SRK Unveils Shoppers Stop New Look

'I'd rather watch Paanchvi Paas'

SRK believes the IPL matches won't affect his new show that premieres tomorrow night on Star Plus

On the eve of yet another of his small screen outings, Shah Rukh Khan speaks about his new show, Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai?...

The opening of Paanchvi Pass clashes with the IPL matches. Aren’t you worried about the TRPs being low, since the matches have been huge hits?
No. I don’t want to be pompous but people will watch Shah Rukh Khan. To be honest, I’d rather watch Paanchvi Pass.

Why? What’s so special about it?
It’s an awesome concept. There is no stopping Paanchvi Paas. I never make claims like these. It’s really endearing, witty and sweet. It’s a quiz show of class one to class five. If I sit down with you for two minutes and start playing it, I’m sure you’ll end up playing for at least half an hour. How many legs does a butterfly have? Answer that for Rs 5 lakh. Then I’ll you other simple questions like who started the Gregorian calendar and which is the planet closest to Earth? If I tell you the answers, you’ll say, “Arre, I knew the answer to this yaar.” It’s an amazing show that you can sit with kids and watch.

What aspects of it are you particularly charmed by?
The lifelines. Like we had a phone-a-friend in KBC. I am the school teacher, and in my classroom, there are five kids, whose help the contestants can take. I ask a question and you can use three helplines — just like in KBC. The helpline is: You ask the kids, “Can I cheat from you, please?” We’ve had contestants who are MBBS students, IIM graduates and gold medallists. And then we ask them this class one question. It is so simple and they know the answers but there are no multiple choices so they ask these nine-year-olds, “Milindji, Siddharthji, please maano yaar, ae answer bataoge?” And as the teacher, I say, “Okay, you can cheat now.” The beauty of it is that this cheat can go right or wrong. Kids can give a wrong answer too. Like in KBC, you phone a friend, and he or she doesn’t necessarily know the answer.

Are the kids going to be the same on all the shows?
Yes, these five kids have been signed on for one season you cannot keep training new kids.

Was it a deliberate move to not do KBC anymore, and opt for this show instead?
Yes. You know, both my films fell through Robot and the Rajkumar Hirani film, and I had free time on hand. So I called the channel and said, “Let’s shoot KBC,” as I was under contract to do one more season with them. Then, I saw Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? while in America and I asked them: why don’t we do this instead? And luckily, we found someone in India Airtel who had the rights. So everything fell into place and it just required us to work a little harder for a month before it was all set.

You seem to be enjoying this show more than KBC.
To be very honest, this is more up my alley. I’ve actually exhausted all the quips and jokes I’ve done on KBC. Had this show been done with me first, it would’ve been even more original.

When is your son Aryan coming on the show?
Aryan has just gone to the fifth grade. He’s right for the show but you have to be already in it to come on it. The kids have been chosen from all over India but till the time we selected them, Aryan and his friends used to play with me. I did a lot more rehearsals for this than I did for KBC.

Sarita Tanwar

"SRK has some great rules!” - Priyadarshan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan needs to be applauded — not just for his success in films, or then his new found success on the cricket arena, but for his manners on the sets.

Only recently, the man was shooting in Bandra — never mind the chaos, anticipation and high pressure levels at the IPL, the actor was on the sets giving every take his best shot for Priyadarshan’s Billoo Barber .

Now, we obviously landed up there. And Priyan was all praise for his actor. “He is one actor who doesn’t carry his mobile with him for a shot. It’s a brilliant habit, and no actor that I’ve worked with so far has managed to do that. They are addicted to their cell phones, but SRK has some great rules!” he says.

So, while Karan Johar and Farah Khan may constantly complain about Shah Rukh not replying to SMSes or answering calls, it looks like these diligent spots on the Khan leopard are going to be hard to change.

SRK's cheerleaders get a makeover

Shah Rukh Khan’s cheerleaders will now sport Manish Malhotra’s ensembles; Ganesh Hegde’s outfits have been junked

Designer Manish Malhotra and Gauri Khan (Shah Rukh’s wife) have decided to re-style the cheerleaders of Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders.

Says B-Town’s favourite designer, “I was very unhappy with the gold outfits worn by the cheerleaders earlier during the Bangalore and Kolkata matches.

They have been designed by Ganesh Hegde. Gauri and I were discussing the outfits and we thought that the cheerleaders should look sportier.

Now I am re-designing new outfits for them before the next match.” Kolkatta Knight Riders are playing their next match on April 26, in Chennai, where they play Chennai Superstars.

Manish elaborates, “The outfits worn by the cheerleaders should look cool and racy. Earlier they were wearing gold skirts and tops but I want to design black T-Shirts and shorts in complete black with a gold emblem; that will look trendier.

The gold skirts worn earlier were taken from the music video which Ganesh had conceptualised and directed.”

Manish along with Anahita Shroff Adjania (and Reebok and Velmont) have designed the outfits worn by the Kolkata Knight Riders cricketers. Manish is all praise for Shah Rukh for his visualization and creative inputs.

“Shah Rukh has been involved in the minutest of detailing. He has an eye for details and is very passionate about whatever he does. The maximum credit of the cricketers’ outfits goes to Shah Rukh. The black and gold was his idea as it’s the philosophy of the Knight Riders.”

Manish adds that working costume details with Shah Rukh was exacting, “There were meetings galore; we even showed a storyboard to him. He had sent an email of the story and the emblem.

The fabrics and shoes were in collaboration with Velmont and Reebok. Anahita and I have done the formals — the black and charcoal grey blazers and pants. I had never worked with Belmont and I learnt a lot in the three months that we worked together. I

want to be versatile. The outfits look smart, stylish and glamorous with gold helmets and pads. Cricket just got more glamorous.”

Upala KBR

King Khan goes Missing!

After delivering back-to-back hits at Bangalore and Kolkata by leading from the wings, Shah Rukh Khan is letting his Kolkata Knight Riders fend for themselves.

Against Team Chennai in their match this Saturday at Chennai’s M A Chidambaram Stadium. SRK, who is reckoned to be the lucky mascot for his team, was in the stands orchestrating the Kolkata Knight Riders’ successes against Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and against Team Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

But now, he has to give the Chennai IPL match a miss because he is required in London first for an awards show and then in Paris, where a statue of the Bollywood Badshah will be unveiled at the Grevin Wax Muesum. Incidentally, the only other statue of an Indian at this prestigious museum is that of Mahatma Gandhi.

Of the Parisian honour, Shah Rukh smiled and told BT, "It’s got less to do with me and more with the unfolding of Hindi cinema across the globe. After other parts of the world, Bollywood is now hot in France. It’s simply a sign of progress for our cinema."

And as for missing the Saturday match, he said, "Before the IPL began, I had decided to see only the matches being played in Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. My schedule doesn’t permit me the luxury of all this. And my involvement with the players is before and after the match. I sat with my team the day before and gave them moral support and whatever else was required of me. I will miss them on Saturday and vice versa, but the point is they are the real performers. I am just adding to the hoopla by dancing and cheering."

He does not deny, though, that his presence in the stadium is considered a good omen for the Kolkata Knight Riders. "I have heard lots of flattering stuff about my luck factor. By saying this, it’s taking away the credit from my team. Luck is too frivolous a concept that truly dilutes all the hard work people put in. I have always been doing my job. The rest is all God’s blessings," SRK said.

And as for bringing the glam element to IPL, he said, "Just because my friends and I belong to the entertainment industry and, maybe, we grab a lot more eyeballs than others, it can be said we lend the glam quotient. But honestly, we are here because we love the game like everyone else. I will only be involved in things I am passionately interested in."

Times Of India

Shah Rukh Caught in 'Maya Jaal'

One of the most explosive lovemaking scenes ever shot for a Hindi film is now available at the click of a mouse button. Shah Rukh Khan and Deepa Sahi's steamy lovemaking scene from Maya Memsaab is all over the Internet.

When the film released in 1993, the explicit scenes were censored keeping in mind the viewer’s sensibilities. All that was left were a few scenes which suggested that Lalit (SRK) and Maya (Deepa) had slept together. But the recently released scenes on the Internet have left nothing to one's imagination.

Our well-placed source from the industry informed, "The entire sex sequence which was shot between Shah Rukh Khan and Deepa Sahi in Maya Memsaab is on the Internet. It happened on Friday. It is really inexplicable how the previously censored scene has come out fully uncensored on the Internet. Film mein itna sab kuch nahin tha."

When contacted, Deepa Sahi said that she was not aware that the intimate scenes between her and Shah Rukh Khan that were canned by her director husband Ketan Mehta for Maya Memsaab had leaked out. "I am not aware of this. Nobody has told me about this as yet. I think somebody must have downloaded it from the DVD and put it on the Internet," said Deepa.

However, Deepa Sahi also added that no part of the scene had been censored before the release.

She said, "The Censor Board had objected to the scene but then the Revised Committee reviewed it again and we got it to the theatres without any cuts."

But when we told her that we had seen the film when it released and the video on the Internet was far more explicit, Deepa said, "I don't know. I am not going to go on the Internet to checkout."

Ketan Mehta agreed with Deepa's point and said that it's not possible that the Internet scene has more to it than the film. According to him, there were no censor cuts and no scenes were added later.

So, how did the sex scene come out after 15 years? According to Deepa, she is not aware how the sex scene in question went into circulation. However, she also said that she was not surprised that this had happened. Deepa added, "If the scene is there in the film, it is likely that such a thing will come on the Internet. I don't know why there is so much brouhaha about this. I think India was far more liberal in thinking 50 years ago. We seem to have become more regressive over the years. I remember the Revised Committee saying that the scene was very poetic."

We wondered if Shah Rukh Khan was upset over the leaked scene on the Internet. So, we asked Deepa if SRK has called her. Deepa said, "No. Shah Rukh Khan hasn't called me."

Despite us sending a text message to Shah Rukh Khan, he remained unavailable for comment.

About Maya Memsaab

Maya (Deepa Sahi) believes in dreaming big and fulfilling all her physical as well as emotional desires. One day, her father falls down the stairs and breaks his leg. A young country doctor, Dr Charu Das (Farooque Shaikh) comes to treat him. Love blossoms between Maya and Dr. Das and they get married. Slowly, the boredom of a small town, middleclass existence starts becoming oppressive and Maya finds escape in a series of extramarital affairs. Even her extramarital relationships- first with Thakur Rudra Pratap Singh (Raj Babbar) and then with the nephew of the local pharmacist Lalit (Shah Rukh Khan)- at first platonic, then fiercely passionate, end up on a pathetic note, making her realise that adultery can become as banal as a marriage. Unfortunately, she keeps chasing her self-created mirages until she meets a tragic end- suicide.

Mumbai Mirror

KING KHAN goes economy class

For those who thought Shah Rukh Khan only travels kingsize — this should be news. Yesterday morning, Shah Rukh travelled to Kolkata in the economy class of Jet Airways and not on a chartered flight as he’s wont to do. His team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, took on the Deccan Chargers and SRK had to be in time for the match. As the first class seats were full, SRK did not mind travelling economy class.

Says a co-passenger, “Shah (as he’s fondly called by close friends, including Farah Khan) flew to Kolkata with his entourage. Since the group was large, SRK gave the ladies the first class seats including his own and asked the guys to do the same.

So while Bhavna Pandey (Chunky’s wife), designer Shabina Khan, Divya Kumar (T-Series Bhushan Kumar’s wife), Neelam Kothari, Seema Khan (Sohail’s wife) and a few other friends of SRK and Gauri sat in first class, SRK along with Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh, Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Priyadarshan made themselves comfortable in the economy class.”

The co-passenger observes that unlike other stars who behave arrogantly while flying, Shah Rukh was absolutely normal and fuss-free. “Shah Rukh even ate the food served in the economy class without any objections. The other passengers were thrilled and kept asking Shah for autographs and he kept obliging them.”

Gauri wasn’t part of the entourage. The source adds, “Gauri and the kids (Aryan and Suhana) along with Arjun Rampal, Mehr Jessia, Maheep Kapoor and Nandita Mahtani arrived in a private jet.”

Designer Manish Malhotra who was part of Shah Rukh’s group was spotted with two suitcases full of Kolkata Knight Riders’ black-and-gold outfits.

The source says, “Manish gave the outfits to everyone so they could wear them during the match and cheer SRK and his team. Yesterday, the atmosphere at the Eden Gardens stadium was electric as the two teams played to a packed crowd of over 80,000.

Shah Rukh’s entourage stayed at the ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton and Towers, Salt Lake City.” Shah Rukh returned to Mumbai today morning by HDIL’s chartered plane.

Upala KBR

I believe my victory is God's assurance that I really worked hard: Shah Rukh Khan

After defeating Hyderabad's Deccan Chargers on Sunday at the Eden Gardens, the Kolkata Knight Riders and team owner Shah Rukh Khan was at the peak of their confidence about winning the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"I love winning - whether it's IPL matches or films or a game of carom with my kids or the entire world. I believe my victory is God's assurance that I really worked hard," the superstar said.

"We are the toughest competition for the other seven teams. Why one team at a time-put all the seven teams on one side and see how the Knight Riders battle it out against them," Shah Rukh said on the sidelines of a press conference after Sunday's match.

Does he not get nervous while his Knights are in action?

"Kolkata Knight Riders is my dream personified. I always wanted to be a cricketer. Now it's through my team that I am fulfilling my dream. I am possessive about my team. When my boys are playing I am worried throughout about their comfort. It's like seeing Aryan (son) take part in a race and praying that he wins unhurt."

Did he spend Rs. 2 billion on the team just to fulfil his dream, or has he already started calculating his profits?

"Do I look so intelligent as to count my profit instead of shouting and cheering for my team?" he said with a smile.

"The team is divided into three sections - the cricket part is looked after by my Knights, I look after the entertainment section and my business partner Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta look after the administrative part. The latter will be the right people to comment on the profit."

How was the experience of playing the first match at Eden Gardens?

"It's fantastic. Only Kolkatans can feel the true spirit of cricket. It's their overwhelming support that no tough pitch and power failure could come in the way of the victory of the Knight Riders."

What is beyond the team motto - "Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo" (Do, Fight, Win)?

"The Kolkata Knight Riders are here to teach the world how to believe and win a dream that no one else dares to do. Discipline, dedication and dignity are the three powers that are combined at every stroke of our bat and every throw of our ball," he said.

Times Of India

SRK uncomfortable choosing his heroine

Aditya Chopra has shortlisted three girls for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi — and none of them knows the others exist! What’s even more odd is that lead actor Shah Rukh Khan, too, doesn’t know who his co-star will be.

Shah Rukh says, “I’m only an actor and do not interfere as far as casting is concerned. Adi has told me that they have selected three girls. He wanted me to choose one but I am not comfortable with that. I have left it to Adi.”

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi marks Aditya’s return as a director after eight years.

A source from the production house (Yash Raj) reveals, “The film has to go on the floors by May 15 to be able to make it to the release date (December 12). Adi has finalised three newcomers who have been put up in different hotels.

They arrive at Yash Raj Studios twice a week at different timings and Adi shoots scenes with them. This has been going on for over two weeks and he is expected to take a call by the month-end.”

Amul Sharma, Mid-Day

Man of the match goes to...

When the 22 yards in the middle caused more agony than ecstasy in the first IPL T20 match at Eden Gardens, you could always turn to the right lower tier of the Club House.

There sat all the King’s Men (and Women) — Kolkata Knight Riders ‘Boss’ Shah Rukh Khan’s friends from Mumbai and Delhi — making the first day first show at Eden a thumping blockbuster. Here’s how King Khan’s latest superhit unfolded on the opening night on Sunday…

3.30pm: As all the galleries filled up steadily — “my films always open big” the Shah Rukh guarantee — the first eight rows of the right end of the lower tier of the Club House saw the main cast appearing. And what a cast! Arjun Rampal, Meher Jessia Rampal, Viveik Oberoi, Gauri Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Riteish Deshmukh, Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar all trooped in under heavy security.

Around 10 minutes later, under even stricter security, the Gandhis — Priyanka and Rahul — walked in, shaking hands with the crowds nearby, very much like one of their political rallies. Once seated in the front row, they were not difficult to spot as the only people not in the Knight Riders’ colours of black-and-gold. He wore a black tee and jeans, she a blue salwar kameez.

4.05pm: The King appears in the stands having led his team on the ground. Shaking hands with Rahul, Shah Rukh sits next to him and pats son Aryan who is completely engrossed with the golden helmet in his hand.

As daughter Suhana settles on his lap and Arjun hands him a baseball cap to counter the blazing heat, SRK turns furious as Gilchrist is not given out, having been caught off Ashok Dinda. He had obviously missed the no ball the delivery before!

4.17pm: As the first Deccan Chargers wicket falls, it’s carnival at the Club House with the whole of Team SRK, barring Rahul and Priyanka, on their feet dancing to his chartbusters.

But after a few minutes when Dinda gets rid of Hyderabad captain V.V.S Laxman, the Gandhi scion joins the King’s men, clapping to the anthemic chants of Korbo lorbo jeetbo.

5pm: The musicians join the party — Pritam, with his flowing tresses, Vishal, with not a blade on his head, and the baap of bling, Bappi Lahiri. Symonds may be calling the shots on the ground but it is SRK and his promised dance of Dard-e-disco that’s getting all the cheers.

There are more Shah Rukh posters across the Eden than those of Sourav, clearly showing where the crowd priorities lie. And the best seats in the house are that in Block B, where people are going berserk not at Ishant’s appeals but at the antics around the adjoining Club House.

5.45pm: Interval time but Shah Rukh has left his seat a tad too late, allowing him to only dance to the last couple of lines of Korbo lorbo jeetbo on the stage in Block J.

The crowd doesn’t mind as wife Gauri makes up for him, dancing in her seat. Karan Johar cheers her on. “It’s absolutely outstanding,” KJo tells Metro. “The energy level in the stadium is truly an experience to watch and remember.”

6.36pm: Sourav plays Shah Rukh’s favourite shot — “the one over the keeper’s head”. Despite the tense situation on the field, SRK keeps cheering, from every single to every wide, from Rang de basanti to Mast kalandar. His neighbours on the front row have changed. Adding some local flavour are Rituparna Sengupta and Usha Uthup.

7.05pm: The lights go off, but the crowds need not worry as SRK gives them a taste of his Deewangi deewangi magic — with all his star friends making some noise just like in the film. The 30 minutes just fly away as Hussey re-emerges to finish off the thrilling win for the Knight Riders with a six and a four.

7.45pm: The crowds are leaving as Shah Rukh enters the greens and hugs his all-time fave cricketer Farookh Engineer, the match referee. And just like the closing credits of Om Shanti Om, King Khan has a dream ending up his sleeve. The crowds rush back as SRK does a victory lap around the Eden. Back in the stands, the star had a new fan in Sana Ganguly, carefully preserving the autograph she had got herself a few minutes back.

Pratim.D.Gupta, The Telegraph Calcutta