Gauri Khan on The first ladies on NDTV GOOD TIMES

Shahrukh Khan who started his journey from television has started television production under the banner of Red Chillies Idiot Box. The objective is to provide entertainment keeping in mind the audiences taste. Comedy show Ghar Ki Baat Hai and Knight and Angels hunt for cheerleaders on NDTV imagine are talked about for their unique content.

The First Ladies with Abu Sandeep produced by Red Chillies Idiot Box has Gauri Khan as the celebrity guest. The show is hosted by well known designers Abu Jani And Sandeep Khosla. It is aired on NDTV Good Times at 10 pm every Saturday.

She is introduced by the hosts Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla as someone whose husband has the whole nation wrapped around his little finger while she has him eating out of the palm of her hand. She is a television and a film producer. She plays a Queen to her husband the “King of Bollywood’. She is a closet interior decorator and a super mom and is also a style icon for women across India. Please welcome our guest for today one and only Gauri Khan.

When asked about Gauri and Shahrukh Khan being totally self made and it must be an incredible high to achieve so much at such a young age she said, “Absolutely, it’s amazing and we thank god every day for whatever we have but I think Shahrukh is extremely hard working so he deserves every bit of it.”

When asked if she was really the rock, the pillar behind Shahrukh she said, “actually that’s not true because I was not too happy about him coming to Bombay and I didn’t even know when he became a star it was very shocking for me firstly to be here and films and everything. It was very very difficult. And I actually did not want his films to do well. I thought if it flopped I should go back to Delhi. Because you know when you are so young and I got married when I was 21 everything was so new that for me it was like everything should flop.”

Gauri further on Shahrukh added that, “he was always ambitious from his very childhood in his school in his college he has always been on top. Whether it was as a student; football, hockey, his theatre anything, for me whatever he would touch would be gold. I think I was smart to marry him. I think that’s my smartness that I chose the right guy. ”

You and Shahrukh met quiet early almost in the teens to which she said, “Yes he was the first person I met and went out with and he has been the only man.”

When suggested that in India Shahrukh has done almost everything and it would be wonderful if he goes to Hollywood she said, “If today he says I don’t want to act and be just a director or producer I’ll be fine with whatever he’s happy with. I’d rather have him home with the kids spend more time at home that would be better for me I think.”

When asked if it was true that Gauri and Shahrukh had to fight to be together. She confirmed and said, “Yes my parents were obviously not for it because we were so young and then to take a decision to get married to a person who was going to join films and being from a different religion. We even changed his name to “Abhinav’ so that they feel he was a Hindu boy and that was really silly and childish.”

When asked about her decision to leave everything from Delhi and follow the man of her dream she said, “It’s been an amazing journey I would. When I came to Bombay it was very difficult I enjoyed every bit of it but it was so new and life was very different new people and new home. But we went back very often to Delhi in the beginning.”

When asked where she put up in the early days in Bombay she said, “Mr. Aziz Mirza – we stayed at his place for 6 months it was very sweet of him and then we rented an apartment and there was nothing. My mom came from Delhi and there was no bed there was no sofa no chair just a kitchen. She was shocked to see me like that she said “why don’t you have a bed? Where is the chair?’ so I said this is the “Gadda’ (mattress) sleep on this.”

When asked if she remembers the date Shahrukh bought her the first diamond she said “I bought it myself! I grabbed it actually I’m quite a grabber. He doesn’t have to gift me anything.’

What’s the one thing you love doing together, “Watching desperate house wives. He loves to watch that with me.”

When asked if they miss the earlier days, the simple times, Shahrukh said, “No I don’t miss them people ask me this question very often but I don’t miss going and having “chaat’ in “Gol Market’, I’ve never wanted to eat pav bhaji on Chaupatty either I’m very happy being a star I love what comes with it I also appreciate the hard work I have to do for it and I don’t want to wear dark glasses to hide from the world that I’m a superstar and I really enjoy it.”

Shah Rukh will play Don in Don 2: Farhan

The first season of Oye its Friday may have come to an end, but it looks like Farhan Akhtar still has a lot to talk about, which includes a very exciting news for Shah Rukh Khan fans.

"Yes, Shah Rukh Khan is going to be playing Don in Don 2. Most of the main characters will be tha same as the first movie, but we will also have a lot of new surprises in it," Farhan said.

While shooting for Don 2 is at least a year away, Farhan's got his hands full with the psychological thriller Kartik Calling Kartik co-starring Deepika Padukone.

"Right now, im only thinking about Kartik Calling Kartik. I am glad to have got Deepika in the movie. She is a very sweet girl and the film is a psychological thriller," he said.

With projects with SRK and Deepika in hand, Farhan certainly seems to have a soft corner for the cast of Om Shanti Om.

Shahrukh, Preity to add glamour to Congress campaign

In an election bereft of substantive issues rousing the voters or polarising the parties, Bollywood stars are expected to draw crowds and generate some excitement.

Every star has a following and can bring in the crowds. That is possibly the reason that the Congress party has decided to rope in the services of popular Hindi and South film stars to deliver political dialogues by reading campaign “script” for it in the forthcoming elections.

Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta will canvass for the Congress party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

Asked if Khan and Preity will be able to campaign following the busy IPL schedule, Union Minister of State for Home and Congress’ third-time candidate Prakash Jaiswal said they will spare time for the purpose.

Bhojpuri actress Nagma, who had plans to test the political waters and sought a ticket from Congress, will now campaign for the party as she did in the last general elections. From being linked with Saurav Ganguly, Ravi Kishan to Dawood Ibrahim, Nagma’s personal life has brought her more fame than her professional life. Obviously, she is expected to draw more crowds than the Congress candidates she is going to campaign for.

According to the magazine Chitramala, another south hottie Trisha is also going to campaign for Congress. The Congress party is serious on adding more glamour for the party and its campaign and has hired Trisha by paying around Rs 2 crore for a 20 day call sheet. She has signed on the agreement and will be readying to campaign.

South actor Nagarjuna too has said he’ll appeal to all his fans to support Congress.

Faced with a tough election ahead, the Congress is also banking on the popularity of the oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire song “Jai Ho..” The Congress has bought the rights of the award-winning song from T-series and is set to use it appropriately once its election campaign gets underway.

Earlier, in last year’s Gujarat Assembly elections, the runaway success of the Shahrukh Khan starrer “Chak De” had inspired the Congress to borrow the film title for its campaign in the state. ”Chak De Congress” posters were splashed liberally across the state during the election.

It’s a different matter that the popularity of the film failed to fetch any dividends for the Congress, which was routed by the BJP.

SRK is an elder brother: Karan

It’s a reaffirmation of their dostana, this film that Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar are co-producing called My Name Is Khan.

The ‘Khan’ in the title is incidental; SRK’s character in the film is Rizwan Khan, who is autistic with limited social interaction abilities. Apparently, the film has generated interest among Indian and overseas distributors already. Karan is aware that he’s on thin ice, directing a film that has characters and situations he’s unfamiliar with. “I am the wrong man to direct this film,” he admits. But at the heart of My Name Is Khan is a tender love story and at directing that, Karan is king. “How can I not have romance in my films?” he asks. “Every filmmaker has to evolve some time. I wanted to make a film in the realm outside my comfort zone. And Shibani Bhatija came up with this mind-blowing script that challenged my abilities,” he says.

His lead actor has a witty reply when asked about being the film’s co-producer too. “Karan doesn’t want to pay me what others do, which is very little, so he said, ‘I can’t underpay you like this, so you be my partner.’ That’s how we’re producing this film,” laughs SRK. Karan admits, “It’s true, I can never put down his price on paper. But considering we were both passionate about the subject, we said why not co-produce the film? We’ve known each other so long (their dostana is 16-years-old) that this new initiative is just an extension of our emotions. Besides, I can never make a film without Shah Rukh. He is a big part of me and my family. He’s like the older brother I never had. I love SRK as a unit — that includes his wife, children, sister and his in-laws.” So, a huge set has been put up at Mehboob Studios and shooting is on with Kajol. Shah Rukh, who is still recuperating from his shoulder surgery, will join the unit by the end of this month.

Whether it is infidelity or homosexuality, Karan hasn’t hesitated to push the envelope and break barriers in the kind of films he is making. His last film, Dostana, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, was among the biggest hits of 2008 and crossed Rs 100 crore. Both SRK and he are determined to push their production houses to the top slot in Bollywood. While SRK is producing Ra-1 and Happy New Year this year, Karan has Wake Up Sid directed by Ayaan Mukherjee, another untitled film by Renzil D’Souza and an animation film Koochie Koochie Hota Hai. “I’m giving new directors a chance and am open to good scripts,” says Karan, “Being in mainstream cinema gives production houses like ours the edge to reach a wider audience. It’s time to move forward.” How was the emotional reconnect with Kajol after eight years? “Shah Rukh and Kajol are indispensable. She’s one of the most talented actresses of Hindi cinema. Every time we wrap up a film, both of us cry, while Shah Rukh looks at us in amusement and asks, ‘What’s wrong?’” says Karan in exasperation.

SRK, Mushtaq fall out

Close friends for years, Shah Rukh Khan and Mushtaq Sheikh have drifted apart

Best friends, Shah Rukh Khan and Mushtaq Sheikh have fallen out. The news comes as a shock since Mushtaq always maintained that ‘it is a blessing to have someone like Shah Rukh around you’. It may be recalled that Shah Rukh allowed Mushtaq to write two books on his life — Still Reading Khan (for which SRK shared some of his personal family photographs) and Shah Rukh Can. Mushtaq was even given the credit of being a co-writer with Farah Khan on Om Shanti Om — but reliable sources insist that the work was entirely Farah’s.

Mushtaq was also seen in Luck By Chance for a split second just before Shah Rukh Khan begins a chat with Farhan Akhtar.
Our source from Bollywood revealed, “There have been differences between Mushtaq and SRK for quite some time. The friction intensified when SRK’s Billu, which Mushtaq wrote, did very average business at the box-office."

What was the flashpoint? Our source explained, “Mushtaq was assigned to be one of the script writers on Ra.1, but after Billu proved to be a disappointment, SRK didn’t want Mushtaq to work on the film.”

Despite repeated attempts to get their side of the story, Shah Rukh and Mushtaq remained unavailable for comment. Though Bobby Chawla (CEO, Red Chillies) maintained, “There is no problem between SRK and Mushtaq,”; a source close to Red Chillies Entertainment confirmed and said, “Things are not the same between them.”

Shahrukh resumes My Name Is Khan

Shahrukh Khan who underwent a surgery for a tear on his left shoulder muscle at the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai last month (February 16) resumed shooting for Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan at Filmistan Studios from March 22 onwards. Though SRK has been seen at a few private parties, events and IPL related meetings, he was on a break from work.

SRK says, "We started shooting from Sunday onwards. It's supposedly simple work. I haven't recovered fully yet. It will take another four months but this shoot is unavoidable so I have to do it." When asked how he is coping with the shooting the actor says, "It's painful and I keep taking painkillers and exercise in the breaks. The work is being kept easy."

Shahrukh rules out the possibility of doing action scenes for the next few months. "As far as action scenes are concerned, I don't know... maybe six to seven months later. I still can't move my arm."

Shahrukh had injured himself on the sets of Dulha Mil Gaya in November last year and then headed to LA for the shooting of My Name Is Khan for 45 days at a stretch. He decided to undergo the operation after the release of his home production, Billu. He had surgery done at the Breach Candy Hospital on February 16.

Shahrukh gearing up for IPL

There is a calm before a storm. After keeping a low profile for sometime, Shahrukh Khan is all set to storm your television screens. Nothing can stop him from cheering for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders and not even the recent surgery on his shoulder.

The second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played outside India because of the upcoming general elections. Shahrukh knows the buzz will be missing in India but he is certainly not going to miss the fun. He said that he and his Bollywood friends would try to watch maximum number of matches. He added that he would request Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL, to reschedule the matches on weekends so that his children could watch it.

Well, Shahrukh Khan roped in Indian celebrities like Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal, Farah Khan, Aziz Mirza, juhi chawla, Vivek Oberoi, Sajid Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Chunky Pandey and Arbaaz Khan to cheer for his team Kolkata Knight Riders last year. The story will be different this time around, as the venue for the IPL matches will be away from home. England and South Africa are the favourites to host this year's IPL.

Well, let's wait and watch if Shahrukh can pull the crowd outside India.

Me and my Scarves

Shah Rukh Khan is seriously addicted to his scarves. From red to blue to brown to grey, he has one in every colour

SRK - Hrithik form a united front

Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan are ganging up against the Aamir Khan-Salman Khan-Akshay Kumar front

Life can be very difficult without a friend and when the ones you considered your good friends fall out with you or let you down, then it’s always wise to develop new relationships. The latest dosti doing the rounds of Bollywood is that of SRK and Hrithik. Setting aside their supposed feud over the Krazzy 4 song, the two have been hobnobbing at various parties and events. In fact , the Roshans are regular guests at all SRK dos, including the super exclusive ones at Mannat.

However, both stars are not giving out any sound bytes about their friendship.

Shah Rukh is a great owner, says Ajay Jadeja

Shah Rukh Khan can bid adieu to the rest that his doctor has advised him post the surgery. With the IPL moving out of India, the actor's traveling will increase.

The owner of the IPL franchisee, Kolkata Knight Riders, SRK is a key player for his side. Former Indian cricketer, Ajay Jadeja said, “Shah Rukh is a great owner. His presence boosts the team spirits. However his presence in the dressing room and the team dug out has been restricted since he is not a player, but if I were part of the team's think tank, I would keep him as part of the 15 member squad, because his presence could be the decider between a win or a loss. His energy levels can motivate anybody to give his best shot.”

Khan was supposed to start shooting for Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan from the middle of May and come July, a 40 day schedule in America. In the meantime, Farah Khan, who is scripting her Happy New Year would have finished with her writing. Farah tells Businessofcinema.com, “By October, I should be done with my script, Inshallah.”

If this is the schedule the actor is planning, SRK will not get an off day for quite a long time. But with the actor's boundless energy, this confined recuperation period must have been more tough to handle for him, than a day in office.