Shah Rukh brings ’sunshine’ and Bollywood dreams to Rotterdam

Rotterdam, June 22 (IANS) Screaming fans from across Europe showered flowers, notes and trinkets as Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan performed at Ahoy, Rotterdam’s large cultural and sports complex, to launch the world premiere of Temptations Reloaded, a live song and dance show that saw a number of Indian stars descend on the city Saturday night. Shah Rukh performed on stage with Bollywood favourites like Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor in an auditorium with a capacity of 25,000 before a mixed audience of Asians and Europeans.

In between the two-and-half-hour long show, Shah Rukh and Arjun Rampal drove through the aisles of the auditorium in light vehicles and the venue echoed with the adoring screams of fans, some of whom showered them with trinkets, flowers and notes.

Some European fans were dressed in Indian clothes and referred to the Bollywood superstar as the ‘Saudagar of Sunshine’. And Dutch fans preferred to watch Shah Rukh instead of the Euro 2008 football champion semi-finals between Holland and Russia played around the same time.

In a continent starved of warmth for most parts of the year, King Khan is called ’sunshine’ by his fans here.

Ignoring weather forecasts that had predicted clouds and rainfall, fans travelled from all over Europe to witness the live performance.

With stars in their eyes, cine buffs arrived here under clear blue skies to watch the midsummer night performance and to sigh that the mere presence of Shah Rukh Khan makes clouds part.

“Shah Rukh Khan is our sunshine! When he is close to us, the worst day becomes bright. He fills my life with light and warmth,” an Indian female fan said rubbishing weather forecasts.

“Bollywood makes you happy” is the slogan for marketing popular Indian cinema in Europe, suggestive of the fact that Hindi movies create a state of emotional well-being that goes far beyond mere entertainment.

This is the reason for a dramatic increase in Bollywood fan communities on this continent whose activities revolve mostly around Shah Rukh Khan and his work.

“Bollywood makes European audiences happy because the films are like life seen in dreams,” Ségoléne Roudot, a French fan who is researching fans of Indian cinema in France, told IANS.

Colours, costumes, music, dance and Shah Rukh’s charismatic screen presence have brought much joy into many lives here.

An online Swiss fan forum has a special web page filled with thank you notes to Shah Rukh for coming to Europe. The notes thank the superstar for the colour that he brings into lives and for being the light for fans in the dark.

“Such feelings become stronger at the possibility of a meeting with Shah Rukh Khan. The desire is to touch him in an attempt to experience some more of the joy and happiness that he radiates,” Elke Mader, a professor of Vienna University who monitors the behaviour of non-South Asian fans of Shah Rukh Khan for Bollyglobal, a research project, told IANS.

Mader gives the example of Christina Zück, a Berlin-based artist who has publicly confessed that her life was magically transformed after she touched Shah Rukh at the Berlin Film Fesival of “Om Shanti Om” earlier this year.

“The experience of fans like Christina goes beyond admiring Shah Rukh Khan as a movie star. Shah Rukh is seen much more than just an entertainer here. He is happiness and love personified. Fans want to touch him and to talk to him because he is able to transfer a lot of joy to those who are lucky enough to cross his path,” Mader said

Hosted by Netherland’s Sekier Entertainment Service, the next European stop of Temptations Reloaded, a sequel to the ‘Temptations’ tour Shah Rukh started in 2004, is Berlin.

Founded in 1999 by Ishaq Sekier, a Dutchman originally from an Indian family from Surinam, with an evening of songs by Manna Dey, the entertainment service has since sponsored Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, Shreya Ghosal, Kavita Krishnamurti, KK and Jagjit Singh here.

“We would like to see Bollywood activities increase around continental Europe,” Monique Dabloe, a Sekier staff member, told IANS.

SRK cuts short his family holiday

Shah Rukh Khan visits London very frequentlyand usually for 40 days with his family, but had to squeeze his summer break down to just a week in London this year. He loves London and once he has been quoted as saying: I love London as I feel at home there. People say English people are very cold and not friendly but I find them amazingly warm.

But Khan like always is making sure it’s only about friends and family this year too. Catching up for dinners and spending the day with kids is what’s keeping Bollywood’s busiest actor occupied at the moment.

“Gauri and the kids had left for London before SRK joined them. The first two days went for some business he had pending. A couple of business meetings but now its all about Aryan and Suhana… SRK has been taking them around London and places close by.”

“Aryan is very fond of sports and so they have been tuning into the Euro Championship. In fact they might head for the finals in Vienna if possible. He has also been meeting up with some of his close friends who live in and around London,” says a source close to the actress, “But more than seeing the city its more of an opportunity for Khan to spend uninterrupted quality time with the family which is very difficult for him to do when in Mumbai.”

While it is impossible for SRK to step out in broad daylight in the UK thanks to his popularity but he still takes the children around to sight see. “For security reasons it needs to be done very discreetly. He has taken them shopping for some gadgets that Aryan wanted. Suhana has been shopping for clothes with Gauri,” says a source.

Last year Khan spent a month in London where he took his kids to see his wax statue at Madame Tussauds. “The two kids were so proud to see their daddy there. And Khan’s life lies in Aryan and Suhana… in fact I think he actually enjoyed his statue once he saw that look in their eyes,” says a friend who accompanied them last year.

When Khan was invited to Warwick Castle to open its latest attraction he took his family along. So from landing on the castle grounds in a helicopter to a sword slashing red carpet ribbon cutting ceremony, flanked by fully armoured medieval bodyguard the kids were in for a real treat. But that was just the start of the fun for SRK. After the inauguration Khan went for a private visit of the Castle with his family.

My News

Professor Shah Rukh becomes Quick-Gun-Murugan

Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to boost the viewer ship of his game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? While he managed to rope in celebs like Kareena Kapoor with beau Saif Ali Khan, Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra and even good friends Karan Johar and Rani Mukherjee in some of the special episodes, this weekend, Khan himself takes on the mantle of doing something out of the ordinary.

Professor Shah Rukh Khan would be seen at his naughtiest best doing his famous 'Quick- Gun -Murugan' take from Om Shanti Om on this Sunday's episode of Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? He would be seen in his complete get up a-la South superstar Rajinikanth sporting bright red clothes, an atrocious moustache and a raucous accent.

Needless to say the contestants on this show didn't 'Mind It' and had a blast with 'Quick-Gun-Murugan' oops… SRK. To catch all the fun and action of this special episode, don't miss Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on this Sunday 22nd June at 8 pm IST

Meri paanch crore ki dulhaniya kaun le jayegaa, asks Shahrukh

Meri paanch crore ki dulhaniya kaun le jayegaa? wonders Shah Rukh Khan as he comes across some very intelligent and witty contestants on Kya aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on Friday, June 20.

Handsome Sheetanshu Dube from Bhopal, an aspiring pilot, proves that he is tez by answering some of the initial questions very confidently and at top speed. On asked whether he is single, he says that he would like to declare on national television that he is very much so and is looking for the ideal girl. This young contestant brought his guitar along and also played a song for Shah Rukh. He wanted to win big bucks at Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tze Hain ? to fund his mother’s thyroid treatment abroad which he could not afford at present.

Also meet Prajyoti Samal from Bhuvaneshwar who remarks that she is quite literally from many places in India! Born in Bhuvaneshwar, Pragjyoti has studied under many South Indian teachers, works in a software firm in Kolkata and has auditioned for Paanchvi Pass from Bhopal. Her diverse background has helped her learn many languages which she uses in her everyday conversations and now her family and friends are quite used to it.

Pragjyoti is full of energy and enthusiasm. Her mother says that whatever Pragjyoti puts her mind to, she always succeeds at. She is convinced that her daughter can win Rupees 5 crore and so is Shah Rukh Khan as she bedazzles him with her quick answers without any assistance from the classmates.

So who will become the first Crorepati on Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass se Tez Hain? Will Sheetanshu win this amount and take his mother abroad for thyroid treatment or will Pragjyoti take the booty home and become the first crorepatni on a television show?

To know this, watch Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on Friday, 8 pm only on Star Plus.

Indian Television

Shah Rukh Khan's Crorepatni!

Pragjyoti Samal is the first woman to win a crore on a reality show on Indian television. The Bhubaneshwar- based 24-year-old software engineer will be seen pocketing the crore in the Shah Rukh Khan hosted 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?' episode on June 21.

As reported (‘Crorepatni’; May 7), Star Plus had not revealed her identity when the episode was shot on May 5, to avoid her being hounded.

It is learnt that Pragjyoti who was working with Cognizant Technology Solutions in Kolkata has quit her job and is back home in Bhubaneshwar. However the winner denies that this decision had anything to do with her big prize money.

“In the IT industry, you have to keep moving and take up new challenges,” says Samal from Bhubaneshwar. “Except for my mother (Nirlipta Patnaik) who accompanied me on the show, I have not told the rest of the family what happened due to channel requirements. We will watch the episode together. There is a big shock in store for them.”

Pragjyoti, who is single, was one of the zillions of contestants who’d SMS to the question that flashed on the screens to gain entry to Paachvi Pass. “All contestants had to appear for a test on the phone, followed by a written test as well as camera audition rounds.”

The contestant has not yet decided what she will do with the prize. The cheque will be hers after the episode airs. “It has yet to sink in… maybe after the telecast it will. As they say: I will cross the bridge when I come to it.”

She adds that she took a lot of risks during the game but it all paid off. “Everyone was encouraging and enthusiastic. Everyone from Siddhartha Basu’s unit was so excited and happy for me.”

About the show’s host Shah Rukh Khan, she says, “He provided a lot of support and made me feel at ease. All this while, I knew him as King Khan the actor, now I know him as a person. This show gave me an opportunity to know the real SRK.”

Shaheen Parkar, Mid-day

SRK's Face Saver : Ravi Dada

King Khan has had the same make up man, Ravi dada since the first time he set foot in B-town. He doesn't have any quirks as such but only and only Ravi dada does his make up whether it is for movies, ads, TV shows or performances.

He trusts his loyal make up man immensely and doesn't interfere. The only problem is that he arrives late so his make up man has to work super fast and complete it in half an hour.

Yo, Ravi Dada!
Loyalty be thy name.
We love you.

Star Box Office

KJo on SRK's Autobiography

Excerpts from the interview:

Ok, finally, one person whose blog you’d love to read?
Shah Rukh Khan. Not for any other reason except I that I have had the privilege of reading parts of the book that he has been writing for the last five years. It’s amazing. Every chapter in the book has heart, soul, guts, emotion, drama... enough to keep the reader completely engrossed. If he ever decided to blog, it will be something to look out for.

Johar’s blog which begins online tomorrow at www.mynameiskaran.com

Meet SRK's German fan, the 48 yr old, Ute

This Saturday, Shahrukh Khan will be performing live-on-stage with Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif, Javed Ali, Anushka Dandekar and Ganesh Hegde in Ahoy, Rotterdam. Temptation is back! Not only will be Dutch fans be joining the show, but several fans from European countries will fly in to see Shahrukh Khan and the other stars perform live. Here we have a short interview with a German fan called Ute. She is 48 years old and lives in Germany.

Why and when did you become fan of Shahrukh Khan?
I became a fan of Shahrukh Khan exactly on November 19, 2004, when K3G was shown on German TV for the first time. This man impressed me on first sight and the more I got to see and know about him, the more I adore this wonderful actor and human being. Admiring any artist is something that never happened to me before, even when I was in my teens. There has never been someone, who was worth it.

Have you ever met him before?
I've never met Shahrukh or any of the other stars.

What are your expectations of the show?
It will be a treat for the eyes for sure! Hopefully there will be a lot of interaction with the audience. Shahrukh is able to leave a crowd of 30,000 people spellbound, only by sitting on a wooden chair on an empty stage!

Why are you coming to see the show?
I'm coming to see Shahrukh in person, my heart's desire. Shahrukh Khan sure has great fans. I, for one, am definitely looking forward to what Temptation Reloaded will bring us!

The interview was conducted by Charla Manohar

SRK's Future Plans

Everybody knows about Shah Rukh Khan’s penchant to be a winner all the way. Far from sulking about his team, Kolkata Knight Riders being defeated at the recently concluded Indian Premiere League, he is already making all the necessary arrangements like getting international cricketers (one of who is Andrew Flintoff) on board for the next IPL season.

He also has other ambitious plans for Kolkata Knight Riders.

A source says, “SRK is leaving for London for a few days to join his wife Gauri and children, Suhana and Aryan, who have already left in a private aircraft.

Apart from shooting for his next film, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in London, SRK's main agenda for the trip is to get some of the biggest international cricketers for his IPL team. One of the cricketers he's already in advanced talks with is Andrew Flintoff.”

When contacted, a source close to the actor confirms and says, “Yes, it's true that SRK is in advanced talks with Flintoff.

Whatever happened has happened at the recent IPL. But now on, SRK has taken complete charge and he's leaving no stone unturned to make his IPL team a winner next year.”

And when one talks about SRK, can entertainment be far behind? The source adds, “SRK has ambitious plans for his team.

Apart from playing against international cricket clubs abroad, his team of cricketers will also perform on stage along with him within the next day for the international audience.

The shows will be grand. After a day of watching serious cricket, the public will get to watch their favourite cricketers perform on stage along with SRK.”

“SRK and his family will be holidaying for the first fifteen days after which he will start shooting for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi while his agents have already reached London to interact with the cricketers and make necessary arrangements for SRK's meeting with them,” says the source.

Ravikaran Deshmukh & Ashwini Deshmukh, Mumbai Mirror

Shabana will play Shah Rukh's Mom in 'My Name Is Khan'

Last year, she turned down Yash Raj Films’ Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (the role that eventually went to Jaya Bachchan) because apparently, she was busy with The Loins of Punjab Presents . However, Shabana has now agreed to play Shah Rukh Khan’s mother in Karan Johar’s Khan.

A source said, “Normally, Karan would not think of casting anyone but Jayaji to play Shah Rukh’s mother. Reason being that both Shah Rukh and Karan dote on Jayaji and she has already played SRK’s mother in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kal Ho Na Ho.” Apparently, it’s the strong political message of Khan that convinced Karan to sign Shabana instead of Jaya for the project.

The source added, “Khan conveys a very strong message. It’s about the isolation of the Muslims after 9/11. And who better equipped to put forward a cinema of ideas than Shabana? Also, the film is about a Muslim family based in the US. And Shabana would bring a natural elegance and credibility to her part.”

However, not much is being revealed about Shabana’s part in the film. But it goes without saying that she would be an essential part of the project.

When contacted to confirm her presence in the film, Shabana just laughed and said, “Main chup rahungi.”

Times Of India