SRK = Vivek, says Salman

When Salman Khan summons, you show up. His PR man wants me to come to Bandra for a quick chat with the actor. I rush to the suburban studio though I am warned of a long wait as Salman is shooting for his newly launched film. After what seems like an eternity, I am invited into his vanity van.

I take a seat opposite Salman, who is bare-chested... and smoking. He gets up abruptly and asks his boy to fetch him a tea. After he clothes himself, we settle down for a chat about his upcoming film God Tussi Great Ho, his girlfriend Katrina Kaif, his fight with SRK.

Excerpts from the interview:

Let's talk about your fight with Shah Rukh.
There is nothing to talk about, bro. Have I spoken about Vivek Oberoi? Why should I speak about him, then?
I see Shah Rukh and his situation with me in the same light as I see my situation with Vivek.

But if you bump into SRK, will you greet him?
I used to like him a lot at one point of time. But now things have changed. We have grown up. Now, we don't see eye to eye. I don't see any reason to keep in touch with him. If I am not fond of anyone, I will not pretend to be friends with him and then stab him in the back. I will simply tell a person like that to stay away.

Buzz is that you got Aamir and SRK together after the dog blog incident! Is Aamir doing the same for you? Also Sanjay Dutt says he wants to sit you and SRK down and sort it out.
Why would Aamir or for that matter, Sanjay, want to help me? Why would I want to help Aamir sort out his issues with Shah Rukh? I'm not a two-year-old kid, you know. It is our situation SRK's and mine. I think it is better the way things are. It is better to not pretend and act like close friends. I will not do anything to harm him as that is not in my nature. I will not bitch him out either. It's just that everyone is talking about it! Shah Rukh himself hasn't spoken about the fight and what went down but a lot of his close associates are giving stupid stories and leads to the media. Since the fight, I have been reading very, very negative articles on me.

What actually happened at Katrina's birthday?
Till now, what you've heard is only Shah Rukh's side of the story. When I see the situation getting out of hand, I will come out with my side of what really happened. There are too many people involved and as far as I am concerned, it was a private conversation. That is still one side of the story. I don't think that anybody should be disrespectful or vindictive; everybody has their own lives and their own destinies.

Amul Sharma, Mid-Day

SRK: The Master of Dumb Charades

Bonding big time on the Coimbatore sets of Shah Rukh Khan’s Billo Barber with the Bollywood Badshah, has been actor Irrfan Khan.

A kind of 'hatke' friendship has developed between the two Khans that traces its origins back to Delhi in 1986, when both were into theatre.

In Billo Barber, SRK plays a filmstar and Irrfan the barber. And Irrfan, whose run of films includes international exposure in Mira Nair’s Namesake and Brad Pitt’s A Mighty Heart, has come away from Coimbatore mighty impressed with Shah Rukh. “His humility is noteworthy, he doesn’t have any air of stardom, and he’s so much like any other ordinary guy that it’s an absolute treat to be his co-star,” said Irrfan.

Nights, after the pack-up had been ordered, was party time off the sets. And SRK, a game freak, taught Irrfan how to play Dumb Charade. “He’s a champion at it, I’m a buddhu, and even though I was sloshed, SRK took it upon himself to teach me this game,” recalled Irrfan. “In the beginning, I was an embarrassment, a total disaster, but by the third round I could do it right.”

He remembers seeing SRK for the first time at a play rehearsal in Delhi in 1986. “I was an NSD student and he was with Barry John. Somehow, even though it was dark in the auditorium, his face stayed on in my mind,” added Irrfan pensively.

Afsana Ahmed, Times Of India

I cannot be friends with Shah Rukh: Salman

Actor Salman Khan has had it with his on-again, off-again friendship with Shah Rukh Khan. Talking, for the first time about their public spat a few weeks ago, Salman says he can never be friends with SRK again. “I cannot really tell you what happened at the party,” Khan said when DNA caught up with him on the sets of his film Veer on Saturday. “But I won’t deny that there is a problem between us. There has been this kind of animosity between us for a long time. In fact, this is the third time we have fought. We have tried being friends, but it just doesn’t seem possible. We are different people.”

Asked if he would like to sort things out with Shah Rukh this time, Salman said: “No, why should I? Not interested. We are two different individuals. He may be a great person, but his values and scruples are not the same as mine. I can’t continue being a buddy to someone I don’t get along with. I am not the kind who would pretend to be great friends with someone and then back-bite about the person.”

The incident took place on July 16, at a party Salman had organised for girlfriend Katrina Kaif’s birthday at Olive restaurant in Bandra. Almost the entire industry was there, including Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan.

Towards the end of the party, when most guests had left, an altercation broke out between Salman and Shah Rukh, allegedly over their respective television shows, Dus ka Dum and Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass se tez Hain? SRK apparently stormed out of the party, with wife Gauri and friend Karan Johar in tow. According to sources, Aamir tried to intervene, but the two Khans were in no mood to make up.

Sources added that Salman allegedly compared his show to SRK’s and said despite his (Shah Rukh’s) being a superstar, Paanchvi Pass was not doing well. Apparently enraged by this, SRK passed a snide remark about Salman’s love life.

On Saturday it became clear the fight was indeed over TV shows. Salman was overheard comparing his show to SRK’s earlier show, and saying: “My show is not like Dus Karod (referring to SRK’s Kaun Banega Crorepati?) where there may be some ghapla. People end up winning phenomenal amounts. I would be the last person to support something like this. People in my show get out after having won just about a lakh, but it’s genuine...

Asked further about his misunderstanding with SRK, Salman added: “It’s sad but that’s how life goes. His way of thinking is totally different from mine. Doesn’t look like we can be friends.”

Shubha Shetty Saha, DNA India

SRK hires Security Guards

Indian Mujahideen, the organisation that claimed responsibility for the Bangalore and Ahmedabad serial blasts, had issued a threat recently to the four Khans of Bollywood — Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif Ali — and that warning certainly made King Khan a little cautious as he had got at least 20 policemen and security guards to guard the premises of the hotel where he was staying as well as the location where they were shooting for Billoo Barber.

The cast and crew of the film, SRK’s next production venture, was shooting in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu for some sequences of the film when the threat was issued and SRK was not ready to take it lightly. Our well placed source from the crew says,
“There was a tight security cover where we were staying. There was a threat issued by a terrorist outfit then asking the Khans to stop acting in Bollywood films or face severe consequences and we were breathing a little sigh of relief looking at the protection around us.”

We got to know that choreographer Pony Verma (who has choreographed in more than 15 movies) was at Pollachi shooting some dance sequences for the film and we quizzed her about this.

She says, “There was security but I don’t know for what purpose.” Pony also shared with us some details about the location where the crew is shooting the film.

“The entire cast (SRK, Lara, Priyadarshan) were staying at a place which was not glamourous at all. It was a motel kind of a thing. Its name was Shakti Lodge. SRK had the option of staying at the place where Rajnikanth was staying during Kuselan’s shooting but he chose to stay with all of us. He said we’ll all stay together. We all were like the family,” Pony adds.

'OSO' on the chopping block

Court asks 'OSO' maker to delete scene on Manoj Kumar.

A sessions court today directed 'Om Shanti Om' producer Shah Rukh Khan and director Farah Khan to delete the scene ridiculing veteran actor Manoj Kumar before telecasting the film on Sony Entertainment Television on August 10.

Court upheld Kumar's application seeking either a stay to the telecast or deletion of the scene in which Shah Rukh had played a spoof on him.

Sahara Samay

Khiladi Challenges The King

At the press meet for Singh Is Kinng on Wednesday, Akshay Kumar when asked about the title 'king' made a crack at Shah Rukh Khan, who is better known as King Khan.

The Khiladi said, "I don't know why people call themselves King, because there has only been one King in the industry in the last 30 years, and that is Amitabh Bachchan. There is no other." This is one of the many potshots that Akki has taken at SRK in recent times.

It appears that Akshay, who has always been politically correct, is deliberately taking panga with SRK. Not just in his interviews but in SIK, which releases today, there are nasty comments aimed at Shah Rukh.

Says an insider, "There is a sequence in the movie where Kiron Kher asks Singh, 'Is King the one who has 10 countries' cops behind him?' (the famous dialogue from SRK's Don). To which Akki's character replies, "These dons are nobodies, the King is the one who is made out of 10-12 fake dons put together.'

There are other digs too aimed at Khan. In another scene, a guy is wearing a cardboard mask of SRK's face and gets thrashed by a crowd!

It's interesting to note how in the last few months Akshay has been bonding more with SRK's rival camps Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan. Kumar has become close to Big B in the last few months, and was part of their The Unforgettable tour in Canada. On Wednesday night, Akshay Kumar also shot for Salman Khan's show, 10 Ka Dum.

An industrywalla adds, "Salman and Akki share share cold vibes to say the least. They have tried to outdo each other when it comes to picking up movies and quoting their market price and not to mention their issues over Katrina. Which is why their coming together especially after the SRK-Sallu fight has added significance."

It is believed that Vipul Shah is responsible in getting the two actors together. The producer-director who is close to Akki, is also directing Salman in London Dreams. He was the one who convinced Kat and Akki to be on Salman's show.

The Akki-SRK war will get more interesting in the coming months when Akshay's Chandni Chowk To China releases in the same month as Shah Rukh's home production Billoo Barber.

Watch this space for more.

Amul Sharma, Mid-Day

Shah Rukh's Knights' Training in Queensland

In his effort to fine-tune the squad ahead of the second edition of the Indian Premier League, coach John Buchanan has planned a two-week training camp for the Kolkata Knight Riders at his home state Queensland next month.

Beginning September 20, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team will take 16 promising players to Queensland in Australia, though the final list is yet to be finalised.

The Kolkata IPL team will play the Queensland first XI and a Queensland Academy of Sport team in a five-match series.

The Kolkata franchise, however, will be without its international stars like Australia captain Ricky Ponting and West Indian Chris Gayle, Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, team director Joy Bhattacharya told PTI.

"This is an initiative of Kolkata Knight Riders to give useful practice to its players ahead of the season. With Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence located there, we thought it's the best place to fine tune our players. The boys will undergo fitness regime under the supervision of coach John Buchanan," Bhattacharya added.

Asked whether team captain Sourav Ganguly would be a part of the touring squad, Bhattacharya said, "He's a busy player, we've to see all the international players availability. A detailed list of players will be released soon."

The Kolkata Knight Riders finished sixth in the eight-team inaugural IPL tournament earlier this year.

MSN - Sports

Now SRK's Mannat courts trouble

Another court battle is on the cards for actor Shah Rukh Khan. A PIL alleging 32 violations of law in the construction of his bungalow in Bandra was filed in Bombay High Court on Thursday.

The PIL, filed by social activist Simpreet Singh, sought the disconnection of water and electric supply to Mannat — Khan’s home, which is a landmark in Bandra Bandstand. It stated that the construction behind Mannat had been carried out by merging 12 flats, originally meant to house the poor. The PIL also alleged that the construction on the open space inside the premises was not permissible under law.

It was alleged that Khan was bringing up the structure in a space originally reserved for an art gallery. Also, as per the PIL, the land Khan’s property stands on had been wrongly notified as a liberal Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-II, even though it fell within the highly restrictive CRZ-I.

The petition stated that it “stems from the grievance of the petitioners, whereby people holding substantial power and sway in the society are able to mould and then flout the laws meant for the society’s benefit for their own pecuniary gain.”

YP Singh, advocate for the petitioner said, “We will mention the PIL before a division bench next week and it will be heard subsequently.”

The PIL also contended that Khan, who purchased the property from Nariman Dubash in 2000, wrote a letter to the Chief Minister in 2003, seeking dereservation of the land earmarked for an art gallery within the premises of Mannat. Khan, the PIL stated, wrote in his letter, “Art galleries are not required in suburbs, and the same should be in the city.” He had also mentioned in the letter that a ‘Public Art Gallery’ on his bungalow compound would “disturb his privacy and affect his security.” In September 2003, the government accepted Khan’s letter and directed BMC to start the process of deletion of the reservation, the PIL added.

In 2004, Khan sought permission from the heritage committee to construct a ground plus six-storey structure on the land behind his existing bungalow, which was marked heritage property. The PIL alleged that the actor never told the panel that he had illegally demolished two heritage structures, which stood there.

The PIL further alleged that party respondents, including the ministry of environment and forests, state government, BMC, have all failed to exercise their powers and allowed the violation of Development Control Regulation, CRZ notifications, Environment Protection Act, 1986, and other laws.

Mayura Janwalkar, DNA India

Scriptwriter moves Bombay HC against Shah Rukh, Farah

A scriptwriter has moved the Bombay High Court against actor Shah Rukh Khan, director Farah Khan and others alleging that the script of film 'Om Shanti Om' is a copy of the one he wrote.
Ajay Monga, scriptwriter of films like 'Corporate' and 'Fashion,' has alleged that his copyright has been infringed.

Monga claimed he had given a copy of the script to Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment in December 2005 and wanted Khan to play the lead role in his film, but did not get any response.

After the film was released in November last year, Monga filed a complaint with the Cine Writers' Association (CWA) in December, he said. But his application was rejected by the Association.

However, when he learnt that the film will be telecast on television on August 10, he decided to move the High Court.

On Wednesday, Monga's lawyer sought an injunction from the court to stop the telecast of the film on Sony Entertainment Television on August 10.

He pointed out that the satellite release of the film amounts to a fresh act of piracy and infringement of Monga's copyright.

Justice V M Kanade, however, has not stayed the telecast of the film but asked the parties to file their reply within four weeks.

Monga's story was that of a junior film artist falling in love with a superstar, who was engaged with another actor. At a point he saves her life. Later there is a rift between her and her fiance and the junior actor wins her over in the end, the suit says.

Press Trust of India

I can never say no to Shah Rukh, says Farah

Yesterday, director Priyadarshan confirmed to a newspaper that Farah Khan will choreograph a song for Shah Rukh Khan's home production, Billoo Barber.

It was especially surprising because Farah Khan bid adieu to choreography after Om Shanti Om. She announced that she'd not direct song sequences thereafter. Not even for brother Sajid Khan's films.

The new mom was shocked to learn that Priyan had confirmed that she was doing a song for Billoo Barber featuring Deepika Padukone and SRK. Says a source, "Nobody has even approached Farah to choreograph the song as yet neither SRK nor Priyan. Currently, the only song Farah is choreographing is Karan Johar's Dostana which was a long- time commitment given to director Tarun Mansukhani.

Another source adds, "Farah was approached but she excused herself citing her triplets as the reason. But the real reason she refused is Deepika Padukone. Khan doesn't want to work with her. Farah gave the newcomer a big break with Om Shanti Om but the actress hasn't kept in touch beyond a few SMSes. Farah doesn't like Deepika's attitude and being a very straightforward person, it would be difficult for her to work with her for 10 days and pretend all was well, so Farah passed up on the offer."

Although it is believed that if her good friend SRK asks her to work for his home production, she won't refuse.

Says Farah, "I can never say no to Shah Rukh but the truth is that he hasn't asked me yet. As for being upset with Deepika, I am too happy to be upset with anyone. If SRK asks me, I will do it and just for him. The heroine, director or music director don't matter. I haven't spoken to Priyan since the release of Viraasat though I appreciate what the film did for me. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander was my first film and Viraasat got me my first award. Right now, I am only shooting for Tarun's song. I want to spend as much time with my babies as possible."

Upala KBR, Mid-Day