Salman and SRK avoid coming face-to-face

Yesterday everyone shooting in and around Film City were waiting with bated breath to see what would happen when Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan came face-to-face.

The once-upon-a-time friends were shooting on sets next to each other.

While Salman was shooting for a film, SRK was there for a commercial. Surprisingly, they managed to not cross each other's paths all day.

Perhaps SRK used his super powers from RA.One to turn invisible while Salman wore his Chulbul Pandey ensemble to avoid being recognised. Tee hee.

I have a huge amount of respect for Aamir and Salman, says Shahrukh Khan

So what if Shah Rukh Khan isn't starring in KJo's new release (he's not even doing a cameo or a hot item number this time), but he's there in spirit.

And in the promotions too. After all, he's family, na? Yeah, during a promotional interview of We Are Family, with Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, SRK casually blended in with the team and started talking about the movie, leaving all the viewers stunned and amused. Of course, the perfect moment was when he commented on the two other Khans. He said, "I have a huge amount of respect for Aamir and Salman.

I think they're wonderful. I think they're great stars, I know them personally and they're great human beings. And they're much bigger stars than I can ever be. I hope one day I can be like them in terms of work." Bravo, SRK, bravo! Over to you Sallu, c'mon and give us a quick dabangg reply. While Aamir can start pondering already...

Will not sell KKR to make a fast buck: Shahrukh Khan

Badshah of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan has no intention of selling his stake in his IPL cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. In a rare interview with CNBC-TV18, Khan spells out the business plans for his company Red Chillies Entertainment.

Below is a verbatim transcript of his interview with CNBC-TV18's Swati Khandelwal.

Shahrukh Khan, Actor

Excerpts from Reporter's Diary on CNBC-TV18 Watch the full show »

Q: What are your plans for Red Chillies?

A: We started very small, but lately I have started thinking that I would go a little big in terms of film production at least. So far we have done normally at any good time one or maybe the second film kind of starting once we are finishing the first one. We have a bit of television going, we have advertising going, we have a good VFX unit. So we are in a way technologically a little advanced as far as the production side is concerned.

But creativity requires a lot of time as to what story content has to be. But this year we have set up a new office now. We have all the youngsters who have grown with the company who are all I guess itching to get into cinema, make films. I think now I feel the need to start making 4-5 films. When you make 4-5 films, the company has always run on ‘no profit, no loss’ kind of criteria to start off. If the film does well good but at least we don’t try to lose money.

But now with 5 films on the floor yes it will become a little unaffordable. But public, no. I think I am too busy with the creative aspects to really get into business in such a big way. But if I have guys in the office who would like to do it, it's their company, they can take it public.

Q: How big is the company at this point in time and how much investments have already gone into it?

A: It's got a very big heart. We have been working on it for what, around 7-8 years now, about 9 years we have been making films. We have made about 9 to 10 films. Some of them good, some of them fantastic, some of them pathetic.

A lot of investment has gone in. I don't know the exact figures. But what we have tried to do is we have never borrowed money. The money is essentially brought in perhaps sometimes personally and then we work towards making sure it is returned. So it is kind of debt free. If that makes any sense, I keep hearing people saying companies are good when they are debt free. So we don’t have any loans or debts. Everything that is invested in the company is personal and then been earned back as the years have gone by.

Q: Another company, KKR, the entity that’s doing reasonably good now, what's the plan really there? We were hearing about a possible stake sell, you may look at raising money through stake sell in that company. Is that true? What do you have to say on that?

A: I don’t know every time our team loses a match they say I am selling the company. So it has got nothing to do with the cricket part of it as far as the company is concerned.

We have to wait for the rules, what's happening now. There is a lot of unknown right now. So on the business front it is very clear KKR is owned by us, myself and Jay (Jay Mehta,) and Juhi (Juhi Chawla Mehta). We will keep it. We haven’t really sat down ever and thought of - I keep reading that we are selling our stake. But I have never really seriously ventured or thought about it.

If I ever do it then it would be not dumb money, it would be strategic money. I would like to do it with a sporting kind of a partner who knows more about sports instead of just making a fast buck. That's not what we are in the business in KKR for.

Why is Shahrukh Khan upset?

Being an aspiring soccer player although destiny had something else in store for him, Shahrukh Khan's heart still lies in sports. So, the latest controversies hovering over sports arena be it Indian Premiere League or match fixing or no ball issue, all such talks have upset King Khan. And why not, when SRK worships sports as much as films.

SRK takes his personal dilemma as far as his Knight Riders are concerned as an example to prove how the image of sports and sportsmen are ruined at the cost of filling spaces in the newspaper. He went on to add that for if IPL would have been fake, then he would have tried his level best to make his team win each time when in fact it has lost.

He also made a special mention of how media puts down the sportsmen's sportsmanship if they don't perform well.

I do not miss Shahrukh Khan: Salman

Bollywood machoman Salman Khan on Thursday said that he can never be friends again with Shah Rukh Khan.

"Shah Rukh and I don’t talk anymore. We had misunderstanding and hence parted ways. There is no chance of Shah Rukh and Salman coming together in future," Salman told trade analyst Komal Nahta, on the sets of "ETC Bollywood Business".

The 44-year-old called off his friendship with Shah Rukh after the two had a heated argument at Salman's then girlfriend Katrina Kaif's birthday party July 16, 2008. The actor has since found friendship in B-Town perfectionist Aamir Khan.

Infamous for splits whether with friends or girlfriends, Salman recently broke off with Katrina too.

Asked if he ever misses his once-upon-a-time brother-in-arms Shah Rukh, he fired: "Shah Rukh meri girlfriend nahi thi. apni purani girlfreind ko miss nahi karta, Shah Rukh ko kya karunga (Shah Rukh was not my girlfriend. I don't miss my ex-girlfriends for that matter, why will I miss him?)".

"ETC Bollywood Business" airs Thursday night.

Kareena Kapoor Poses on the Set of 'Ra.One'

We have already showed you twitpics of Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar from the set of their upcoming movie Ra.One, and now a new pic of Bebo has surfaced!

In Ra.One, Shahrukh plays G.One, Arjun Rampal portrays Ra.One and Kareena is of course the female lead! Other actors include Satish Shah, Shahana Goswami, Dilip tahil, Tom Wu and Ben Hawkey as Billy. SRK has mentioned that his character is a 'jeevu' so who knows? Maybe he will take on more than one role? Hollywood action favorite Jackie Chan was approached for a role in the movie but he ended up turning down the offer and Tom Wu got the part.

The movie was initially set to start filming in Miami but due to budget problems the shooting took place in India instead. This summer the cast and crew took off to London where they spent a few weeks filming what looked like impressive stunt scenes.

Composer duo Vishal-Shekhar have created the flick's music and hip-hop superstar Akon will be featured on the soundtrack. The "Sexy Chick" singer came to Mumbai earlier this year to record some tracks and participate in a press conference with Shahrukh and Kareena.

SRK has previously shared information about the action hero flick and told reporters at a press meeting: "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."

He later added on Twitter: "G.One is made of solid electricity...he has come in the real world from a virtual one to fight against RA.one the evil force. He is the Good one....that's why for short...his name is G.One...which also stands for Life in Hindi."

Sounds like a blockbuster to us! Are you looking forward to seeing Ra.One when it hits theaters on June 3, 2011?

They’ve all run away: Shahrukh Khan

His Ra.One may be a massive VFX extravaganza but after the release of the superhero flick and the sequel to Don, Shah Rukh Khan wants to make a “small” romantic comedy.

Khan reveals that he’s been meeting with newer directors to work out the logistics of the movie. “But no one wants to make a small film with me,” he jokes. “I’ve had a chat with a lot of wonderful, new guys like Anurag Basu, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bharadwaj and I’ve told them that I want to make a small, interesting and stylised purely romantic film on characters my age. I want to produce it under the Red Chillies banner, but no one’s come up with a script yet.”

Shahrukh KhanAfter seeing the success of recent small-budget Hindi films, Khan thinks that small is the new big, and is determined to make one too. “I’m already making a low-budget, sweet film about college and high school kids called Always Kabhi Kabhi, directed by Roshan Abbas, which should release in the next few months,” he says.

The superstar admits that small films are commercially viable but insists that’s not why he’s made the movie. “It has the same idea as 3 Idiots, that parents expect certain things of their children, and there’s a lot of pressure on the children when they start falling short of those expectations. It’s a sweet film, and I hope youngsters like it.”

Despite being a big budget movie star, Khan insists, “I have always believed in small, cosy films and from the beginning of my career, I’ve done many, be it Yes Boss or Chalte Chalte. I don’t know what I’m doing after Don 2 wraps up in February, so I’ve approached a lot of directors, but they’ve all run away! They believe that if they make a film with Shah Rukh Khan, it should be a big film.”

Though he’s at the shoot of the youth fashion brand, Belmonte, of which he is the ambassador, Khan says that he wants to make films that appeal to every section of the audience.

“It’s very important for me that absolutely everyone can watch my movies,” he says. “I’ve always respected the tastes of the people. My mom used to tell me, ‘Eat what you like to eat but wear clothes that people like to see.’ Even with Belmonte, the range of clothes I endorse appeals to all consumers. So, it’s fortunate that the brand mirrors what I wear in real life.”

'Ra.One' release date not fixed, says Shahrukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan's sci-fi superhero movie 'Ra.One' will be releasing around June 2011, but there's no confirmation on the exact date yet.

Buzz was that the movie would release June 3, but SRK has denied those reports, and even taken a dig at those who spread it.

The star posted on his Twitter page, "Nice to know that the release date for 'Ra.One' has been fixed by someone... somewhere. Maybe they can now come and finish it as well."

He added, "Will work backwards in terms of post-production and announce the release date in tandem with office guys. Should be around June."

'Ra.One' is Shah Rukh's home, starring him as well as Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Shahaha Goswami.

Shot in India and the UK, the movie is about the battle between G.One, a superhero made of electricity and Ra.One, who is the evil villain. G.One is short for the Good One, and it is also a short form for Jeevan, which means life in Hindi.

The look of 'Ra.One', including SRK's superhero suit and Arjun Rampal's hairstyle, has been closely guarded. And Shah Rukh had said earlier that the amount of post-production work the movie needed meant it would not release in 2010.

Shahrukh Khan at his modest best

After achieving milestones as a part of film fraternity, such words definitely boast off the modesty in Shahrukh Khan. Yes, SRK recently, was heard to be admiring his biggest contender Aamir Khan. He could not withhold raving about Aamir’s sense of making cinema. However, superstar crossed the boundaries of humility when he desired Aamir to have a look and an opinion over the technology used in Ra. One.

One of the most expensive projects under Red Chillies Production Ra.One has been a matter of concern for Shahrukh who has never ventured into the sci-fi genre of cinema. In fact, he is heard to have come out of his comfort zone and try something new. Perhaps, that’s why he is leaving no stone unturned and doesn’t even feel shy or reluctant to any extent for the film.

However, for a superstar to dump his ego and be flexible for others’ opinion is very rarely seen in Bollywood. So, coming from SRK does come as a surprise but one can expect the unexpected of this Khan for he believes in doing the best at any cost.

Shahrukh Khan ‘Ra.One’ Release Date

‘Ra.One’ is an upcoming Bollywood movie. Shahrukh Khan is the producer for this film, which is produced under Shahrukh Khan’s production company, Red Chillies Entertainment. Shahrukh Khan has announced the released date of this film. According to the latest news, ‘Ra.One’ is scheduled to be release on June 3rd, 2011.

Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal are the main star casts in the film. Anubhav Sinha is the director of this film. The film first phase shooting has started in March 2010 and shot till May 2010 in Mumbai Film City and Goa. Recently, the film has completed its shooting in London.

Salman Khan says that remaining part of the film will be shot in India and it takes another 6 months time to complete its shooting. ‘Ra.One’ is being made with huge budget of Rs.100 crore.