Ra.One seeks inspiration from Avatar, 2012, etc

Anubhav Sinha is going all out to ensure that the Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ra.One becomes a landmark SFX film for Bollywood. To make sure that only the best effects are incorporated in the film, he has given the Red Chillies team a list of Hollywood’s most outstanding SFX and 3-D movies for reference.

A source from the team reveals, “Anubhav is currently shooting in Goa with Shah Rukh and Kareena. They will be returning by the end of this week. As soon as they are back we will start our work. The actual SFX work on the movie can only begin once we get the film footage. Till then, the director has asked us to do our homework. We have been given a list of movies like Avatar, Star Wars, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, X-Men and Terminator to study the various special effects used in them. Each movie is different and he wants us to understand, learn and implement those effects in Ra.One .”

The source continues, “Apart from studying these movies, we are sketching, sculpting various characters that might fit into the movie. We are also fine tuning various special effects.”

Anubhav Sinha remained unavailable for comment.

Bachchan's loss, Shah Rukh's gain?

Rumours abound that King Khan may now be chosen as the brand ambassador for Commonwealth Games 2010

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan had once said he would stop doing things that Amitabh Bachchan had done before. Like the remake of Don, or the hit quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati. But this is an entirely different ballgame. Shah Rukh may now be doing something that Amitabh couldn't do at all.

After the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decided not to consider his name as the brand ambassador for 2010 Commonwealth Games, Bachchan might have to contend with another ignominy. That of being replaced by Shah Rukh Khan.

Speculations have been doing the rounds of political circles in Delhi that the Congress is aiming at killing two birds with one stone, if such a move materialises.

Though Commonwealth Games Federation chairman Suresh Kalmadi was not available for comments, federation's media in-charge Lalit Bhanot did not rule out the possibility of SRK becoming the brand ambassador for the mega sporting event.

Though officially, he was more cautious. "Right now we are considering names of sportspersons as ambassadors. Whenever we will take a decision, we will let you know."

"Shah Rukh has everything a brand ambassador for an international event should have. He is a Muslim and is someone who stood up against the hooliganism of the Shiv Sena. He has a secular face, he is young, and has a larger appeal," a senior bureaucrat associated with the Commonwealth Games told MiD DAY, requesting anonymity.

IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, at a function on Tuesday, hinted that Big B was too old for espousing the cause of an international sporting event. "We are looking for a fresh, young face," he told media persons. The statement pumped oxygen into the lungs of those who have been baying for the blood of Bachchan after he took over as the brand ambassador of Gujarat.

The Congress, the ruling party both at the Centre and Delhi, has already reiterated that somebody who could stand for Narendra Modi's Gujarat should not be made the face of an event as big as the Commonwealth Games.

"Mr Bachchan do you endorse what happened during the riots? What are your views on the Gujarat government's complicity during the post-Godhra massacre? You must explain your position clearly," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had demanded.

In fact, it was after the Congress party snubbed Bachchan for his role as Gujarat's brand ambassador that the BJP came up with the proposal of making the Big B the face of the Commonwealth Games.

However, the Congress tried to steer clear of its role in the decision of choosing a brand ambassador for the October games. "It is the prerogative of the Commonwealth Games Federation to appoint a brand ambassador. The Congress has nothing to do with it," Tiwari told MiD DAY.

But with the surfacing of Shah Rukh's name even the BJP is in a tight spot. Though it outrightly rejected the idea of dropping Amitabh Bachchan's name due to age factor they did not completely disagree with SRK replacing him.

Indian Olympic Association senior vice-president and an executive board member of the Games VK Malhotra said, "The matter will be decided by the executive board. I would not like to comment on his (Amitabh Bachchan) candidature. But saying no to him just because of his age is ridiculous."

Sources in Delhi Congress said choosing SRK will help the party send out a message to Amitabh Bachhan, adding that "Shah Rukh is younger and more acceptable."

They also pointed out the close relations that the King Khan enjoys with both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Sheila Diskhit to corroborate their claims.

Shah Rukh Khan during the Delhi Half Marathon in November 2009 had indeed expressed his desire to be a part of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

MiD DAY tried to contact Amitabh Bachchan, but he did not return the phone calls.

Another federation official said that there could be many brand ambassadors for the promotion of the event and Shah Rukh could be one of them.

"However, at this juncture it is very tough to say who will be named as main brand ambassador for the games. The executive board is yet to take a final decision," the official said.

Amitabh Bachchan was the brand ambassador of 1982 Delhi Asiad in which he lent his voice and anchored the opening ceremony. He was close to Rajiv Gandhi at that point of time.

Shahrukh Khan to Wear Costly Costume in 'Ra.One'

If anyone deserves to wear pricey outfits in movies, it's B-town's golden man Shahrukh Khan. And he is indeed about to give movie fans a run for their money as he will sport one of Bollywood's most expensive body suits throughout history in Anubhav Sinha's upcoming movie "Ra.One."

The suit, that was custom made for King Khan in Los Angeles, cost a whopping $220,000, but as they say in the TV commercials, he's worth it!

But the body suit's price tag wasn't the only big deal! In order to make the latex-like outfit, the star had to receive a warm liquid on his body that became hard as it dried and then had to be taken off of Shahrukh's almost naked body!

That can't have been very comfortable! But we guess being uncomfortable for an hour is the least SRK can do for one of Bollywood's most expensive body suits in history!

And it's not only the suit that is costing a lot of money, the sci-fi flick has a reported budget of over $22 million, only John Abraham's and Akshay Kumar's action film "Blue" was more expensive!

So what makes this movie so special?

""Ra.One" is a superhero film. There is a good guy, there is a bad guy, there is a beautiful girl, there is a wonderful singer and a fantastic director," SRK recently told reporters during a press conference with his co-star Kareena Kapoor.

"It's a kind of film, a genre we guys haven't tried at 'Red Chilies.' On behalf of the whole team, I would like to try and I hope we succeed. It's a new thing for all of us, so we are giving it our best shot," he added.

Well we can't wait to see Shahrukh Khan wearing one of Bollywood's most expensive outfits in history! How about you? Do you think he will look hot? Drop us a line.

IPL 2010: I am disappointed, says Shahrukh Khan

The graph of the performance of Shahrukh Khan’s team Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing season of IPL has been erratic - kabhi up, kabhi down. After it lost to Delhi Daredevils by a big margin on Monday, SRK was disappointed with his team’s performance.

“(I) am disappointed & will try and sleep this disappointment off. hope the team introspects & comes back strong. professionals can do that,” the superstar posted on his twitter page.

Shahrukh also made a subtle jab at his team’s skipper Saurav Ganguly who, in the after-match presentation, pinned the blame of the defeat at his losing the toss.

“this loss was due to toss. the last hitch becos of pitch. time for excuses is over. either we play better or keep being deserving losers,” SRK made it clear in no uncertain terms.

On the other hand, Preity Zinta’s team Kings XI Punjab is languishing at the bottom of the points table. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, however, have a reason to rejoice. Their team Rajasthan Royal’s performance has improved several notches up.

IPL 2010: SRK disappointed with his KKR boys

Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders faced their fourth loss of the tournament on Monday. They were beaten by Delhi Daredevils by 40 runs. The loss has not gone well with Shah Rukh Khan, who openly expressed his disappointment.

The actor wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter, “This loss was due to toss. The last hitch becos of pitch. Time for excuses is over. Either we play better or keep being deserving losers.”

That wasn’t all. He further wrote, “Am disappointed & will try and sleep this disappoinment off. Hope the team introspects & comes back strong. Professionals can do that.”

Kolkata Knight Riders have to play the rest of tournament really well if they want a place in the semi-finals. SRK can perhaps make them watch his famous ‘70 minute’ speech from ‘Chak De! India’ for motivation. What say?

WATCH: Vidya Balan wants to romance Shahrukh Khan

Vidya's SRK desire

Vidya Balan says she wants to do a romantic film opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

IN PICS: SRK's Wife Gauri Khan adds glamour to Delhi pitch

Gauri Khan attends the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders played at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on March 29, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images)

Gauri Khan and Lalit Modi attend the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders played at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on March 29, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images)

Shah Rukh is someone whom everyone likes: Rani Mukherjee

Rumour mills can stop grinding. Rani Mukherjee has made it absolutely clear that she and Shah Rukh are friends.

Stories of the two being katti were doing the rounds, saying that she hadn't been seen at any of his parties. To this, Rani says: “If I am not attending his parties, that doesn’t mean we are no more friends. Shah Rukh and I meet whenever possible, and how often have you seen me at parties anyway?"

Rani says that going to public events too much isn't her scene. "But I do attend the parties of close people. It's just that I wasn't in town when his party happened, and so, I wasn't there," she quips.

Simple enough explanation, which should set to rest the talk of a rift. Rani says that it might not even be possible for anyone to dislike King Khan: "Shah Rukh is someone whom everyone likes. I have been a fan of his since childhood. I am certain no one can get angry with him. He is so full of energy!”

Rani has high praise for all the Khans of the industry, and says she has learned much from her friends. "Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman have always inspired me. I am so glad that I got to work with all three of them and, believe me, I have picked up a lot from them," Rani says.

Rani met Shah Rukh Khan on the sets of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and they became friends. She is currently shooting for No One Killed Jessica, which also stars Vidya Balan.

Star Plus hopes 'My Name Is Khan' to strengthen its TRPS!

While it’s not a new fact that Bollywood films take the help of small screens when it comes to promoting their movies and songs, these days, TV channels are now taking help of Bollywood films in a bid to survive the race for highest TRPs.

It is believed that Star TV has approximately paid RS.15 crores for acquiring the TV rights of My Name is Khan which has been co-produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Dharma Productions.

This piece of news has been confirmed by Anupam Vasudev, executive vice-president (marketing) at Star, though he did not divulge anything about the amount the channel had to shell out.

It is believed that when a channel airs a big Bollywood movie, GRPs gets a hike of about 30-40.This means that the channel can move one spot up in the viewership listings.

Vasudev is optimistic that My Name is Khan will be watched by many people when aired on TV, since it was a big-budget film and quite new. While an average film gets a rating of 2 and 3 when it is aired on the TV, it is expected that My Name is Khan will manage to earn a rating of 4-5.

Discovery-ing SRK

For die-hard fans of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, a.k.a. SRK, this could be the ultimate—a peep into the private life of their hero. Discovery Travel & Living has framed Khan—the master entertainer, a successful entrepreneur, a caring father and a loving husband—in all his avatars. In the process, fans get to see what they could have only dreamed of—the uncut version of Khan.

Living with a Superstar is a 10-episode series of celebrity voyeurism. The round-the-clock access given to a team to follow Khan across the globe yielded the highest vierwership ratings among all English entertainment and news channels at prime time on budget day—February 26—as per data compiled by audience measurement agency TAM Media Research.

Says Discovery Networks India senior vice-president and general manager Rahul Johri, explaining why they chose Khan among all celebrities, “Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest entertainers of the Indian film industry with growing popularity in the international markets. He was the unanimous choice.”

If Khan was the unanimous choice for the channel to broaden its viewership base, the Bollywood star also had no qualms being part of the programme. After all, it would give him the much-needed marketing platform to reach out to those who till now had kept away. The crafty strategist that Khan is, he manages to keep the structure of a reality show minus the crudeness of the format, which we encounter in many shows. The first episode takes us on a vacation to London with Khan and his family. Amidst the fun and games with his two children, Khan delivers the first of his homilies: One must not cheat to win. The show has several such scenes where the audience gets a glimpse of the man behind the superstar, away from the arclights.

In the second episode, we get a sneak peek into Khan’s make-up van. Though he takes pride in his van, he remembers to remind the audience: It’s not the van that makes the man. It’s the man who makes the van. By now, such one-liners from Khan have achieved the tag of ‘Shahrukhism’. The third episode ‘Hit Wicket’ at times sounds like an ad for Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian Premier League team Khan owns.

“Our intention was to build a fresh property for Discovery. The network till now hadn’t explored Bollywood, so we felt it’s our responsibility to do something on that line to...