Billoo Barber's Assured Victory!

The race between superstars Rajnikant and Shah Rukh Khan to reach the theatres first has been won by the Tamil veteran. And now, there are fears that the makers of Kuselan will dub it in Hindi and release it before SRK's Billoo Barber, the Hindi remake of the same story.

But Priyadarshan, who is busy finishing the Hindi version with Shah Rukh, is unperturbed.

Kuselan, the Tamil version of the Malayalam super hit Katha Parayumpol about the relationship between a superstar and a barber, has made it to the top of the box office charts.

According to Priyadarshan, the original Malayalam film, written by Sreenivasan, is very different from both Kuselan and Billoo Barbar.

"Sreenivasan gave the Tamil rights to the producers after consulting me. Since they were very keen to make it with Rajnikant, we relented. But the contract clearly says that Kuselan cannot be dubbed into any other language. Likewise, my Hindi version cannot be dubbed in any other language," Priyadarshan told IANS.

"We have clearly put all this in the contract to avoid the kind of overlapping that was attempted when I remade the Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu as Bhool Bhulaiyaa in Hindi, and Rajni's Tamil film Chandramukhi from the same source was also attempted to be released in a dubbed Hindi version. I'll avoid this kind of clash of interests at any cost," the director maintained.

But the question is: Would the contract prevent the makers of Kuselan from finding loopholes in it to release the film in a dubbed Hindi version? If they do, would it affect Billoo Barbar?

According to a source, a dubbed Hindi version of Kuselan is being released around the same time as Billoo Barber.

"Not at all," asserted Priyadarshan confidently. "Only the climax of Kuselan and Billoo Barber are the same. Otherwise, they are two different films.

"See, like all Rajnikant starrers, Kuselan has been made to spotlight Rajni as a larger-than-life icon. I believe he enters the film riding a winged horse. Though my film also stars a superstar (Shah Rukh) as a superstar, I've nowhere tried to increase his role or heighten the impact of his presence. I'm not that kind of filmmaker.

"In Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Akshay Kumar made his entry at interval point. I'm making it very clear that Irrfan Khan and not Shah Rukh has the main role in Billoo Barber. My film isn't a platform to glorify the mega-star.

"We'd have wrapped up Billoo Barber much earlier. But Shah Rukh got busy with the IPL (Indian Premier League). Never mind. It makes no difference to our film."

Billoo Barber is scheduled for a Diwali release.

"If I wanted I could've rushed the release. But we're not in competition with anyone. And, like I said, the Kuselan makers are bound by the contract. They can't dub the film into Hindi or any other language," said Priyadarshan confidently.

Hindustan Times

Ministry dumps SRK, ropes in Aamir to promote tourism

The tourism ministry has dumped actor Shah Rukh Khan in favour of Aamir Khan for their advertising campaign to discourage vandalization of monuments. SRK was part of the campaign film but the ministry — which recently signed Aamir as a brand ambassador — will shoot new films with the latter.

Tourism joint secretary Leena Nandan said: "The film with SRK is two years old. We will be creating two new films directed by Rakeysh Mehra that will have Aamir Khan promoting our logo of Atithi Devo Bhava."

While one film will focus on the anti-graffiti campaign on the country's monuments, the other will be a behavioural guide for tourists.

Nandan added that the aim was to create mass awareness and the ministry will conduct out-reach programmes in schools, colleges, institutions and amongst citizens groups. The formal launch is likely to be in November and Aamir will be an integral part of the promotional drive.

SRK: The Politician

Two categories of people who dominate the newspapers and news channels happen to be politicians and film celebrities. Though there is no correlation between the two, on the eve of Independence Day we try to draw parallels between the two. What would happen if film celebrities enter politics? Who would qualify for which ministerial position? We give you a rundown.

Shah Rukh Khan – Finance Minister
Everyone knows how good Shah Rukh is at managing finances and minting money. Whether it is producing a film or getting the best from his movies and brand endorsements, SRK is the best. Even as all the teams at IPL lost money, SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders rode awar with a profit of 80 crores in spite of not reaching the finals. He could best qualify to manage the finances of the country and change its fortunes overnight.

John Abraham – Sports Minister
One of the most athletic actors of present times, John has a penchant for outdoor games and will make it his ‘goal’ to encourage sports in the country. Rest assured we can expect India to be sporty enough at the Olympics in John’s guidance.

Aamir Khan – Education Minister
From being a considerate teacher in Taare Zameen Par to taking up the noble cause of ‘Teach India’, Aamir qualifies the best to handle the post of the Education Minister.

Sunny Deol – Defense Minister
The most convincing punches on Indian screen come from him. He has been saving the nation from external attacks in most of his films. Sunny can defend our country while fighting with the enemy single-handedly.

Riteish Deshmukh – Infrastructure Minister
Now there is no such post as a Humour Minister else Riteish would have been the unanimous choice. But not many might be aware that he is also a qualified architect. Jr Deshmukh could handle the Infrastructure of our country.

Shilpa Shetty – External Affairs Minister
Mrs Raj Kundra would vote for her first.

Mallika Sherawat – Information & Broadcasting Minister
We are not very sure about the information aspect but when it comes to broadcasting anything from her assets to her sexual appeal to her publicity gimmicks, Mallika Sherawat is a pro. Dressed in a burkha or not promoting her films, the actress grabs headlines without uttering a word.

Salman Khan – Health Minister
The man will make sure that every male has a well-toned physique. We just hope the country doesn’t go topless.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Home Minister
Ever since she has entered the Bachchan parivaar, she has been managing the homely affairs with complete responsibility. She has also been making up for the absence of Amitabh or Abhishek at several social gatherings. Home Ministry is where she can show her political prowess.

Amitabh Bachchan – Prime Minister
The man ruling supreme above all ministers, Big B is the natural choice.

Amar Singh – President
In India, the President is not as much popular as the Prime Minister but is closely associated to him. Amar Singh is doing the same.

Gaurav Malani, India times Movies

Manoj Kumar continues his demented drive against SRK

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar wants his pound of flesh.

On Tuesday, Kumar filed two more cases, one for defamation and the other for cheating, against actor Shah Rukh Khan, his production house director and wife Gauri Khan and film director Farah Khan for ridiculing him in Om Shanti Om, which released last year.

On August 8, the veteran actor won his first battle when a sessions court imposed a conditional stay on telecast of the film saying it would not be shown on television unless the scene that Kumar had objected to is deleted.

Kumar’s advocate Ashok Sarogi said they have demanded Re 1 as damages in the defamation suit as “the reputation of Kumar is invaluable and priceless”.

In the application, Kumar had stated that he objected to the manner in which he was portrayed in Om Shanti Om. He had contented that a scene in which a character allegedly modeled on him — shown trying to enter a theatre but thrashed and driven away by the security personnel — had undermined his public image.

The defamation suit will come up for hearing before the Dindoshi sessions court on August 18, while the cheating case will be heard on August 22.

Kumar had filed the suit against Shah Rukh-owned Red Chillies Productions and Gauri for not keeping their promise of deleting the scene, despite assurances at the time of its release that the said scene would be deleted.

Kumar’s application had stated that after its release, when he had raised objections, filmmaker Yash Chopra — who was mediating between Farah and Kumar — had tendered an apology on their behalf and assured that the scene would be deleted.

Kumar, in his application, said the telecast of the movie would harm his reputation greatly as more people watched films at home then in cinema halls.

Besides, Kumar had also sought the court’s intervention to remove the ‘offensive’ scenes from the VCDs and DVDs.

Vignesh Iyer, Hindustan Times

Shah Rukh in the Witness box

The prosecution yesterday filed a list of 205 witnesses for the 11-year-old murder case of music producer Gulshan Kumar.

The list includes actors Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aditya Pancholi, Jackie Shroff, Chunky Pandey and Pooja Bhatt.

As per the prosecution's case, these actors had gone to Dubai to perform in a show organised by Shaikh Sarjahan.

But while preparing for the show, they came to know about the conspiracy to kill Gulshan Kumar. However, the key witness, Chunky alias Suyash Sharad Pandey, in his testimony denied the prosecution's case and was hence declared hostile.

After recording Chunky's statement, the prosecution did not examine the other actors. As a result of this, the prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy charges and the court acquitted 18 of the 19 accused in April 2002. Only a sharpshooter, Rauf Merchant, was given lifetime imprisonment.

The case has been adjourned till August 25, when the court will decide whether to examine all witnesses again or recall those who have already deposed.

Gulshan Kumar died on August 12, 1997, after three hitmen pumped 12 bullets into him outside Andheri's Shiv temple.

Charul Shah, Mid-Day

Sumo wrestler injures SRK

Shah Rukh Khan has sprained his neck after shooting with a Sumo wrestler for "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

SRK has been asked to take rest and that's why he has been at home for a few days.
Shah Rukh Khan would sport not just one but several different looks in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

According to sources in the industry, King Khan has already shot for "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi"sporting different looks. One of the looks included a Charlie Chaplin style moustache.

SRK = Vivek, says Salman

When Salman Khan summons, you show up. His PR man wants me to come to Bandra for a quick chat with the actor. I rush to the suburban studio though I am warned of a long wait as Salman is shooting for his newly launched film. After what seems like an eternity, I am invited into his vanity van.

I take a seat opposite Salman, who is bare-chested... and smoking. He gets up abruptly and asks his boy to fetch him a tea. After he clothes himself, we settle down for a chat about his upcoming film God Tussi Great Ho, his girlfriend Katrina Kaif, his fight with SRK.

Excerpts from the interview:

Let's talk about your fight with Shah Rukh.
There is nothing to talk about, bro. Have I spoken about Vivek Oberoi? Why should I speak about him, then?
I see Shah Rukh and his situation with me in the same light as I see my situation with Vivek.

But if you bump into SRK, will you greet him?
I used to like him a lot at one point of time. But now things have changed. We have grown up. Now, we don't see eye to eye. I don't see any reason to keep in touch with him. If I am not fond of anyone, I will not pretend to be friends with him and then stab him in the back. I will simply tell a person like that to stay away.

Buzz is that you got Aamir and SRK together after the dog blog incident! Is Aamir doing the same for you? Also Sanjay Dutt says he wants to sit you and SRK down and sort it out.
Why would Aamir or for that matter, Sanjay, want to help me? Why would I want to help Aamir sort out his issues with Shah Rukh? I'm not a two-year-old kid, you know. It is our situation SRK's and mine. I think it is better the way things are. It is better to not pretend and act like close friends. I will not do anything to harm him as that is not in my nature. I will not bitch him out either. It's just that everyone is talking about it! Shah Rukh himself hasn't spoken about the fight and what went down but a lot of his close associates are giving stupid stories and leads to the media. Since the fight, I have been reading very, very negative articles on me.

What actually happened at Katrina's birthday?
Till now, what you've heard is only Shah Rukh's side of the story. When I see the situation getting out of hand, I will come out with my side of what really happened. There are too many people involved and as far as I am concerned, it was a private conversation. That is still one side of the story. I don't think that anybody should be disrespectful or vindictive; everybody has their own lives and their own destinies.

Amul Sharma, Mid-Day

SRK: The Master of Dumb Charades

Bonding big time on the Coimbatore sets of Shah Rukh Khan’s Billo Barber with the Bollywood Badshah, has been actor Irrfan Khan.

A kind of 'hatke' friendship has developed between the two Khans that traces its origins back to Delhi in 1986, when both were into theatre.

In Billo Barber, SRK plays a filmstar and Irrfan the barber. And Irrfan, whose run of films includes international exposure in Mira Nair’s Namesake and Brad Pitt’s A Mighty Heart, has come away from Coimbatore mighty impressed with Shah Rukh. “His humility is noteworthy, he doesn’t have any air of stardom, and he’s so much like any other ordinary guy that it’s an absolute treat to be his co-star,” said Irrfan.

Nights, after the pack-up had been ordered, was party time off the sets. And SRK, a game freak, taught Irrfan how to play Dumb Charade. “He’s a champion at it, I’m a buddhu, and even though I was sloshed, SRK took it upon himself to teach me this game,” recalled Irrfan. “In the beginning, I was an embarrassment, a total disaster, but by the third round I could do it right.”

He remembers seeing SRK for the first time at a play rehearsal in Delhi in 1986. “I was an NSD student and he was with Barry John. Somehow, even though it was dark in the auditorium, his face stayed on in my mind,” added Irrfan pensively.

Afsana Ahmed, Times Of India

I cannot be friends with Shah Rukh: Salman

Actor Salman Khan has had it with his on-again, off-again friendship with Shah Rukh Khan. Talking, for the first time about their public spat a few weeks ago, Salman says he can never be friends with SRK again. “I cannot really tell you what happened at the party,” Khan said when DNA caught up with him on the sets of his film Veer on Saturday. “But I won’t deny that there is a problem between us. There has been this kind of animosity between us for a long time. In fact, this is the third time we have fought. We have tried being friends, but it just doesn’t seem possible. We are different people.”

Asked if he would like to sort things out with Shah Rukh this time, Salman said: “No, why should I? Not interested. We are two different individuals. He may be a great person, but his values and scruples are not the same as mine. I can’t continue being a buddy to someone I don’t get along with. I am not the kind who would pretend to be great friends with someone and then back-bite about the person.”

The incident took place on July 16, at a party Salman had organised for girlfriend Katrina Kaif’s birthday at Olive restaurant in Bandra. Almost the entire industry was there, including Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan.

Towards the end of the party, when most guests had left, an altercation broke out between Salman and Shah Rukh, allegedly over their respective television shows, Dus ka Dum and Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass se tez Hain? SRK apparently stormed out of the party, with wife Gauri and friend Karan Johar in tow. According to sources, Aamir tried to intervene, but the two Khans were in no mood to make up.

Sources added that Salman allegedly compared his show to SRK’s and said despite his (Shah Rukh’s) being a superstar, Paanchvi Pass was not doing well. Apparently enraged by this, SRK passed a snide remark about Salman’s love life.

On Saturday it became clear the fight was indeed over TV shows. Salman was overheard comparing his show to SRK’s earlier show, and saying: “My show is not like Dus Karod (referring to SRK’s Kaun Banega Crorepati?) where there may be some ghapla. People end up winning phenomenal amounts. I would be the last person to support something like this. People in my show get out after having won just about a lakh, but it’s genuine...

Asked further about his misunderstanding with SRK, Salman added: “It’s sad but that’s how life goes. His way of thinking is totally different from mine. Doesn’t look like we can be friends.”

Shubha Shetty Saha, DNA India

SRK hires Security Guards

Indian Mujahideen, the organisation that claimed responsibility for the Bangalore and Ahmedabad serial blasts, had issued a threat recently to the four Khans of Bollywood — Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif Ali — and that warning certainly made King Khan a little cautious as he had got at least 20 policemen and security guards to guard the premises of the hotel where he was staying as well as the location where they were shooting for Billoo Barber.

The cast and crew of the film, SRK’s next production venture, was shooting in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu for some sequences of the film when the threat was issued and SRK was not ready to take it lightly. Our well placed source from the crew says,
“There was a tight security cover where we were staying. There was a threat issued by a terrorist outfit then asking the Khans to stop acting in Bollywood films or face severe consequences and we were breathing a little sigh of relief looking at the protection around us.”

We got to know that choreographer Pony Verma (who has choreographed in more than 15 movies) was at Pollachi shooting some dance sequences for the film and we quizzed her about this.

She says, “There was security but I don’t know for what purpose.” Pony also shared with us some details about the location where the crew is shooting the film.

“The entire cast (SRK, Lara, Priyadarshan) were staying at a place which was not glamourous at all. It was a motel kind of a thing. Its name was Shakti Lodge. SRK had the option of staying at the place where Rajnikanth was staying during Kuselan’s shooting but he chose to stay with all of us. He said we’ll all stay together. We all were like the family,” Pony adds.