresh Kohli, Chief Editor, Om Books. Plans to have the book translated in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and German are in the pipeline.

Pricy Jain, Hindustan Times

Shahrukh Khan's Home Town

He's the King of Bollywood, but of course it wasn't always that way... Shahrukh Khan started his life in Gurgaon, Dehli, where he lived with his father, mother and older sister, before going to school at Saint Columba's School in Dehli.

So when did SRK make the big move to Mumbai? Well that would be in 1991 - the same year he made his big screen debut in the award winning, Deewana. The film projects, endorsement deals, world tours and more, have only added to his massive bank account. All that has only added to his massive bank account, which has earned him his new home (or should we say mansion!) Mannat, in Bandstand, India. And the rest is history!

SRK sureshot hit in Sri Lanka

Bollywood hottie Neha Dhupia rightly said a few years back that there are only two things that sell in the world - Shah Rukh Khan and sex.

And in Sri Lanka, King Khan is truly bigger than even the Southern sweetheart Rajnikanth. Even as the city is swarming with policemen due to the Saarc summit and despite the fear of the LTTE, one thing remains constant and that is the love people shower on the undisputed badshah of Bollywood.

"I have been watching his films since I was a child. And today, I must say that I know Hindi thanks to him," says Suma, a mahout in Pinnawala, an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. But that's not all. Suma catches the first day first show of his favourite actor and even gives you a free demonstration of his dialogues from the blockbuster Darr. Remember "K-K-Kirrrran"?

With issues like the Ram Sethu controversy raging and the gossip among people being that LTTE chief Prabhakaran being spotted in a bunker (allegedly the Army knows his location, but is waiting for the right moment to strike), Bollywood remains on top of their mind.

Says Kumaran, a driver at a local tourist service, "We love Shah Rukh as he transports us into a different world altogether with his movies. He also has a very unique personality that can cut across all language and geographical boundaries. I remember his movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, he was simply superb in it. We hope he comes again to Sri Lanka, and I know the people here will give him a royal welcome."

Interestingly, many Sinhalese can speak Hindi and if you switch on the TV you will see many of Shah Rukh's songs (from his famous films like Kal Ho Naa Ho) dubbed in the local language. And a Walkers' tour guide Shane confirms that many women in the country swear by Mr Khan.

Lanka Times

'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' is the biggest hit of 2008

Never mind if Tashan and Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic weren’t eventful. Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is all set to bring back Yash Chopra’s lost glory.

Looks like Shah Rukh Khan will prove to be their lucky charm once again after Chak De... India. At least that’s what numerologist Niraj Mancchanda predicts.

He tells us, “Rab Ne... will be the biggest hit of 2008. It comes to number 42 just like Dil Toh Pagal Hai did and that number vibrates with both Yash Chopra who is a number 9 and Aditya Chopra who is a number 3. The movie may might break records.” So, SRK need not worry about losing his throne or crown.

Times Of India

Katrina is out of Shah Rukh's 'Temptations Reloaded' tour

The otherwise cool and composed man Shahrukh Khan seems to have not taken the recent spat with Salman Khan lightly.

He and his wife Gauri Khan left Katrina Kaif's birthday party recently following a spat with Katrina's boyfriend Salman, who threw the party.

Now, Shahrukh has responded in his way.

The news is doing the rounds that Katrina is no longer a part of Shahrukh's Temptation Reloaded Tour.

It is said that Katrina, who was part of the tour along with Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Javed Ali, Anushka Dandekar and Ganesh Hedge, has fallen victim to King Khan's wrath. She is out of the tour now.

One India

Defending Shah Rukh Khan

Viveck Vaswani is a happy man. His Dulha Mil Gaya, which has been in the making for around 1 and a half years now, is fast nearing the finishing mark. The film would be more than 90% through this week as a marathon 20 day schedule comes to a close. In fact in the days gone by, the crew has already shot a substantial portion of the film in Panchgani, Vashi and Pune.

Says Viveck in a relaxed tone, "Over the months there have been media speculations around the completion of Dulha Mil Gaya. It was amusing since more than me they seemed to be worried about the film. There were all kinds of stories circulating around the so-called troubles that the film was facing but my only response to them was - 'Keep Speculating'."

But weren't there murmurs around Shahrukh Khan being the cause of film's delay? Apparently, he wasn't too willing to spare his dates for the film even as he was busy keeping his other commitments.

"Even I read about this but again, as I said, all this was plain speculation and a wrong one too", smiles Viveck, "Any big film would take its own sweet time to be completed. Yes, there were minor issues but none of them had anything to do with Shahrukh Khan. He never created problems for Dulha Mil Gaya. My father was unwell for quite some time and I was busy there. He expired some time back and after a mourning period, I resumed work on the film."

Questioning those who have been spreading false stories about SRK being uncooperative, Viveck challenges back, "Have you read any news piece where Shahrukh himself has quoted anything about being unhappy with DMG? We interact on a regular basis and he has never opened his mouth against the film. Yes, there have been instances where he has been busy but that's understandable. It is a professional thing to do. I don't see any reason why it should be considered as a scoop enough?"

So when do we see SRK's scenes being canned? "This week the film would be more than 90% complete and only a few scenes with SRK remain to be canned", informs Viveck, "There are 7 songs in the film and 6 have already been shot. One song with SRK remains and we can shoot for it anytime in August, September or October, whenever his dates permit."

"We are not in hurry because the technicians at our production house are already on the job. They are keeping busy with the post production and making sure that the end product turns out to be good. It isn't as if the office is running all these years on a film which has been supposedly stalled. Sorry to disappoint a few, but we all are quite charged about Dulha Mil Gaya and making sure that it turns out to be the most talked about film", says Viveck in an excited tone.

So the million dollar question is, when does Dulha Mil Gaya eventually release? "Approximately we are eyeing a January 2009 release. Things are going as per the plan and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be able to make it on that day", concludes Viveck.

One India