"I said KkkKiran…Aamir really loves Kkkkiran" - Shahrukh Khan

“My wife has warned me if I say anything about Aamir she'll beat me up. She is an Aamir Khan fan,” said Shahrukh Khan replying to the raging controversial fire fanned by Aamir Khan yesterday by posing a question to SRK as to how does it feel being No. 2 to Aamir? Shahrukh was addressing the media along with his Indian Premiere League team Kolkata Knight Rider's Captain Saurav Ganguly and a few other players like Ishant Sharma, Akash Chopra and Murali Karthik in Mumbai today. Also present at the event was Juhi Chawla, Jai Mehta, Gauri Khan and Sanjay Kapoor.

“Aamir is a dear friend and if he says that I'm second to him then it's a great compliment to him….oops that was a genuine slip of tongue (amidst peals of laughter)…I mean it's a great compliment to me. We are complete opposites. He is an intelligent, intellectual person, I'm more physical. I do things. He thinks them out. I know his jokes, he knows mine. He is 100% No. 1…I just said Kkkk Kiran…he really loves Kkkkk Kiran (Again a round of collective laughter),” King Khan said lightheartedly.

While there were regular cricketing Q&A too but the Aamir-SRK controversy remained one of the big highlights of the press conference. When a poking journo reminded SRK about a statement, “There's Chengez Khan and then there's Shahrukh Khan” made before the release of Don on comparison with Salman (whose film Jaaneman was releasing simultaneously) and is Aamir upset that his name was excluded, SRK said, “There's Aamir, then there's me and then there's Chengez Khan I guess…that keeps changing….I'm proud of having learnt a lot from Aamir. One of my biggest desires in life is to do a film with Aamir and learn a lot from him. We should not belittle the importance of Aamir Khan by comparing with someone like me. He is a standalone, one of the nicest gentleman and actor in the country.”

As for the cricketing activities, King Khan showcased the hip shaking anthem Korbo Lorbo Jeetro Be which has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar, sung by Vishal Dadlani and directed by Ganesh Hegde. Yes, you shall see the OSO superstar showing a few mean dance moves in a novel attempt to glamourise cricket like never before. In an attempt to make cricket more entertaining, there was a live video conferencing with Knight Rider's mascot Hoog Lee, a laidback and fun Bengali tiger. And this is what Hoog Lee had to say:

Boys, girls, ladies and gentlemen
Let me bring you all 'the King's men'

We'll make you choke and lose your wicket
And I'm not just simply talking cricket

To slam a boundary or spin a googly
I'm your man and the name is…..HOOG LEE!

The Creed of Kolkota Knight Riders is tough and aggressive having the hard core competitive streak exemplified by its owner itself. Time to check it out:

We fight for passion. We fight for glory.
We believe no dream is too big to achieve.
We believe in winning in the game of life in spite of all the odds.
We believe losing is not an option.

We are here to conquer.
We are the Knight Riders.
We are the King's Men. We rule!

The ruthless creed also rubs onto a few of the names coined for a few individual players. Well Saurav Ganguly (Captain Courageous) and Ricky Ponting (Master Blaster) are regular names but Chris Gayle (Weapon of Mass Destruction), Ishant Sharma (Speed Merchant), Umar Gul (Toe Crusher) and physiotherapist Andrew Leipus (The 'Shape-up' Doc) are both unorthodox, eye catching and makes you say…hey….when do the games begin…Its April 18th that all of us waiting for. Isn't it!

Let's end on a lighter note. A journalist asked Shahrukh that with IPL all set the hog prime time television, what will happen to children looking forward to their cartoons or ladies desperate to follow up on their saas bahu serials. Wouldn't it cause discord in families? “Videocon ke chaar tv khareed lo…koi jhagde nahin honge….(amidst laughter)….tumhara answer bhi ho gaya aur meri branding bhi ho gayi…(laughs all around once again).”

We shall bring all the action in the video of this event soon. And yes, a big plus will be an exclusive video interview with Shahrukh Khan coming your way tomorrow morning where SRK sings his team's anthem….only on SRKTHEDON Broadband!

By Faridoon Shahryar for Bollywood Hungama

"Shah Rukh Khan prefers being number two," says Aamir Khan

It seems like that the clash of two of the biggest Khans in Bollywood is out in the open with Aamir Khan openly taking a dig at Shah Rukh Khan.

Aamir Khan have always said they're friends. And we've always enjoyed the potshots they take at each other.

Yesterday, the usually restrained Aamir, who endorses Samsung mobile phones, reacted strongly at an event when he was quizzed about the kind of competition he foresees from Shah Rukh, who is promoting Nokia these days. He retorted, "Shah Rukh Khan prefers being number two."

Interestingly, the quick-witted Shah Rukh is known for taking digs at his fellow Khan on various public platforms, including on Koffee With Karan. The last time Shah Rukh appeared on the popular chat show Karan Johar had asked him, "If you wake up one morning and you realise that you've turned into Aamir, you would…." Pat came the reply from SRK: "I would tell the world that Shah Rukh is the better actor."

Industry insiders have been speculating about the professional rivalry the duo have had for the last two decades. For starters, Aamir was offered Darr but the fussy actor begged out of the project paving way for Shah Rukh, who ultimately shot to fame by stuttering K-K-K-Kiran and stalking Juhi Chawla in the film.

However, the Khans have been admirably silent about their differences except for the occasional snide remarks that they have made while flashing smiles.

Aamir Khan has always been disdainful about film awards. His standard line of offence has been: "I don't believe in awards. Let other actors be happy getting awards." Said suitably deliberately, this casts aspersions at the real acting abilities of star award winners. SRK got his own back last year, when he said at an award function, "Aamir Khan only goes for the Oscars."

Aamir couldn't help reacting to this in an interview to a news channel. He said, "I just feel that if I don't value a particular film award, then I won't attend it either. Apart from the National award, I don't see any other award ceremony that I should attend. My personal experience about these award ceremonies is that I don't trust them. I have no faith in them so I prefer to stay away."

But the star war hit a high of sorts when Aamir tried to acquire a nickname a la SRK. He said, "SRK is the Badshah and I'm the King."

I am sure Rakhi will win the item act: Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan was in town to talk about cricket and the Kolkata Knight Riders. We caught up with the Bollywood superstar after the press meet and quizzed him on his first love, Bollywood...

Enough of cricket. Are you aware that Rakhi Sawant has challenged you in the item act?

In an item act? (Laughs) Well Rakhi did her first film with us,'Main Hoon Na'. I have a highest regard for her personality and I wish her all the best. At this stage, I think it would be really strange for Rakhi to challenge me and for me to accept it…I wish her success and am sure she will win the item act.

The sky seems to be the limit. A Shah Rukh Khan wax statue is to be installed in France's Grevin Wax Museum. You are the only Indian after Mahatma Gandhi to have a statue there…

I think it is a great honour. I have already been honoured with the highest civilian honour by the French government. It's an honour for the films I have done. It's the Indian economy and Indian films that are reaching out. I simply happen to be riding on that vehicle — sometimes the package starts looking nice because the content is good. I am lucky.

That's modesty, isn't it?

With all humility I truly believe that it is the essence of India and Indian cinema that is reaching further. I am very glad I was born in this time of acting and have made a kind of an impact. I have been to France for Veer-Zaara and saw how the people who came to watch were not just Indians. This is a really good sign.

Is there is no end to Shah Rukh Khan rediscovering himself?

I was always like this and I am like that. People say I have a great business mind but I say no. Some people say that I am an intelligent person but I say no. I always have great belief when I wake up in the morning. And that's where the energy comes from.

Preity Zinta wants Kolkata and Mohali to play in the IPL finals…

I wish her the best. She is confident that she will reach the finals but I will not make tall claims like that. Honestly, on behalf of my team, I would like to say that we hope to play cricket that everybody cherishes and in that process we reach the finals.

Tell us something about your love for Kolkata…

As a sporting city it is the best. People out here have a passion. The city has a history. When I start talking I end up with Subhash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray.

I am acting with Rani Mukerji, Kajol and Abhijeet and Kumar Sanu are singing for me. So, Bengal is there but we tend to overlook it. When you understand it you realize there is a huge pool of talent somewhere in the water of Hooghly. And this works for me.

When was the first time you watched a cricket match?

I went to watch an India-Pakistan match at Ferozsha Kotla. I have seen some matches in Mumbai and then I watched the T20 finals in South Africa. I had promised my son I would take him to World Cup Soccer but he fell sick in France. Then I took him to the T20 finals.

What drives SRK?

To me, young people are an inspiration. I have reached a stage of comfort now. I am always getting offers to be in some social activity or the other but if there is anything socially relevant I want to do, I want to do it in the field of sports because it makes a lot of difference.

I had problems in childhood, lost my parents but succeeded because of the audience, God's wishes and because I follow certain simple tenets. I want every youngster in the country and around the globe to know that whatever you do you should try and be the best. You want to be an actor be Amitabh Bachchan, you want to be a sportsperson be Roger Federer.

Best Wishes Juhi: Shah Rukh

He wanted to show his support to the actress who was making her singing debut in Bhootnath

Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan have been friends since their Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman days. So it wasn’t surprising when he showed up to support her debut as a singer for Bhootnath, at the surburban studio where she was recording.

Director Vivek Sharma says, “Juhi was quite nervous. It was her first time as a playback singer. We were recording at Vishal-Shekhar’s new studio in Bandra. Shah Rukh was on his way to some ad shoot. As soon as I informed him about Juhi recording the song, he decided to drop in and give his best wishes.”

He further adds, “Unfortunately, he landed up at Vishal Shekhar’s old studio and couldn’t find her. He called me up and realised that he was at the wrong studio. Since Juhi was recording and her cell was off he SMSed me a long message wishing her luck and asked me to read it to her.”

Best wishes

The message says, “I came to Vishal-Shekhar’s studio to wish Juhiben all the best for her singing but I landed up at the wrong studio. Convey my best wishes to her.” Adds Vivek, “Juhi read the message after the recording and cracked up seeing the ‘ben’ tag attached to her name. Since that day, everyone on the sets refers to her as Juhiben.”

Juhi is singing for the little boy who plays her son in the film. The song has two versions a male one sung by Amitabh Bachchan and the female one sung by Juhi Chawla.

Jodi kya banayi!

Khan and Juhi will play an on-screen couple in Bhootnath. Earlier they acted together in Darr, Yes Boss, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Duplicate.

Author: Sonal Chawla | Source: Mid-Day

Shah Rukh's Mannat : A Digital Fortress

Like they say, everything comes at a price. And its a high one if you belong to SRK’s inner circle of friends and family. For those of you who think that what can possibly pose as a problem to the people close to the influential King Khan, here it is..

The actor who is standing at the thrust of producing an international film, has become extremely security-conscious. Not wanting to rely on manned security, especially after one of the security personnel posted at his bungalow was arrested for murder, SRK has opted for a hi-tech security system.

From what we hear, the actor has installed a biometric security scan at his residence. This means that only those guests who have pre-registered their fingerprints stand to have a smooth clearance through the hi-tech security system of Mannat.

And this job has been enthrusted upon the security company. In order to prevent any inconveniency to SRK’s esteemed guests like Karan Johar and Farah Khan, the security company is now constantly chasing them for registering their fingerprints.

So while SRK is having a sound sleep after installing a fool-proof system, it is his pals that are being driven crazy at the moment.

Ruma Malia, Indiatimes Movies

"I am sure that Indian hockey will rock again." Shah Rukh

Shah Rukh Khan, who essayed the role of an impassioned hockey coach in his recent film Chak de India, on Tuesday said the Indian hockey team would rock again putting behind the recent defeat that saw its door shut for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

"In every sport someone has to win and someone has to lose, but the sadness should always be left behind after defeat," he said here at the launch of his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders.

"The recent defeat of Indian hockey team in the qualifying round of the Olympics has caused a huge amount of sadness amongst all Indians and for many non-Indians also, as we all love hockey.

"In any kind of sports, we cannot always win and we can also lose. I am sure that Indian hockey will rock again," Shah Rukh said.

"We should quickly get over the blame game (over the defeat)," he said.

Referring to Australia's defeat against India in the final in the recently concluded triangular cricket series, he said, "Australia is not finished as a cricket team after this loss."

Asked if he would be interested in promoting other sports like hockey and soccer like he is doing for cricket, King Khan said: "Cricket has become a business in India. If I would be able to make profit out of this I will definitely try to do something for the development of other games, including hockey and soccer."

"I have been a soccer player myself. I have done the movie Chak De India to make people aware of hockey and I will try to make a whole platform for sports," he said.

Shah Rukh came to Kolkata on Tuesday to launch his IPL team - Knight Riders.

Sify News

SRK and Nik do not tick

While Nikhil says, ‘Shah Rukh is family’, King Khan brushes off their association as ‘a small thing that my office did’

Shah Rukh Khan and his protégé (self-proclaimed at that!) Nikhil Dwivedi have had a fallout. Certain B-Towners claim it was inevitable with the newcomer going overboard about his close links to SRK.

It is learnt that King Khan has been voicing his displeasure about him openly. SRK is peeved at the manner in which Nikhil flouted his connection to garner mileage. The newcomer, who was once a permanent fixture at Mannat, is no longer a part of the inner circle.

The SRK connection>>>

Nikhil made his debut in E Niwas’ My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves, which proved to be a dud. But more than his film, his links with Shah Rukh Khan became a talking point.

SRK’s Red Chillies Productions was the line producer of My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves and Nikhil declared that King Khan put the project together because of their association dating to Videocon, for which Dwivedi worked; and SRK was brand ambassador.

Among other things>>>

Delusions Of Grandeur: Nikhil Dwivedi
Says an insider, “What put Shah Rukh off was the fact that among the many things Nikhil went around talking about was a fictitious trip with SRK to Ajmer, where a fakir told him that he would be famous!

In reality, the incident happened to SRK and it is mentioned in Mushtaq Shiekh’s book, Still Reading Khan.

Also, SRK is a very humble man and was disappointed with Nikhil’s starry statements in the media. Nikhil also behaved badly with some people close to SRK, making matters worse.”

However Nikhil denies any rift with King Khan, “Shah Rukh is and will always remain family.

This is the first time I have heard about Shah Rukh being upset with me. It is very silly.

I spoke to Shah Rukh this morning. You need to check this out with him,” says Nikhil who will be seen in four films this year.

SRK’s reaction to his fallout with Nikhil>>>>>

Says Shah Rukh Khan, “Oh God! How small can I be? I am hoping to build the greatest studio in the world. I dream of winning the Oscar for my country.

I want my son to be the most educated man in the world. I hope for my daughter the greatest gift of art that God can bestow upon her.

I want to change the lives of at least three people in my lifetime who come in touch with me. Do you think I will be thinking about line producing a film etc?

I didn’t even know my office was doing it for Nikhil. My office takes such decisions on their own because they know I would never question a good deed by them.

These kind of stories make me feel and think small.”

Author: Shaheen Parkar | Source: Mid-Day

Friend indeed!

It's a known fact that Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra are not only professionally close but are also the best of friends.

Karan recently gave a proof of how good a friend he is to SRK and Aditya. Karan didn't think twice before giving away the dates that Shah Rukh had promised him for his upcoming film, Khan to Aditya Chopra who will soon start shooting for his romantic film, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Adtya Chopra had last directed Mohabbatein in 2000.

Karan Johar was ready to start shooting for Khan and had SRK's dates from May onwards.

Karan can't stop recalling his days when he assisted Aditya on the sets of his directorial debut, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Karan had also acted in the Shah Rukh-Kajol blockbuster.

Commenting on readily giving away SRK's dates to Aditya, Karan Johar says, "Adi, Shah Rukh and I are thick friends. I am extremely fond of Adi and very excited about the fact that that he is directing a film after so long. For us, star dates are a minor issue. I am more thrilled about Adi's film than mine. I did it more than happily."

Apparently, Kajol stars opposite SRK in Khan while Aditya has already finalised a 16-year-old female lead for Rab Ne Bana…

Ashwini Deshmukh, Mumbai Mirror

SRK unveils Kolkata team

The Badshah of Bollywood -- Shahrukh Khan -- unveiled his team -- KNIGHT RIDERS -- just before the second round of the Indian Premier League auction on Tuesday (March 11). Shahrukh Khan's team's colour is that of black and gold. Shahrukh Khan said that black being the colour of goddess Kali, who symbolises power, and gold being the mark of voctory. SRK reasoned out gold being the other colour and said, "We can never win silver, We can only lose Gold". The logo of the team was also unveiled and the mascot of a royal bengal tiger was put presented in the event.

The Knight Riders have their team anthem as 'Korbo, Lorbo, Jitbo' which means that the team will do it, fight the battle and eventually emerge as winners. Shahrukh Khan said that the team will perform on the maxim and the idea behind naming the team Kolkata -- Knight Riders -- is the need to attract to the youth of the country.

Shahrukh Khan's Knight Riders' team have their outfit designed by Manish Malhotra. He also added that he will sport the outfit during the matches and help the players with water in the field whenever required. Khan also revealed that a 'Knight Rider' album was on theanvil with several singers and music composers including Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri being involved.

Present at the event was team captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Buchanan. The duo spoke on the occasion and shared their dreams about the team. Sourav said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of this IPL Kolkata team and the captain of the team. It is also going to be a good opportunity to a lot of players including me. A lot of young players who will be a part of the IPL side will get a chance to make a mark for themselves, which will probably help them to go forward in their international careers."

Buchanan said that the Indian Premier League will help Indian cricket overall and provide wonderful opportunities to players in the nation to rub shoulders with international cricketer who have earned a lot of experience in their careers. Sourav Ganguly, John Buchanan, CAB Chief Prasun Mukherjee were presented 'golden' helmets at the event along with four state cricketers -- Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Sourasis Lahiri and Rohan Banerjee.

Photo: TOI | Source: Times Now TV

Buy King Khan!

In one of the biggest online art auctions of Indian contemporary art, 140 works by 55 artists will go under the hammer on March 12 and 13 on the Saffron Art website (www.saffronart.com). According to Minal Vazirani, co-founder and director of Saffron Art, the auction is worth between $ 5-7 million.

The auction house last held a similar sale in September 2007, where 115 works of 43 artists worth $ 3.6 million were showcased. Minal says, “Contemporary Indian art has moved up the global ladder simultaneously as India began to be recognised as an emerging economic power. We have so far tapped only a small portion of the worldwide appetite for such kind of art.”

The works on display, for this particular auction, are by well-known artists including Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, Baiju Parthan and Sudarshan Shetty among others. One of the most interesting aspects of the auction is a photographic montage portraying actor Shah Rukh Khan created by Rashid Rana from Pakistan. SRK’s image is formed out of a collage of faces of common people with visible cracks between each. Rana attempts ‘a shift in perspective from the macro to the micro, the global to the local’.

Some time ago, Rana had said, “Shah Rukh Khan is very popular in Pakistan. His hoardings are put up at many places. In fact, people aspire to visit his house in Lahore.” Minal believes this work, estimated to go under the hammer for Rs 6 lakh, will do well in the auction.

The works that are vying for the top three spots in the auction are Atul Dodiya’s Vansha Vriksha—a watercolor, acrylic and marble dust on paper, estimated to go for Rs 68, 40,000; the second place has a tie between Surendra Nair’s Doctrine of the Forest: An Actor at Play (Cuckoonebulopolis) and Shibu Natesan’s Each One Teach One, both estimated to go for Rs 65,00,000. Subodh Gupta’s untitled work is expected to bag the third position.

Riddhi Doshi, DNA India