Quiet celebration for King Khan on his 42nd birthday

Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 42nd birthday today. We caught up with the actor for a tête-à-tête on the eve of his birthday and got him to spill the beans on his special day. Over to King Khan.

What's the birthday plan this year?
I won't have a party. We don't normally have a party. On the night before my birthday, some of my friends get together and spend time. On the evening of my birthday, somehow it's very lazy. Some close friends come, we have a quiet dinner.

How do you spend the day?
I spend the day with the kids. I think my daughter (Suhana) must've made a present for me, my son (Aryan) doesn't. Lot of flowers come to my house on my birthday, and that I think, is the blessing. Mahesh Bhatt used to tell me that one of the nicest things about being a star is that you get a lot of flowers. And my house is full of flowers on my birthday. That's the most beautiful sight. It's one of the nicest sights I've seen — it's like the Mughal gardens on my birthday.

Your most special birthday?
You know everybody asks me that — I don't remember a special birthday, to be honest. I've always said this — I'd like the next one to be more memorable, so that people remember me. Birthdays have never become an important day, it comes on and you sort of celebrate because you're meant to. It's become fashionable to have something for your birthday. But I think more than the birthday, what you do with your life is the more important aspect. So hopefully, at the end of my life I would have done some nice thing.

A gift you want most this birthday?
I want good health for my children for their whole lives.

Mid-day.com

Farah gifts the first print of 'Om Shanti Om' to SRK

Farah Khan is obsessed with Shah Rukh Khan and lately with her film Om Shanti Om . She, of course, has reason enough! Today, as Shah Rukh turns another year older, Farah plans to make the day special for him in her own little way. "I'm going to present him the first print of Om Shanti Om . I don't think there is any gift more precious than this."

About what makes her so Shah Rukh crazy, Farah says, "There's not only one thing about Shah Rukh Khan. I like everything about him, except his habit of not answering calls or replying to SMSes. He is a thorough professional. If he says something or makes a promise, he will do it no matter how much it takes to fulfill it. He promised two and a half years ago that he would go topless with six-pack abs someday, and he has done just that at the age of 42, it's commendable. If SRK decides to do something, he does it. He can rule the world."

Only of late, SRK has been applauded for not being himself in films, and actually getting into the skin of the characters he plays. But the die-hard SRK fan opines, "Yes, people say that he repeats himself in every film but I disagree with this. Shah Rukh is a versatile actor. He can be a dramatic hero; his comic time is excellent; he is a good dancer and he is good in action scenes too. I see SRK as a complete hero. My effort is to give him outstanding roles. I wanted SRK to do 'Darde Disco' and see him in a retro look. He'll be seen as a superhero, and in thief and cowboy get ups as well in OSO ."

About her birthday wishes to him? "I wish him well always - every moment of every day. And though a birthday is thought to be a very special day, Shah Rukh is my birthday boy 24 x 7. He's special and always treated specially simply because he is Shah Rukh."

IndiaTimes.com

"I feel I am the most looked after person in the world," - King Khan

Of these 42 years, 18 have been spent maintaining a super successful career in Bollywood.

When he was young, Shah Rukh Khan thought life gets over in the 40s.

But now that he is there, he doesn’t feel it’s any big deal. “I feel more stronger and enthusiastic today. In fact, when I play with my kids’ friends, I don’t use age as a criteria to perform less. I still think I can beat kids half my age at half the things I do, physically I mean. Age has become a number for me now. It doesn’t matter that a few more grey strands have come. I always had grey hair which I have been dyeing for the last five years. I feel I am the most looked after person in the world,” said King Khan who turns 42 today.

Of these 42 years, 18 have been spent maintaining a super successful career in Bollywood.

At this stage in his life, does he feel he has seen and done it all? “I don’t look at age as a reason for making more intelligent and wiser decisions. I don’t think what I did earlier was wrong and what I do now is right. It’s the wrongest notion that older people are smarter and wiser, I feel they are just older. In the film industry, someday I read I am ruling more, some days less, someday a younger star has toppled me. I think I am beyond all this now. But yes, it’s been 18 years and people say I have been the King of Bollywood, and I like it. I am not pompous but I don’t know how it feels not to be successful. For me, there’s always been one way and that is success. So I don’t know how it’s not to be the King of Bollywood. I feel it’s my birthright now,” admitted SRK.

What was his take on Akshay Kumar, whose box office position was being compared to his own? “Akshay is the most viable star in the country now,” admitted Shah Rukh.

“He’s doing more prolific work, giving more hits, he’s not just good looking and focussed, but really hard working too. I am very fond of him. I have known him for years now. Today, the concept of a single star ruling seems to be slowly phasing out. It’s like a league of movie stars, all very secure, happy, singing, dancing. It’s beautiful. Aamir, Salman, Akshay and I, we are all big stars today. It’s like tennis ranking. One Grand Slam, and there you go. But the commercial success of others never makes me feel any lesser or more successful. God isn’t there only to give Shah Rukh Khan everything, in fact he shouldn’t be giving only me.”

Is he upset that Chak De! India did not make it to the Oscars? “I am happy with the Filmfare award. The Oscar is not something that I will cry about. If I get it, good, if not — it’s ok,” said SRK. At 42, he has made six pack abs a trend. Of this, the Bollywood Badshah said, “I know people have been saying that I got it through special effects, surgery, and steroids, but I know how much hard work I put into this. When I was working out, I thought, I can’t have bigger biceps than Salman, a stronger chest than John or even wider shoulders than Hrithik, so I said why not concentrate on my abs. See, I have a very oriental kind of physique, like Bruce Lee, so I guess it’s standing out.”

Afsana Ahmed, TNN

Sim - Raj is back!

‘SimRaj’ is back.

Yes!

It’s our name for Bollywood’s most enduring screen jodi ‘Simran’ and ‘Raj’ who are still stealing hearts in the industry’s longest running film ever — Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge .

But actually it’s the great friendship, camaraderie and respect that Kajol and SRK share ‘off screen’ that’s made them one of the all-time great pairings of Indian cinema.

Be it Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai , Aditya Chopra’s DDLJ , Abbas-Mustan’s Baazigar or even a five-second ‘walk-on’ part by Kajol, grooving with SRK to the Aaja Mahive track in Kal Ho Naa Ho — it’s always brought the house down.

Their chemistry is not just sizzling, it’s explosive. And the fans just can’t have enough. Kajol and King Khan will be sparking their oh-so-gifted chemistry in combustive fashion — not just once, but twice over.

The first bit will be like a ‘teaser’ almost, with Kajol making a ‘special appearance’ in SRK’s film. Of course, she will return to full-length screen-form opposite him after six years in Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan , set in post 9/11 USA.

So while K-Jo has always proudly claimed, “Kajol is my lucky mascot,” it seems like the good friend is more than happy to share the abundance of good fortune this jodi brings.

Madhureeta Mukherjee, TimesOfIndia

Shah Rukh Khan : The Roger Federer of Indian cinema

A man respected by his foes and fans alike. There are no traces of envy even among those who grudge his greatness, as there are very few like Shah Rukh. Probably, it is in the very name - Shah, after all, stands for royalty.

It will be cruel to compare any contemporary young Indian star with Shah Rukh. Even the most exceptional of them seem to be lacking one dimension or the other when it comes to the sheer mass appeal of this man. It is not just luck, or talent, but it is the harnessing of that very talent which separates him from the other equally talented. Shah Rukh is not the best of dancer, fighter, or lover boy - but he teases the audiences the way no body else does.

Perhaps the closest a person comes to resembling Shah Rukh’s persona is someone from altogether the other side of the fence. Who else but tennis champion Roger Federer! Both are incomparable geniuses, the quintessential champions of their art, always striving to improve. They have tremendous sense of history too, a must to become part of it. There are at least four similarities between the two, as they continuously strive to redefine greatness.

Loyalty:
Both superstars are famed for their family values. They have never allowed any scandal to tarnish their good husband/companion image. Shah Rukh’s loyalty to his wife Gauri compares well with how Federer vibes with his girlfriend Mirka. Even when they have the world at their mercy, they do not change their girlfriends by the night, upholding the value of loyalty.

The scene in Chak De India, in which Kabir Khan ‘Zips it back on’ and stuns a claimant for captaincy, is a reflection of his real life image. Whether cultivated or otherwise, it has been a great success. How he wooed his girlfriend and won over her, is the stuff dreams are made of.

Quest to be the greatest:
For Federer, it is 14 Grand Slams of Pete Sampras, and for Shah Rukh, it is the iconic, everlasting image of Amitabh Bachchan, or Dilip Kumar. Both are not satisfied for being the very best of their times. They want to be the very best of all times.

That burning ambition ensures that Federer slugs it day-in-and-day-out (from February to May) at the slow clay courts of Europe in his quest to win the French Open, and Shah Rukh experiments with Dilip Kumar’s and Amitabh’s bockbusters to test if he has reached the same league or not.

The new Devdas, latest Don, and Shah Rukh’s fresh identity in Kaun Banega Crorepati is an imitation, which is certainly not meant to be flattery. It is more of testing of his mettle in Cinematic and TV classics.

International image:
Federer-Nadal Rivalry has Indians glued to their TVs, while Spanish actress Penelope Cruz will be too glad to work with Shah Rukh. The international appeal of these two personalities transcends all borders, nationalities. In Federer’s case, one may credit it to the image of tennis, in case of Shah Rukh, it could be NRIs. But you always need two to tango - a personality and a product.

Making friends with claimants for greatness: Bjorn Borg applauding Federer as he equalled his Wimbledon record of five consecutive titles, and Amitabh Bachchan often acknowledging that Shah Rukh Khan is today’s best, proves that both the champions of their trade are good at placating their rivals, and get their unwavering praise.

Amitabh may not be in the title song of Om Shanti Om, but he is very much part of a movie that might redefine six pack Shah Rukh for the future. Of course, at times there will be bad vibes. After all, even Borg too looked to be silently praying for Nadal to convert his breakpoints in the decisive final set at Wimbledon 2007! Both Federer and Shah Rukh will always have the respect of the past greats, even as they go on demolishing their achievements.

By the time these two retire, they will have achived the greatness which will take quite some effort to equal. But what other standard you expect the two to set. When Shah Rukh cuts the cake two days from now, it won’t be a bad idea for Federer to become a surprise, uninvited guest. A guest whose presence will be most cherished by a man who lives by the same sets of values and ambitions.

Ibnlive.com

Birthday Blessings for Shah Rukh

Team SRK at VluvShahrukh wishes you the best birthday...Ever...

God gave a gift to the world
when you were born
a person who loves, who cares,
who sees a person’s need and fills it,
who encourages and lifts people up,
who spends energy on others
rather than himself,
someone who touches each life he enters,
and makes a difference in the world,
because ripples of kindness flow outward
as each person you have touched,
touches others.
Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,
because you are a special treasure
for all that you’ve done.
May the love you have shown to others
return to you, multiplied.
We wish you the happiest of birthdays,
and many, many,many more,
so that others have time to appreciate you
as much as we do.

Love you...

Always & Forever

Watch the Indian Junta wish their most loved SRK, here: Click Here

Shahrukh Khan As He Turns 42 Today!

You're turning a year older. What's your plan for the day?
I don't plan much on my birthdays. We are quite an underplayed family. We like to stay at home. We like calling close friends over and then head out to a restaurant. I don't like going out that often. But on my birthday, I'm forced to go out. What I look forward to, are presents from my friends. But my friends can be very cheap; sometimes they don't give me good presents. However, most of the time Karan (Johar) and Adi (Aditya Chopra) get good presents for me. I hope they bring some nice electronic gifts.

What gifts did you get last year?
Karan got me a computer. A friend of mine gave me a Louis Vuitton bag. Let me tell you, I have a fetish for bags, especially handbags. Adi gave me camera. I got some really nice pens - Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) had given me a beautiful pen. He has asked me to use it on Kaun Banega Crorepati. I will use it when I film for it next year.

Do you write with those pens?
I write a bit but not with those pens, as they are nice and expensive ink pens. I like keeping good pens and whenever I need to make notes, I use them.

Do you practise any rituals on your birthday?
I do pray to my parents for their goodness and their blessings. I think of my parents pictures and then go on my rooftop to say a little prayer. I believe that they are these two stars in the sky. I thank them for having given birth to me. I pray for my family - my sister, my wife, my children and my friends.

How were your birthdays when you were a kid?
Now that you ask, I don't remember throwing any birthday parties. We were not rich enough to waste money on parties. But I remember my father giving me some of his old things. I think he couldn't afford to buy me new things. On my 12th birthday, he gave me his Olivetti typewriter. I was too young to learn typing, but I used it very carefully. On another birthday, he gave me his Grundig gramophone, which I could never run.

Have you preserved those gifts?
I wish I had. When I was moving out of Delhi, I had to leave in a hurry. The only thing that I could bring back with me is a Videocon TV that my mother gave me. I have my TV somewhere. Every once in a while, I think: Where is that typewriter and where is that gramophone? Every few months, I feel that I should go back and find them.

What are the craziest gifts you have received so far?
Last year on my birthday, I went to a party hosted by my friends. They gave me 41 gifts. There were a few crazy ones, too -- Badshah lal mirchi powder, and strange stuffed toys, etc.

What does your wife give you?
My wife is very cheap. She doesn't give me anything. She says that she has given me the kids.

What about your kids, Suhana and Aryan?
My daughter is very sweet. She picks up tid-bits from the house and wraps them up neatly. She writes a beautiful card, saying ;˜I love you papa. Happy birthday! She will paint something that I always put up in my office. My son doesn't gift me anything. He just comes up and says;˜Happy birthday, papa.My son forgets. I sympathise with the girls who complain that their boyfriends don't get them any gifts. I wonder what it will be like on my son's wedding anniversary.

Do you feel that you are 42?
Physically, mentally and emotionally, I feel I'm still 26 years old - that's when I had come to Mumbai. I still feel I have to work hard. I feel the same enjoyment that I did when I gave my first shot.

Do you get annoyed when people call you uncle?
Actually, my kids friends call me Shah Rukh Khan. Not too many people call me uncle but they will soon,I'm sure. Sometimes I'm taken aback when the kids call me by my name during our soccer sessions.

They usually say,Shah Rukh can you pass the ball. We need to practise. I wish they would call me uncle. My daughter feels awkward when her friends call me SRK.

SRK's wishlist

- I want to make 10 beautiful films. I have no idea what they are going to be like
- I would like my son and daughter to beat me at all sports
- I will like them to be more educated than I am. I want them to have more knowledge than I do
- Make a beautiful film studio. I'm yet to acquire land for it
- Make a trust and a hospital
- Make public utilities and amenities for women all around the country

These are just good thoughts. I hope they come true.

Mumbai Mirror

SRK is hit with his six pack

And it won't be long before his pictures from his forthcoming movie Om Shanti Om adorn the gyms perhaps replacing the current pictures of Pocket Hercules, Salman Khan or perhaps the non-smoker John Abraham.

The man who came chasing his love Gauri Chibba to Mumbai, also pursued his celluloid obsession to the city of dreams and reached the top with a singular mission of doing so.

From wielding a hockey stick during his college days to doing so in the recent Chak De India , King Khan as he is popularly known, has oscillated between the out and out entertainers to message-oriented movies in recent times.

His last release also is knocking on the doors of a national award for the actor even as the title song of the film has gone on to be a sporting anthem.

Cut to Circa 1985. The actor wasn't the quintessential goodlooker or didn't have a father making movies to launch him.

The actor considered a go-getter right from the days of his theatre days, got along with a bunch of friends right from television days. Incidentally, his first television serial Fauji was directed by a gentleman called Colonel Raj Kapoor.

Khan, who landed sharp for a 6 am audition, was strong enough to survive a strenuous backpack run and a punching exercise — enough to get the role of Abhimanyu Rai, and the hero Vikram Rai's brother in the series. But SRK and the camera fell in love with each other and Abhimanyu Rai's character soon transmuted into the lead role.

Khan hasn't looked back since then with hits like Deewana, Darr, Baazigar, Karan Arjun and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge placing him right up there among the greats.

In the early 90s, SRK rose to power with Darr , Baazigar and Anjaam as the second angry young man after Amitabh Bachchan when the nation was tormented by communal turbulence.

He then added fresh doses of love to his huge youth following and in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge taught them ideals by refusing to run away with his lover till her family approved of their relationship — much like his real life ballad.

Darr and DDLJ got him to be a regular with the Chopras, and filmmaker Karan Johar says that he cannot imagine a script without Shah Rukh. Almost every filmmaker worth his salt has a script ready to cast Shah Rukh in.

Gutsy enough to pick on a negative role in Darr when many including Aamir Khan preferred to opt out, Shah Rukh has moved from strength to strength doing cinema that is populist as well as experimental. Films like Maya Memsaab, Asoka, Paheli or serials like Mani Kaul's The Idiot and In Which Annie Gives It To Those Ones with Arundhati Roy prove his passion to be a part of good cinema as well.

Box office juggernauts like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Veer Zaara , have only consolidated his status as the biggest entertainer of the new millennium.

Fans of Shah Rukh Khan who loved the character of Mohan Bhargav in Swades modelled on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had just finished nominating him as the youth icon for a popular music channel.

Khan was also gutsy enough to take on the role of Emperor Ashoka in Santosh Sivan's Asoka which he even produced and tried to take it to the Oscars but lost out to a good enough candidate, Lagaan .

Beneath the veneer humour that the Khan exudes at times is a stylish and elegant man who loves dressing up, a man who loves success and has enough ability to back the desire.

How else can one explain the several endorsements that the man has been able to do with élan and remain at the top of the cinemabiz for a decade now?

Answers, anyone?

S Ramachandran, TNN

Living life Khan-size!

At 42, he has all the trappings of commercial success that any 35mm superstar can dream of.

Youth icon, the most searched name on Internet search engines, waxed for posterity in Madame Tussaud’s, he has a perfume, an orchid and a watch named after him. His house in Mumbai is an address flashbulb celebs crave for and if advertisers are to be believed he earns Rs 247 per minute!

For someone who reportedly charges between Rs five to seven crore per endorsement and has sold his latest home production Om Shanti Om for a whopping Rs 70-odd crore, brand SRK seems to be overshadowing SRK, the actor. And today he’s at a stage when he confesses that “Fridays no longer unnerve” him.

What makes him such a successful one-man industry by himself? Director and close friend Sajid Khan feels, “Shah Rukh, by far is not only one of the most intelligent people I’ve encountered, but he’s also one of the nicest guys around. It’s difficult to be so successful and nice. He’s one actor who doesn’t put on any act of pretence.”

As far as Brand SRK goes, Sajid says, “He’s not only marketed himself well, but has also connected with people well. He has this superb way of doing things which makes everyone happy at the end of the day.”

Ad guru Santosh Desai says, “The transition-from someone who started with a TV serial Fauji and has seen tremendous success in cinema, has been like an unbroken journey forward. He has fully developed his potential as a brand and has this charismatic quality about him. And this charisma comes through the person he is as none of his physical attributes account for his popularity unlike Amitabh Bachchan.”

Even a two-minute commercial doesn’t seem predictable, thanks to SRK’s inimitable style and attitude. Trade analyst Komal Nahta says, “Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest brands in the country because finally, it is all about money and his movies are fetching money. He is over 40 years and looks much younger than his age. Actors much older than him are working so I feel that a brand like SRK will continue to be strong. The masses have proved it.”

Author Anupama Chopra who has written a book on Shah Rukh Khan says, “Obviously, an actor like SRK is one of the strongest brands and he has proved that with Chak De India!

A brand needs reinventing, which he has continuously done with Swades, Paheli and many other films. Besides, Shah Rukh is too sharp and talented to be caught in the trap of being repeated in his films. So, globally I feel SRK is one of the most important brands the country has.”

What adds to Shah Rukh’s brand equity is his popularity among the Indian diaspora. The overseas rights of his films garner the highest price, placing him among the top of the heap in Bollywood. While Hollywood isn’t an option (he’s been quoted as saying, ‘I’m not talented enough for Hollywood’), there’s plenty of action in India, with Farhan Akhtar’s Don 2 and Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan .

And on a personal level, once the grease paint is off, SRK is looking at a “studio somewhere in Mumbai”, “playing soccer with my son” and “a few more hours to the day”.

A toast to the Khan-tastic actor’s dreamz unlimited.

Tanvi Trivedi, TNN

SRK is an extremely generous actor : Shreyas

Infact, he got an opportunity to know first hand the 'Badshah of Bollywood' and share screen space with him in 'Om Shanti Om' is a heady feeling.

''I have been a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan. In this sense, I feel I am extremely fortunate to have got a chance so early in my film career to work alongside him,'' Shreyas said on the eve of release of 'Om Shanti Om' next week.

''Working with Shah Rukh Khan was an exciting feeling more so since he brings to the film and his scenes a lot of improvisations in order to improve the film, which makes him the remarkable actor and performer that he is,'' Shreyas said.

''Shah Rukh's ability to improvise on the sets perhaps comes from the fact that he hails from a theatre background. Being from a theatre background myself, I know that this habit to improvise comes naturally for those hailing from the world of theatre,'' Shreyas said.

Talking about his experiences of working with the 'King Khan' during the shooting of 'Om Shanti Om', Shreyas says, ''While on the sets, Shah Rukh often makes his contribution to the role something that I am also used to doing being from the theatre background. So, during the shooting for 'Om Shanti Om', we hit it off instantly."

''I fondly recall that both of us together used to lend little improvisations to our characters in terms of their hand movement and gestures. All this made working with Shah Rukh a really exciting experience.''

Shreyas said working with Shah Rukh never made him feel he was working with a superstar.

''Working with Shah Rukh never makes one feel one is working with a superstar. Apart from being a brilliant actor, Shah Rukh is an extremely good human being which is why I feel he is in the position he is today. In this sense, getting to know him from close quarters has made me like him all the more,'' Shreyas said.

''What is remarkable about Shah Rukh is that as a co-star he is an extremely generous actor. He has no qualms of giving two extra lines to an actor appearing in the same frame as him. This is something that one does not see in the industry where actors are hungry for more dialogues. And here is one actor who is overeager to give his lines to a co-actor,'' Shreyas said.

Featuring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead along with model-turned actor Deepika Padukone, 'Om Shanti Om' is scheduled for release worldwide on November 9.

UNI/dnaindia.com