SRK ropes in Tom Wu for 'Ra.One'

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has roped in Chinese-American actor Tom Wu for his home production Ra.One.

"...a big welcome to Tom Wu in the film cast. He is so humble and such a sport... really nice to have him on board," Shah Rukh, 44, posted on his Twitter page.

Tom Wu, a martial arts expert, was earlier seen in films like Revolver, Shanghai Knights, Batman Begins and Tomb Raider II.

According to earlier reports, action legend Jackie Chan was approached for a role in the action flick.

Ra.One will also see Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. American singer Akon too is part of the crew as he recorded a song for the movie.

The film is expected to release in 2011. Shah Rukh, who is currently shooting for the film in London, is a little unwell.

"Antibiotics have sucked all energy out of me. Throat feeling better now... can go on the sets and make some noise to feel important hopefully," he wrote on his Twitter.

EXCLUSIVE "RA.ONE" ON LOCATION - Photo/Video

RA.ONE: Benullo looking after the superhero part of the script!

There is a lot of confusion about the contribution and role of David Benullo, a Hollywood screenwriter, in Shah Rulh Khan's under-production Anubhav Sinha directed RA.ONE.

There were rumours that not satisfied with the original script (by SRK himself, Anubhav and Mushtaq) Shah Rukh Khan had handed over the entire work to David, to get that Hollywoodish touch to the superhero flick.

However, that is not the case. What is true is that David Benullo did visit the various sites (in Mumbai) which would be part of the backdrop of RA.ONE to visualize it. Actually, Benullo is writing the superhero part of the collaborative script by SRK, Sinha and Sheikh and they are working as a team.

The much awaited RA.ONE is expected to release sometimes during the first quarter of 2011.

Priyanka wants to beat Shahrukh

Priyanka Chopra who is set to host the daredevil show Fear Factor on TV has now decided to so all her stunts in the upcoming sequel of Don.

We hear that she would be doing high speed summersault jumps and plunges in the film all by herself. She would not let any body double perform these stunts for her and has also asked her director to not keep her gender in mind while devising her stunts.

She is raring to perform the stunts as tough as that of her co-star Shahrukh Khan. Without revealing much she assures that the Don 2 will have far more intricate stunts than in the Don.

She is of opinion that today’s audience do not fall for body doubles. So as to make it look convincing she has decided to do it on her own.

Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan: Together in illness too!

Bollywood film stars who have forever been compared and contrasted are of course the Khans!

Now it is Shahrukh and Aamir that we are talking about here.

The two, have most of the time made news due to their offbeat comments about each other or their films being compared on some pretext or another.

However, when there is a connection of some sort, even nature plays some peculiar tricks, as was seen recently.

It so happened that Shahrukh Khan, who had gone for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, had literally screamed his lungs out during the exciting moments there. As a result, he had to suffer the aftermath of it all by getting a bout of cold, cough and an attack of the flu!

However, back in Mumbai, there was another Khan, Aamir, who had an extra dose of the excitement due to the music launch of his home production flick Peepli [live].

The music launch, which took place in Mumbai, was quite an event, and it did receive great media coverage and a very enthusiastic audience response. This all got frenzied Aamir Khan to work extra hard, only to fall sick too.

Recently, Aamir who has joined twitter posted on his page this message-“Just got back home after a long day. Down with fever. I guess the excitement of Peepli [live] music launch last evening got to me. Pill time.

Well, seems like these two Khans always manage to do things almost at the same time, even in illness they are together, so here’s wishing the two greats of Indian cinema a quick recovery!

Khans, Roshans bonding continues

The Gauri Khan-Sussanne Roshan bonding continues. And this time they were actually bonding at London’s Old Bond Street.

These two superstar wives were dressed in their designer best, and each of them was carrying enough bags to break a donkey’s back. Unfortunately there are no mules in London, so Gauri and Sussanne were lugging their own plastic sacks laden with the most expensive stuff that the London stores stock.

Hrithik, who is wrapping up his shoot in Spain, is expected to join Sussanne, Gauri and Shah Rukh in London any day now. The Khans and the Roshans are expected to party hard. This is the lifestyle of Bollywood’s rich and famous.

Shahrukh Khan: Once again, on American soil!

Shahrukh Khan, the most popular bollywood star to ring a bell in the northern territories of America, is now going to capture wider audiences soon.

Reportedly, there is going to be a DVD launch in the North American markets of the hit flick ‘My Name Is Khan’.

This Karan Johar flick had managed to rake in the highest gains at the overseas market, and when Karan had re- released the flick there with English sub-titles, so that it would cater to a wider audiences there, it had got a very positive response too.

Now, it is the turn of those people who, for some reason were not able to catch the particular flick in theaters. Even, there are others who for some reason are not able to go to theaters at all.

Thus, for those people, it is indeed going to be quite an experience, to get the opportunity for a great viewing of this super hit flick, right in their living rooms, or even in their bedrooms, for that matter, by simply picking up the DVD.

Well, as much as Shahrukh spells magic, so does his pairing with the all time favorite Kajol, thus, the flick, which has this romantic couple and their sizzling chemistry in the middle of several challenges, should be of a great inspiration for people with similar challenges.

We wish the DVD launch a great success!

The Bollywood romcom still showing after 15 years

After a summer of under-performing blockbusters, Hollywood bosses might do well to look at the incredible success of India's longest-running film, still packing in cinema-goers after 15 years.

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl: a classic recipe for box office bullion

Released in 1995, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The big hearted will take the bride) has become one of the most popular films of all time.

Having broken all records in terms of number of showings and box office takings, it is now in its 769th week at one of the main cinemas in Mumbai (Bombay), the beating heart of Bollywood.

And the film continues to play to a nearly full house over weekends at the 1,000-plus-seat Maratha Mandir cinema in the south of the city.

Spectators stream in in steady numbers for the matinee show of DDLJ - as it is popularly known - at the 52-year-old cinema.

The best seats cost just 20 rupees (42 US cents; 27 UK pence).

Manoj Desai, executive director of the cinema, says the movie has been a record-breaking success for multiple reasons.

The film catapulted Shahrukh Khan to Bollywood megastardom

"The film is perfect with lovely music and the best Bollywood pair," he says.

"Also, this theatre is in a strategic location where we get 40% viewing from people who are travelling into or out of Mumbai.

"This place is for masses, so the rates have been maintained for years. Most importantly the film is important because of its message of love with parents' permission."

For sheer box office staying power, the movie has even leap-frogged classics such as The Sound of Music and The Guns of Navarone, Mr Desai said.

'Magical'

It is a love story, where boy meets girl (both Indians living in London) on a trip to Europe.

But girl's marriage is already fixed to her father's friend's son in Punjab in India.

I never get bored of DDLJ - It's like I am in a loving relationship with the film” - Jagjivan Maru (Chief projectionist)

What follows is an entertaining drama careering between London and Punjab, and in the end, of course, the lovers get together - with the families' blessing.

The lead pair, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, became stars overnight.

The film catapulted Shahrukh Khan, now also known as King Khan, to the top league of stars and he was typecast as a "romantic hero" for years.

Cinema officials say nearly all seats are taken at weekends and the film sometimes does better than new releases.

The film is now run on a no-profit, no-loss basis for the theatre as well as for Yash Raj Films, producer of DDLJ.

Jagjivan Maru, the cinema's chief projectionist, who has been showing this movie since its release, says it is magical.

"I have seen this movie every day for the last 14 years. That is a record in itself. It is our job to show the film. However, I never get bored of DDLJ.

"It's like I am in a loving relationship with the film. I still love the last scene when Amrish Puri [who plays father of the actress] slaps Shahrukh Khan."

A story well told

Rishi, who had come to see the film, said: "I had seen this film earlier four to five times many years back. I also see it on TV once in while.

The laughed, they cried, they came back to see it again and again

"I dropped in with my friends. Maybe I still like the film because I first saw it in my college days and it really worked then. Most of my friends saw the film many times - for the love story, songs and the actors."

Taran Adarsh, a trade analyst says: "It is not about the records this film has set. Records will follow if there is content.

"This film has got everything right: music, actors, direction. The movie is still making decent collections despite it being shown on TV very often. It is a story well told."

The cinema officials plan to keep the film running as long as they can and have planned a big celebration in October 2010 to mark the full 15 years since its release.

Among other popular features of the movie is its catchphrase "Come, fall in love" - and the audience at Maratha Mandir seemed to have done just that with DDLJ.

 - BBC

Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan: Common friends, Thanks to Twitter?

Long has been the battle of the Khans, discussed through out the length and breadth of the country, and the cold war between the two warring Khans, namely Aamir and Shahrukh always seemed to be boiling somewhere deep down in everyone’s heart and soul.

Every film buff in the country was well aware of the fact that, the moment one of the Khans would pass a casual comment on the other; it would soon become a National obsession, to discuss what the other would have to say, as a counter reaction!

But, not anymore. With the advent of technology and science, launching more and more sophisticated ways of interaction amongst humans, the world of the web, has brought about a revolution of sorts, even in binding, building and creating human relationships.

Thus, the micro blogging site twitter has brought about quite a pleasant change in the way our stars seem to face and interact with each other.

Aamir Khan, who has just joined the site a few days back, is already popular amongst most of his fraternity in bollywood. Even though Shahrukh Khan is one of the foremost bollywood stars to have joined this site, he has not yet interacted with his great on and off competitor Aamir Khan!

Aamir has however, gone on record saying that one day, he will surely follow Shahrukh on twitter. But, Aamir has surely managed to rub Karan Johar the right way.

Reportedly, KJO had been a special guest, along with other bollywood bigwigs, at the music launch of the Aamir Khan production ‘Peepli [LIVE], in Mumbai, a day back.

Now, considering the fact that Karan Johar is one of the die-hard Shahrukh Khan Camp bigwigs in bollywood, everyone was quite taken in by surprise, to see Aamir and KJO gelling so well at the event. The two are said to follow each other on twitter too.

Now, whatever might be the opinion of film buffs, but Twitter surely seems to be the binding factor, to make common friends between the two top stars in the country Aamir and Shahrukh Khan. Should we say then –A big thank you to twitter?

No one can replace Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan has always been there for his close friends in tinsel town. Juhi Chawla is one such friend who can rely on SRK in her thick and thin. Off late, SRK like a good friend has been taking care of stress-stricken Juhi post brain hemorrhage of brother Bobby Chawla.

Depressed Juhi recently was advised to flow off to London for a break. The pretty actress joined her husband Jai Mehta and kids for rejuvenation. Shahrukh too joined Mehtas and gave a good company to Juhi to relieve her stress. SRK also accompanied Juhi while consulting specialists for the betterment of Bobby.

Well, a friend in need is a friend indeed seems to be SRK’s mantra. Listening to this, Juhi surely must have realized that no one can replace a friend like Shahrukh.