Shah Rukh Khan the Super Duper Star In Bollywood

Despite all the fame and money at his feet, Shah Rukh Khan remains the humble person that he was before he became a super star in Bollywood.

Believe it or not, being a superb actor, King Khan also takes interest in sharing his experience and providing valuable tips and help to newcomers. He not only has millions of fans across the globe, but also many grateful pupils in the industry!

Today, there is no aspect of filmmaking that has been left unnoticed or untouched by Shah Rukh. While he is among the best actors that the country has today, King Khan is also a successful producer.

His production company ‘Red Chilli’ has made successful films like ‘Om Shanti Om’ and the special effects unit of his company is the most sought after in the industry today.

What makes Shah Rukh unique is his availability even to the commoners and his keen desire to meet people from all walks of life. Even after achieving superstardom, Shah Rukh has never made himself aloof.

His greatness and dedication as well as passion towards acting are reflected from the fact that some years back he along with Sohail Khan visited the Kishor Namit Kapoor Acting Institute and took classes there for seven days.

During a recent tête-à-tête, actor Atul Mathur revealed to us that he was a disciple of Shah Rukh Khan.

A proud Mathur confessed, “I have been trained by Shah Rukh when he had visited the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute and taught us for a week in 1993. Arbaaz Khan, Sajid Khan, Naseer (Jhonny Walker's son) and Sonali Bendre were studying at the institute at that time and we used to be together.

Since Arbaaz was there Sohail too used to come.”

Elaborating, Mathur said, “Once Sohail brought Shah Rukh to the institute. Already he was a big name after the release of 'Dewaana', but Shah Rukh still took out time from his busy schedule and taught us a lot of exercises.

He also talked about a lot of things, discussed how to deal with the industry people, how to keep one’s confidence alive and not get scared. Shah Rukh briefed us on many other things including how we should act and surprise our audience.”

“When 'Bazzigar' and 'Darr' were released we realized what Shah Rukh meant as well as practiced what he preached. When I told Juhi Chawla about this on the sets of 'Krazzy 4' she was surprised.

Despite being a good friend of Shah Rukh, she never knew that he had trained anyone,” Mathur said, adding, “We learnt a lot from Shah Rukh who openly confessed that though he ‘copied’ many actors, no one could find out it as he did it in his own way.

In fact, Shah Rukh has even told us that he had trained with Barry John. His words were so interesting that I remember them even today. The techniques he taught us even work today."

So, if you though you knew all about the superstar, think again for he is a real ‘chhupa rustam’. Hats off to you, Shah Rukh!

Santabanta

Niwas to direct for SRK

E. Niwas is on cloud nine! The talented director, whose new film MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES will hit the screens next week, seems to have caught the attention of none other than Shah Rukh Khan. Reportedly, King Khan has assigned the directorial reins of his forthcoming film to Niwas.

“That’s true,” Niwas confirms, “He has offered a film to me, which I have gladly accepted. His company Red Chillies will be producing the film, but let me clarify, it wouldn’t be starring him.” What’s he working on? Has any idea germinated in his mind? “Oh yes, I’ve got something in mind, but I’ve yet to work on the screenplay,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the principal cast of MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES is touring various cities to promote the film. They’ve already visited Ahmedabad and will be visiting Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur and Hyderabad in the next few days.

Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM

Shahrukh Khan more popular than Tom Cruise

A year ago, Shahrukh Khan was asked how he felt about a report that 3.2 billion people knew him, while only 2.7 billion across the world knew Tom Cruise. Replying with his trademark humility, Khan pointed out that Cruise still made more money thanks to Hollywood's marketing and pricing power. "So there, we do fall short," he had said.

But, recent indications show that King Khan will have less room to complain in the years to come. Bollywood cash flow has just begun to build up in tandem with its effort to build global scale and reach. And last month, there was an opportunity to guage the current market appeal of both Khan and Cruise. Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep released about the same time as Om Shanti Om (OSO), directed by Farah Khan and starring Shahrukh Khan and debutante Deepika Padukone. Cruise's movie, which had consumed $35 million in production, garnered $10.3 million in 45 markets on its opening weekend. Khan's movie, also his home production, grossed $19 million worldwide in its opening weekend.

But the most thumping show of the rising might of Indian films came Tamil Superstar Rajinikant's Sivaji, which collected between Rs 100-150 crore worldwide — the highest for any Indian film so far. While OSO and Sivaji are just like oases in a desert, they show that Indian movies have it in them to be global offerings.

Bollywood is sure to make a determined bid to narrow its revenue gap with Hollywood, experts say. Advances in digital technology have brought down the cost of prints — a big cost element — by as much as 90%. That has made it easier for Indian film producers to put out many more prints for distribution. So a movie like OSO is today able to release with a simultaneous print run of 1,400, of which 500 are digital.

One reason is the improving economies of scale. Multiplex cinemas are spreading across the nation, even in smaller towns. In fact, multiplex halls average Rs. 150 per movie. "With increased prints come more collections, especially in the Bombay circuit, Central Province and Central India," says Rajesh Mishra, chief operating officer, UFO Moviez, which has installed digital outfits in 903 cinemas across 23 states. Digital distribution has raised revenue per film. If the last year's big ticket films were sold in the range of Rs 4-6 crore to distributors for Bombay, the territory with the highest earnings, the tag has gone up to Rs 11 crore this year. This can only increase considering industry estimates that the reach of multiplexes is going to increase from 400 to 2,000 by 2011.

The spread of Internet and mobile phone usage, coupled with the Indians' everlasting passion for music, will ensure new media revenues grow for Bollywood. Digital music revenue is expected to touch Rs 3,601 crore by 2009, compared with Rs 450 crore in 2005, according to a PwC study. More and more firms are tapping this potential. For instance, Eros Entertainment derived 11% of its April-September total revenue from new-media opportunities.

(Edited)
Nandini Raghavendra, TNN

It is Shah Rukh, of course!

Who is the star of Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar? Many found this question to be very dumb –“It is Shah Rukh, of course!’’ they said.

There was online voting done and Sharukh did win the poll. This was not uprising as it was something expected.

Shah Rukh Khan did win the poll and that didn’t surprise us. What did was the large number of readers who voted for Akshay Kumar too! Looks like he is next on the league.

The main reason Sharukh was voted was because of his versatility which spans across genres such as romance, drama, comedy and action - not unlike Amitabh Bachchan who ruled Bollywood in the 70s and 80s.

Srk in Goa for New Year

Major Bollywood players and telly actors have chosen Goa over other exotic locales, this holiday season.

It's that time of the year again when the otherwise buzzing film studios come to a grinding halt. Most of our Bolly janta has worked round-the-year, earned their fair share of moolah, fame, bouquets, brickbats (too) and are now heading out for a holiday. This year the popular destination is unarguably Goa. It's probably Bollywood's very own festival that has just kick-started, as the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and soap queen Ekta Kapoor have already landed with their entourage.

So, what makes Goa the fave party destination? Karan Johar, who left for Goa on Saturday morning, says, “I'm heading to Goa as most of my close friends are going to be there. Shah Rukh and his family are already there. Actually, most places seem to be fun when you have friends with you.” He further adds, “I definitely like the energy of the place and you can do your own thing.”

Talking about activities, Karan and good friend Shah Rukh Khan will not be venturing out that often. SRK is a complete homebody and prefers to stay indoors and spend time with friends over food and board games. A source close to Khan says, “Shah Rukh has board games for all occasions. He has packed a few for our stay at Goa.” Other actors who're holidaying in Goa include Arjun Rampal, wife Mehr Jessia with daughters Mahikaa and Myra, and Jackie Shroff.

Ekta Kapoor, who usually heads to Thailand, has also taken her bunch of fave actors - Prachi Desai, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Suvarna Jha, Preeti Amin, Naman Shaw from the Balaji stable along. She says, “Yes, I'm in Goa for my holidays.” Prachi Desai, who has taken a break post Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, adds: “Goa is always funs. A few of my Balaji friends and even Ekta is here. We all met over dinner last night.”

Even a few couples who participated in the recently-concluded Nach Baliye 3 have parked themselves at secluded and not-so-popular beaches there. Pooja Bedi, who is with her children Aalia and Omar, says, “I love the tranquil beaches and I can stroll around in my bikini without any one clicking away.” She adds, “Kavita Kaushik and Karan Grover are joining us today.”

MumbaiMirror

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Shah Rukh Khan

The man of the millennium has finally finished second best in a poll, but only just. Shah Rukh Khan won the voting for entertainer of the year with 29%, just one percentage point ahead of the Big B's 28%. Akshay Kumar, who has had a string of hits in 2007, was a distant third with 14%.

Shah Rukh led in Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata and Amitabh in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune. Rajinikanth not surprisingly was the clear favourite in Chennai with 40% of the votes.

What clinched the race for the top slot in favour of Shah Rukh was the fact that he had impressive leads in big cities Delhi and Bangalore, while Amitabh led very narrowly in Mumbai and the other cities where he topped were relatively small.

Vidya Balan, who like Akshay has had more than one hit this year, was the top female entertainer and fifth in the overall list behind Rajinikanth. Her 6% was just a touch more than Katrina Kaif's 5%.

TNN

Anthony Gonsalves - Shahrukh Khan's story ?

By now film followers are aware that MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES has Shahrukh Khan's 'Red Chillies Entertainment' as the Line Producers of the film.

However, by looking at the promos, one senses a special reason for Shahrukh to be a part of this project. That's because if one looks closely, the character of the film's lead protagonist Anthony Gonsalves (played by Nikhil Dwivedi) appears to be modeled on Shahrukh Khan from his early days.

Not just this, even the look, mannerisms and profile of Dwivedi have an uncanny resemblance to that of Shahrukh Khan. In the film, Nikhil plays the role of a young man who has dreams of becoming a superstar but is ridiculed by everyone due to his average looks, medium height and built. His dancing skills are questioned too and there are doubts if he was good enough to even play a hero's friend, let alone a hero.

Now if one gets into a comparison mode, even Shahrukh had similar traits in early stages of his career and it was only after a considerable stint in theater, TV serials and small roles in a couple of offbeat films that he got noticed.

Presented by Sahara One Motion Pictures, the film stars Amrita Rao as the leading lady along with Mithun Chakraborty, Mukesh Tiwari, Anupam Kher, Pawan Malhotra and Saurabh Shukla. Directed by E Niwas, the film would be releasing on 11th January.

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

Dance with SRK

They say the sky is the limit for everything...and Bindass, a UTV venture, which is India's first local 360-degree entertainment youth brand, brings you a Two hour live and entertaining Airtel Bindass India Concert with Shahrukh Khan and other Bollywood stars. The Airtel Bindass India Concert will take place live on 13 January 2008 at the MMRDA grounds, Mumbai and will be telecasted on 26 Jan in a most super, Bindass manner only on BINDASS.

Joining the Badshah of Bollywood will be other top artistes like Boman Irani, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Dino Morea, Rakhi Sawant, Kunal Ganjawala, Ganesh Hegde, Niti Mohan and Mauli Dave. Bindass very own comical Hass Ley India duo Mantra & Anirudh will also be performing at the concert.

'All Indian's are huge fans of Shahrukh Khan, so we are delighted to have him and other Bollywood stars performing at Bindass India Concert' Says Sita Laxmi Narayan Swami - Senior VP Marketing Bindass.

An event by Cineyug, Bindass gives five Indians once in a lifetime opportunity to dance with King Khan. So all you SRK fans across the country who ever dreamt of sharing the stage with the Badshah of Bollywood this is the chance to make your dreams come true.

Mohomed Morani from Cineyug says, "Cineyug is delighted to be working with UTV on Bindass India Concert which is a complete fun filled event with lots of masti, am sure all the people watching it live and on television shall enjoy the concert"

Bindass brings for its viewers - Dance with SRK contest beginning December 28, 2007. For all further information on SRK contest do is keep-watching BINDASS... Moreover, win a chance to dance live with the superstar. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready....

Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz

Om Shanti Om complete 50 days

While OM SHANTI OM has already achieved the BLOCKBUSTER status at the box office, it would also be completing a super successful 50 days run at theaters across the country today.

The film has already crossed 85 crores mark at the box office and looks set to add on some more moolah to it's overall collections in weeks to follow. In the meantime, work is already on in full swing to get the DVDs of the film out on stands in international and national market.

If initial indications are anything to go by, the film's DVDs too are supposed to be extraordinary with ton loads of special features being added to give that extra edge into home entertainment media.

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

SRK for Force India

With Shah Rukh Khan lending his presence to their multimedia campaign, Force India is all set to announce its arrival in India, part-owner of the Formula One team Vijay Mallya said on Tuesday.

Force India, the first ever Formula One outfit owned by an Indian, will soon unleash a massive multimedia campaign in the country and Mallya said Shah Rukh was enthused by the idea of associating himself with the team.

"The whole idea was to spread the word that an Indian team has arrived on the Formula One grid and we wanted to evoke a sense of pride among the Indians," Mallya told PTI from Malaysia.

"I went to Shah Rukh seeking a goodwill message and he was at once ready for it. He said 'I'm a proud Indian and I would love to do it for an Indian F1 team.'"

Thanking the actor for agreeing to lend his name to the campaign, Mallya said, "It was very spontaneous on his part and that shows how much excited he is about it. And he did it for free."

Mallya, a motorsport enthusiast for long, became the first Indian owner of an F1 team when he joined hands with the Mol family and bought Spyker for euro 88 million in October.

Mallya insisted on rechristening the team with the country's name in it and International Motorsports Association (FIA) approved the changing the name of the outfit to Force India.

The Hindu