Kajol All Set To Join Shah Rukh Khan In The US!

It is by now well known that the shooting of Karan Johar's next awaited project, 'My Name Is Khan', has already commenced in Los Angeles, in the US on December 18. Lead actor Shah Rukh Khan has already shot for some important portions, but without his heroine Kajol!

However, fans of the most happening pair of the last decade and-a-half need not despair as Kajol is all set to fly down to US, early next year and join Shah Rukh Khan. Kajol is presently ready to welcome the New Year along with loving hubby Ajay Devgan and darling daighter Nyasa at their farm house in Karjat.

Farhan Akhtar’s financial consultant is Shah Rukh Khan!

Everything that Farhan Akhtar attempts is turning out to be a big success, and one more example of that is his latest foray into the world of television, the innovative and interesting show, Oye, It’s Friday. The show is notching up good TRP’s and getting praises from all who have seen it. But can you guess who was Farhan’s advisor about how things work in the world of television?

Well, it was none other than Farhan’s good friend, Shah Rukh Khan, who is a veteran in the matters pertaining to the small screen. The director, and now hit actor–cum–singer and additionally the successful host of a popular show had called up SRK to seek his advise on money matters (how much to charge for the show). The super–star not only spoke to him about money matters but also gave him make up tips for Oye, It’s Friday and in particular the small screen, which is very different from the way it is applied in films. Needless to add that Farhan was all ears and he paid heed to the advice given to him, and the result can be seen in the show.

Always knew that Shahrukh Khan was a good friend, just like the saying - A friend in need is a friend indeed!

Shah Rukh to feature on ‘Star Plus’ New Year Special

A special program to usher in the New Year on Star Plus titled ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ will head line Bollywood crowd pullers like Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan.

Conceived as a homage to Mumbai police officers who laid down their lives for the safety of Mumbaikers, the program will also feature other stars including Priyanka Chopra, Kangaana Ranaut, Govinda, Madhur Bhandarkar, Shreyas Talpade, Neetu Chandra,Neha Dhupia, Shaan, Himesh Reshammiya, Adnan Sami, Kim Sharma, Jonny Lever, Mona Singh, Hussain and Tina.

Besides performances the fun filled extravaganza will include gags and spoofs.

Tune in to Mauja Hi Mauja-Bollywood Ka Sabse Bada Tamasha on December 31 at 10 pm only on Star Plus.

Shahrukh Khan ventures into TV production

Shahrukh Khan is venturing into TV production with his company Red Chillies Entertainment making an investment in a number of programs for the small screen.

One such show will be hosted by Fashion designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.

“Behind every successful man there is a woman,” goes the saying. And this talk show will prove that with an array of celebrity wives like Gauri Khan , Jaya Bachchan , Suzanne Roshan, Manyatta Dutt, Adhuna Akhtar, Anupama Chopra, Tanya Deol, Kiron Kher and others like Maharani Padmini Devi, Nita Ambani, Neerja Birla and steel tycoon Lakshmi Narayan Mittal’s wife Usha Mittal talking candidly about their lives and what it takes to be the wife of a highly successful man.

The show is named “The First Ladies with Abu Sandeep” and will be aired on channel NDTV Good Times from Jan 3. The first episode will feature Nita Ambani, wife of Mukesh Ambani.

The designer duo said in a press release: “This show is very close to our hearts. Not only are we anchoring it, but we have also designed the sets keeping the theme of the show in mind.”

And for Shahrukh, who is now more of an entrepreneur than an actor, exploring India's Rs.226 billion or Rs. 22,600 crores television industry, which is growing at a rate of 18% since the last five years, is a best bid. In fact, Akshay Kumar too has plans to invest his riches in the television industry.

Apart from this show, Red Chillies Entertainment will also produce a sitcom titled ‘Ghar Ki Baat’ for NDTV Imagine. SRK will also be the line producer of Farah Khan ’s chat show which is set to go on air in March, 2009.

John Abraham loves SRK

John Abraham has fallen in love with Adi Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The actor has already watched the film twice and is determined to catch it again.

He cannot stop gushing about SRK's performance in the film and even messaged the actor congratulating him for his Suri act. He still hasn't deleted the message King Khan sent back to him.

An excited John reveals, "I walked in to to watch RNBDJ to see something simple, real; something I had never seen ever before and that is what I got."

The actor takes pains to stress that he went in to watch the movie as an audience and not as a member of the film industry, "Some moments really touched me, like Shah Rukh talking to the mannequin. It is very easy for people to critically point out 25,000 things wrong in a movie, but as an actor, I have done a lot worse. This film was beautiful and I wish people would look at this film and understand that there is a Suri and a Raj in everybody. Adi has got across two sides of a man so beautifully."

About Shah Rukh, John says, "I think Shah Rukh has done such a wonderful job. The problem with all of us is that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves because of a super director and a super actor. I think it was very brave to come out of that and deliver a pure performance. I love Shah Rukh Khan films but as much as I like them, I like Aamir Khan's films too; I love films in general."

Quiz him on not having done a romantic film yet, he says that's changing now, "I am doing a beautiful romantic film with Abbas Tyrewala. It will takes me away from my comfort zone, which is what I have been doing so far. I hope this film will change the perception of the people about the genre of films I am doing."

Tell him that Aamir recently said that he had the best body in the business, and Johnny boy smiles, "Getting a compliment from an Aamir Khan or a Shah Rukh Khan is like getting a certificate from above. I may be fit but when I look at an Aamir Khan and the way he has developed his body just for a role, it scares me. All us actors should take a leaf out of his book and how he has changed cinema in this country."

MY NAME IS KHAN: Niranjan Iyenger turns lyricist

It was way back in June this year that we had broken the news about two splendid scratch tunes in the Karan Johar project, MY NAME IS KHAN, and also their situation in the much anticipated film. And here is more on the subject.

Niranjan Iyenger, the dialogue writer of films like Madhur Bhandarkar's FASHION, Karan Johar's KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHNA and KAL HO NA HO, was once a regular dialogue writer for the Bhatt camp with films like JISM, ROG, PAAP etc. But now Niranjan has turned lyricist and has written two outstanding 'sufi' based compositions for Karan's Shah Rukh Khan–Kajol starrer, MY NAME IS KHAN. The lyrics have already been put to tunes and as per a very reliable film personality who has had the privilege of listening to them, they are simply awesome. Both the songs will be used in the background.

Well, we are sure that the talented and now versatile Niranjan Iyenger, who has proved himself as an able dialogue writer, will surely hit it off as a lyricist too. And he has got the perfect launch vehicle, a Karan Johar film starring Bollywood's global super star, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol!

Shahrukh Khan becoming the 'cameo' king

Isn’t it a pity that one of the superstars of Bollywood was seen more in cameo appearances than leading roles in 2008?

After the release of his home production Om Shanti Om last year, Shahrukh Khan had officially declared himself “unemployed”. At that time he had no projects in hand. So he lapped up a few cameo appearances in movies by directors or producers who were “friends”.

Director Vivek Sharma made SRK play a forgettable role in Bhoothnath while Amitabh Bachchan hogged the limelight. SRK showed his quicksilver dance steps for a song in Krazzy 4 but the movie left the viewers with dumb heads. Producer Vivek Vaswani, a good friend of SRK, extended the actor’s cameo in Dulha Mil Gaya to a second fiddle role and got the movie stuck after SRK refused give more than a few days for the shoot.

Only cameos kept SRK busy until Aditya Chopra knocked on his door and offered him Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi , which has already hit the theatres and is doing fine at the box office.

So in a whole year of 52 Fridays, only one Friday saw SRK playing a full-fledged role, while the likes of Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan had good number of releases with only a few doing well.

From the way things are looking, it appears that 2009 won’t be much different for SRK.

The first to hit the theatres would be Billu Barber , which is essentially an Irrfan Khan film with SRK having a screen time that’s more than a cameo but a lot less than the leading man’s. ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’, which has been in the making for God knows how long, will finally hit the theatres. And SRK will also do a cameo in Vivek Sharma’s next movie Kal Kisne Dekha which is essentially a launchpad of Jacky Bhagnani (son of producer Vashu Bhagnani) and Vaishali Desai (granddaughter of Manmohan Desai).

The only film that will see SRK in lead role would be Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan in which he plays a man suffering from a milder form of autism. Unless some other director comes up with a script that catches SRK’s fancy, that’s all we may see of SRK on the big screen next year.

Ain’t that a pity? King Khan reduced to a ‘cameo’ king.

Shah Rukh to holiday in Uganda

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to celebrate New Year's Eve with his family in Uganda.

It is also said that Juhi Chawla will also be joining Khan along with her family.

Shah Rukh just finished shooting with Kajol in Los Angeles for Karan Johar's film “My Name is Karan”.

"SRK is a hero, he worked when the city was burning" - Viveck Vaswani

Producer Viveck Vaswani can never forget the support that he got from Shah Rukh Khan during the filming of the last leg of Dulha Mil Gaya schedule that concluded a few days back.

"Shah Rukh Khan is a true hero. He came to do a film for a friend when the city was burning. He had a huge release round the corner (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and there were quite a few odds against the film's shoot; still he made it possible", says Viveck Vaswani in a choked tone as he looks forward to filming the last song in February that would make Dulha Mil Gaya ready for release.

"While Shah Rukh Khan stood like a pillar of support, what the entire unit of Dulha Mil Gaya did for me was also simply unimaginable", adds Viveck.

"Sunil Patel - the DoP and Leela Chanda - the Art Director are the real heroes of the Shah Rukh schedule", he reminisces, "They did not sleep for 3 weeks non-stop. They were busy creating a luxury liner, the Port of Spain airport. They were shooting stunts while coordinating helicopters in the climax. They were putting up and dismantling sets even as they were working tirelessly like soldiers. This was commendable in the times when the city was burning with no transport, no trains, no autorickshaws, no shops open, no workers."

"Add to all of this a producer called Viveck Vaswani with barely enough money who was caught in the worst recession time in the industry", he chuckles, "Moreover, the industry too wasn't too kind even as it scoffed at me by stating that Shah Rukh Khan was no more a part of the film; he had walked out etc. etc. Some wish list here!"

He is also extremely happy with his choice of actors in the film, whether it is Sushmita Sen or Fardeen Khan.

"Whether it is Sushmita Sen or Fardeen Khan, they were always on my side. Not once did any actor come late on the sets. Not once did one actor come without lines learnt. Not one actor delayed production by a single minute. And how can I not talk about Mudassar Aziz, my film's director, the hero behind the scenes? He was shooting with a superstar called Shah Rukh Khan with limited time, limited resources, limited everything; and yet he made the film happen."

"There will be four premieres of the film - in Bombay, New Delhi (hosted by the High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago), London (hosted by Angostura) and Port of Spain (hosted by CL communications, the production house which handled the Caribbean leg of the film). There are going to be huge plans for Dulha Mil Gaya ", concludes Viveck in an ambitious tone as his two year work on the film comes near to conclusion.

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