SRK is throwing a lavish Holi bash for close friends

All roads will lead to Shah Rukh Khan's Bandra bungalow on Saturday morning. Stars from tinsel town will descend on the terrace of Mannat and soak themselves in colours, literally. SRK is known to throw lavish bashes on festivals and this year on Holi it will not be any different.

Our source close to the actor informs us that apart from welcome drinks the guests will be served bhaang and jalebi along with a variety of Indian sweets that are being ordered in huge quantities. The guests will be treated to lavish spread which is being ordered from a suburban five-star hotel.

Adds our source, “SRK has invited all the top actors from the industry and the celebration is going to be a rather grand affair.” The guest list includes SRK's closest friends from the industry - Rani Mukherji, Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal with Mehr Jessia, Riteish Deshmukh, Farah Khan with hubby Shirish Kunder, Juhi Chawla with Jay Mehta, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan.

While SRK is holidaying in Austria with his family and friend Juhi's family, close friend Bhavna Pandey (Chunkey Pandey's wife) is managing the bash on SRK's behalf. SRK is returning tonight to be there for the Saturday morning bash. Meanwhile, his staff is super busy getting the Holi party organised for 'H' day.

Mumbai Mirror

SRK the 12th 'Knight Rider'

Bollywood super star Shahrukh Khan is going all the way to promote his IPL cricket team, the Calcutta Knight riders, using all his might and wit.

From music videos to live performance, he is pulling out all stops to promote his team. The is that he will himself be joining the team as the Twelfth member. The twelfth member is a reserve, the one who brings drinks between the overs, new bats and gloves for the boys on the pitch etc. Shahrukh Khan thus wants to encourage his team as closely as possible.

Between drinks and half time, Shahrukh Khan also has planned an entertainment extravaganza with his song and dance performances. He has also roped in Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

“SRK has roped in the Moranis and Ganesh Hegde to choreograph and manage his performance. There are going to be a total of nine matches in Eden Gardens in Kolkatta – the home ground of his team – where he will be performing live in the break. They will be erecting a huge stage, which will take up almost one entire section in the stands. And each live act will be spectacular and will see SRK dance along with other Bollywood heroines,” according to sources.

Shahrukh Khan has also roped in big corporate sponsors for each of his acts. The actor has already five sponsors – HDIL, Reebok, Belmonte, The Telegraph and Tag Heuer – and is prepared to take on more sponsorship for each of his acts

Shahrukh’s team has a lot going for it to attract corporates. Music Directors Vishal and Shekhar’s anthem for the team; six ads by Shah Rukh Khan’s company and a team mascot are already in place. All that is left is getting the cricket crazy people of Kolkata into Eden Gardens. Khan hopes he will get by with a little help from his friends. “My fraternity will join up there and cheer the team and support it,” Khan added.

The action starts on April 18 at Bengalooru where the home team will take on Kolkata Knight Riders.

Nashik News Line

Statistics & Opinion indicate that SRK is the ruler of Bollywood

Bollywood ka Badshah kaun (Who is the ruler of Bollywood?)

Screen put the million dollar question to the film fraternity.

A few insights:

BOX-OFFICE EARNINGS OF SHAH RUKH KHAN & AAMIR KHAN'S LAST THREE FILMS

Film Year Total Net Gross Verdict

Om Shanti Om 2007 86,50,00,000 Blockbuster

Chak De! India 2007 63,98,00,000 Blockbuster

Don 2006 51,71,00,000 Hit
_____________________________________________________

Taare Zameen Par 2007 59,87,00,000 Blockbuster

Fanaa 2006 54,90,00,000 Super hit

Rang De Basanti 2006 52,77,00,000 Super hit

Aamir Khan could never have imagined that a casual comment about his colleague Shah Rukh Khan,could spark off such a major debate. Aamir who endorses Samsung, when quizzed at a recent event about the competition he foresees from Shah Rukh Khan who is promoting Nokia said, "Shah Rukh Khan prefers being number two!" This remark said in jest, or seriously quickly made headlines and sent the media scurrying to the other Khan for his comment! And the flamboyant Shah Rukh not the one to let go any taunt without a retort was only too happy to oblige. At the unveiling of the name and logo of his Kolkata Indian Premier League-Knight Riders just a day after Aamir's remark, the question was thrown at Shah Rukh. Starting off lightly with a 'my wife Gauri will beat me if say anything about Aamir' Khan could not help but continue with 'But we are friends and even if he is serious with his comment, I will take it as a compliment! But the question as to who is the number one was left unanswered. Screen spoke to some industry insiders to get their verdict as to who they think rules the box-office!

Mukesh Bhatt (Producer): If you have a look at the last few year's list of blockbusters, most of them are Shah Rukh starrers. Without hesitation Shah Rukh is much bigger than Aamir when it comes to the box-office earnings. If you talk about their talent I would consider both at par, I cannot say who is bigger there.

Sameer Nair (CEO NDTV imagine): I do not know of any survey that has been done to see who is number one, but both actors have the charisma to demand adulation by the audiences and to create records at the box- office. Shah Rukh Khan is more flamboyant and constantly in the news, on the other hand Aamir is not always in the news but when it comes to their films both the actors' films get a great initial.

Ronnie Screwala (Producer): I would not compare the two as each is unique in his own way and both have their own charm. But despite Shah Rukh being an actor who is associated with big-budget films and Aamir with small budget ones, both get a good opening. Both have been in the profession for several years and extremely adept at their craft.

Kunal Kohli (Film director): Aamir and Shah Rukh are not in the same space. Aamir believes in a different form and genre of cinema, which is quite diverse to Shah Rukh's and is quite happy within his space. But coming to who is bigger at the box-office both are huge. If you want to compare their box-office ratings I know that Aamir's solo starrer Fanaa, did more business than Shah Rukh's multi-starrer Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna!

Satish Kaushik (Film director): Going by last year's records I would say Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan and even Akshay Kumar enjoy equal status today, as all three have given blockbusters like Om Shanti Om, Taare Zameen Par and Heyy Babyy. But when it comes to charisma and the box-office Shah Rukh is definitely at the top!

Amodh Mehra (Trade analyst): At present it is Shah Rukh's films which break records. Aamir's films do good business but they are not record breaking, so as to say, and that even would include Lagaan! Shah Rukh is without doubt the number one today. As for their acting abilities both are equal in different ways. Shah Rukh is more of a masses person, while Aamir connects more to the intellectual. When it comes to their endorsements both command the same money, though Aamir is more choosy about what he takes up!

Vikram Bhatt (Filmmaker): Comparing Shah Rukh and Aamir is like comparing apples with oranges! Just like both the fruits are so different, both actors are different in their beliefs and ideas. And if you have a look at their films, say Aamir Khan's Rang De Basanti and Taaren Zameeen Par and Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om, the kind of cinema that they believe in. But their similarity lies in their concentration, focus and hard work and the ability to turn the ordinary into extraordinary! That is why they are the huge successes that they are!

NP Yadav (Trade analyst): As far as the box-office is concerned, Shah Rukh Khan is a big, big brand today, far bigger than Aamir Khan. If Shah Rukh demands 50 crore for a film, any producer would happily give it to him as he can get a neat 70 crore before the release of the film. Shah Rukh's other advantage is that he is a huge brand overseas as well, and that is where Aamir Khan (who is huge in India) loses out. In rating Shah Rukh stands from 1-10, today. When it comes to talent, that is debatable as Aamir is more choosy and inclined towards sensitive cinema and very keen to experiment and take up challenges, while Shah Rukh generally prefers to work with his favourite filmmakers like Karan Johar and Aditi Chopra.

Sudhir Mishra (Filmmaker): Neither of them want to work with me so their ratings at the box-office does not interest me. But being a sensitive filmmaker I appreciate their talent. Both Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are immensely talented. Shah Rukh Khan with his tremendous charisma can bring any film to himself, on the other hand Aamir Khan moulds better and reaches out to the character and the film! I would rate both of them as exceptional actors.

Screen India

Bappi Lahiri will compose three songs for SRK's 'Knight Riders'

Bappi Lahiri, who did an impromptu song titled OK for Om Shanti Om, is now recording three different tunes for Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team. After Vishal Shekhar, Bappi Lahiri is the second composer to contribute to the Knight Riders tunes. Here Bappi da talks about singing for SRK, his inspiration for composing the ‘cricket’ tunes and his secret plan to make SRK sing!

How did you get on this project?
I am a huge SRK fan, and he knows that. In fact, whenever
we’ve met he’s talked about my music and I’ve talked about
his films. So it was really exciting when I got a call from him, asking me to work for his team Knight Riders.

How many tracks are you composing and who will sing them?
I am doing three songs for Shah Rukh. I will be singing one song, Usha Uthup is singing the second and this Bengali band called Bhoomi sings the third. We are planning to do the recording some time next week. I am very excited about working with Ushaji, because we have given several super-hit songs together. Also I am eager to work with Bhoomi because these guys are really good. The songs will be in Hindi with some Bengali words in between.

What kind of inputs did SRK give you?
He’s very sure about the kind of sound he wants and was quite involved. He wanted me to incorporate a powerful rocking sound that sends the message of courage and victory. I am also a huge cricket fan and share the same passion as Shah Rukh. I think Knight Riders is going to be an amazing team.

Any plans to rope in SRK to sing for you?
Of course, I am not going to let him off so easily! We are still discussing the melodies and deciding how the song will shape up. I want to keep a few surprises for the listeners when the song releases.

Mid-Day

P.S. In a recent poll, SRK's fans in Bengal declared him the most popular and loved star in West Bengal and conferred upon him the new nickname... 'Lion Eyes'!

Shah Rukh is the real King

Shah Rukh Khan is not called King Khan for just his acting prowess. The actor is on top when it comes to professionalism as well. It is common to hear of stars throwing tantrums and thereby delaying shoots. So when SRK completed a promo shoot of ‘Panchvi Paas’ in just five hours everyone was pleasantly surprised.

And to add the perfect touch the crew was also treated to some SRK brand of humour. This helped to lighten the atmosphere before the shoot began and the crew was all charged to give their best shot. Insiders say that SRK was very concerned that they work at ease and without any pressure.

"He is so down to earth and cooperative that his humility stuns you. His warm demeanor and energy rubs off on everybody working with him," says the Director (promo), Prashant Issar.

Now we know why he continues to amass fans even after so many years.

Tellychakkar

SRK's new film titled 'Billoo Barber'

SRK will soon start shooting for Priyadarshan's film Billoo Barber. A Red Chillies Entertainment venture, the film also stars Irrfan Khan in the title role.

Billoo Barber is an adaptation of the story of friendship between Krishna and Sudama.

Our well-placed source from Red Chillies Entertainment says, “Billoo Barber is a story based on the relationship between Krishna and his childhood friend Sudama. Priyadarshan is adapting this story of friendship between two friends - one rich and the other a poor villager - in a completely new avatar. Here SRK represents Krishna, he plays an actor. On the other hand Irrfan Khan represents Sudama and plays a village barber. The two are friends from school who grow up and drift until they meet again.”


SRK will be seen romancing three different ladies including Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone. He has already begun shooting with Kareena but is in talks with Deepika and Priyanka.

For the second female lead opposite Irrfan, Priyadarshan is scouting for a powerhouse performer, someone like Smita Patil. According to our source Ameesha Patel and Tabu are being considered for the second lead. Adds the source, “Shah Rukh will take the final decision about the cast.”

The lyrics are written by Gulzar and the screenplay is by Mushtaq Sheikh and Manisha Korde.

Billoo Barbar is Priyadarshan's 75th film and is rather reluctant to let us in with more on the film He says, “It's too early to give out details about Billoo Barber. Red Chillies will make an official announcement at the right time.”

Ashwini Deshmukh, Mumbai Mirror

Leaving on a jet plane

If you're Shah Rukh Khan and you miss your flight, there's always Mukesh Ambani to offer you his private jet.

The world's 14th richest man, Mukesh Ambani's high-powered gathering at the Reliance petro township in Jamnagar had around 250 high-profile corporate personalities like Infosys' Nandan Nilekani, ICICI's K V Kamanth, Bharati Group's Sunil Mittal, M & M's Anand Mahindra, Adi Godrej and Vikram S Mehta and also some Bollywood stars. Among others was Shah Rukh Khan.

SRK reached the Jamnagar bash by 5 pm on Friday, and he left the venue by midnight. He had to reach Mumbai, pick up Gauri, Aryan and Suhana and catch a flight to Austria. But SRK missed his flight to Austria and when Mukesh Ambani got to know of this, he offered his brand new Boeing Business Jet 2 to SRK and family to fly to Austria on a holiday.

Our source, who was present at the Jamnagar meet, says, “When Mukesh Ambani learnt that SRK who had left Jamnagar but missed his flight in Mumbai, he promptly offered Khan his new private jet so that they could carry on with their journey as per schedule. SRK reached Mumbai with Juhi Chawla and her husband, Jay Mehta. Gauri, Aryan and Suhana joined SRK and they left for Austria on Ambani's plane around 3:30 am on Saturday. Boeing Business Jet 2 was at SRK's service.”

Apparently, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Karan Johar apart from Vinod Khanna and son Rahul Khanna were also part of the conclave along with Juhi Chawla and her husband, industrialist Jay Mehta.

Mumbai Mirror

Sonam Kapoor to star opposite Shah Rukh Khan: Exclusive Report

Sonam Kapoor, 22, will star opposite Shah Rukh Khan, 42, in Aditya Chopra's romantic action drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Shah Rukh was paired with then 22-year-old debutante Deepika Padukone in his last film Om Shanti Om.

Unlike in Om Shanti Om, the script for Aditya Chopra's film mandates the massive age difference since it focuses on the love between a 40-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl.

When Yash Raj Films announced their new project they also indicated that the female protagonist in the film would be a 16-year-old newcomer.

Following the announcement the banner launched a massive talent hunt for the right combination of Punjabi looks and histrionic abilities, interviewing hundreds of girls in the process.

However, their efforts drew a blank, reports Mumbai Mirror, prompting Aditya Chopra to settle for a young and talented Punjabi girl that the whole country already knew and raved about - Sonam Kapoor.

Sonam's father Anil Kapoor, himself a talented actor, was receptive to the idea, and several meetings later Sonam was on board.

Production of the film, that will be shot extensively in Greece, Australia and Dubai, will start in June - July for release by the end of 2008.

Sawf News

"Shah Rukh is a friend," says Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh's look in Ravi Chopra's upcoming 'Bhootnath, was revealed last Saturday at Cinemax (Versova) in Bombay.

In 'Bhootnath,' Bachchan plays a cranky grandfather, who later becomes a partner in pranks indulged in by his seven-year-old grandson 'Banku' (Aman Siddiqui). The movie is about a child's innocent love and how it can turn a foe into a friend.
The cast of 'Bhootnath' also includes Juhi Chawla, Satish Shah, Rajpal Yadav and Tejas. Shah Rukh Khan makes a special appearance.

While referring to Shah Rukh Khan, Bachchan denied any 'bad vibes' between them. They have a few scenes together in the movie. "It is a media-created animosity. He is a friend," Bachchan said.

An Indian Films presentation, 'Bhootnath' is scheduled to release on May 9, later this year.

Planet Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan on a holiday with his kids

Shah Rukh Khan has taken a brief break from the hustle and bustle of tinsel town.

The superstar is learnt to be on a short vacation to the snow-capped mountains of Austria with his two kids Aryan and Suhana.

Wife Gauri Khan is reportedly not accompanying the king Khan. Rather, it is good friend Juhi Chawla’s hubby Jai Mehta and his two kids Janhavi and Arjun who are accompanying the Khan trio.

Juhi Chawla is also not giving company to her hubby.

Shah Rukh and Juhi have almost been like family friends for years. The two are also paired together in Ravi Chopra’s film Bhootnath , the first look of which was unveiled on Saturday last week.

SRK is going to be very busy in the coming months with the upcoming IPL tournament, followed by his hectic schedule for Aditya Chopra’s film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in May.

Latest reports from Bollywood suggest that Yashraj Films are looking forward to release the movie in the second week of December this year, during the festive time of 'Eid-Ul-Zuha'.

ApunkaChoice