Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Hi!

When I created this blog, I never thought anyone would bother to look it up or read it, much less to follow it. But with a variety of widgets I realised that this blog does get traffic despite the lack of promotion and dearth of recognizable tags.

My SRK blog was started because my obsession over Shah Rukh needs an outlet, but seeing all the flags nicely lined up on the side of it does make me feel happy that I'm not obsessing alone. Thanks so much for caring about Shah Rukh enough to put up with my nonsensical blab, esp at times when I wax lyrical about HIMSELF like 7 times a day. I want to assure you that my madness is not in any way a reflection on my idol's sanity (lol).

This is just to tell people who visit this blog and feel disappointed when there's no new post some days, that I do update almost everyday. But instead of writing new posts, I paste new links in my WIP posts because whenever I find some interesting ones, I archive them.

I need to watch his clips everyday or I'd die. Well, not immediately. It'd probably be a slow, withering death. Okay, for those who have difficulty in detecting dull humour, that was a joke.

So, check out those links! Who knows to what other fun links they'll lead you to :P

Monday, June 29, 2009

Putting Bytes to Words - MNIK

Quotes of the day

Farah Khan:
SD: When it began, did you believe that it was going to be such a huge success?
FK: Of course. When I wrote the script, I knew it well that it had to be a commercial success. Otherwise, it’s a 30 crore movie; it was a big film, its got Shah Rukh and everything. It wasn’t designed to be a niche film. When we read the script and throughout the shooting, I think this is the first time I heard Shah Rukh say, ‘this is a big one’. And Shah Rukh never praises his own movies.


SD: When you realized that ‘Saawariya’ and OSO’ were releasing the same time, was there a feeling of nervousness?
FK: No, I was never nervous. In fact, Shah Rukh and I discussed this; everyone would want their film to be a solo release. It’s not like we have a big ego or something. I wouldn’t want a Bhojpuri film to have joint release. I knew that ‘Saawariya’ and ‘OSO’ were two different kinds of film.


SD: Did you understand Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grouse in the end?
FK: Yes, I can understand it. It’s human nature. Its defense mechanism in the end. Because after so much success, it made it difficult to handle even the slightest criticism and this one got real slander. It was brutal. See, I’ve seen my dad go through it. I’ve seen failures. I’ve seen Shah Rukh go through ups and downs. When ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’ released, he was getting kicked, people were saying he’s over. I think, how you handle your failure is a little more important than how you handle your success.


SD: So Farah Khan’s involvement as a director is going to be restricted to Red Chillies after delivering two hits with them?
FK: I’m quite happy with Red Chillies right now. ‘Coz Shah Rukh and I share a great rapport and they’re offering me whatever or perhaps better than what anyone else’s offering. So there’s no reason to work with another production house. It’s a comfort factor. I have worked as a choreographer with so many producers. But this is comfortable, its like my company, contrary to what’s written, I’m the one who’s controlling the budgets and Shah Rukh says, ‘Spend, spend, spend’. He’s like you’re not spending enough. And anyways I’m out of action for a year now.


SD: There was something in the press about a fallout between Shirish and Shah Rukh over his next directorial venture in which he wanted SRK to act.
FK: I can’t answer that because the two of them are handling it. But there was no fall out between them. They are fine. We go for dinners to Shah Rukh’s house and he comes over many a times. There was no fallout so there was no awkwardness between them. And this was all when I was working on the last leg of ‘OSO’. Shah Rukh and I also had like zero problem.


SD: And was Viveik the only other actor you approached?
FK: Yeah. I narrated the script to Viveik because I’d to start shooting. Shah Rukh actually asked me to meet Viveik, it was his suggestion. We basically wanted a hero to play the villain’s part, not some character artist. Then finally we dragged Arjun on new year’s night into the bathroom, people were banging the door on the outside, they were wondering what the three of us were doing inside. And we bullied Arjun saying, ‘Just shut up and do it. Just trust us.’ After that Arjun was alright and eventually played the part. Half an hour, the three of us were inside the bathroom talking. I’m sure people thought some weird casting couch is going on inside.


SD: Earlier it seemed like Yash Raj and Shah Rukh Khan were in a symbiotic relationship. Today, with SRK’s stakes raising high, Yash Raj needs Shah Rukh more than SRK needs Yash Raj.
FK: I don’t think Shah Rukh ever needed anyone. He brings his own USP to the table, for whoever he does a movie. Whether it’s a ‘Don’ or it’s a ‘Chak De’ or something. He is Shah Rukh Khan, so I don’t think he needs them more or vice versa. As long as it’s a good film and sometimes even if it’s not a good film, he kind of swings it with his charisma, and his star power. At least he gets that opening. With ‘OSO’ becoming a success, for Shah Rukh it’s a good thing, because Red Chillies is now one of the top five production houses in the country. ‘OSO’ is one of the highest grossing films of the last ten years.


SD: So tell me about your own production now?
FK: Just that I’m waiting for them to come out yaar (pointing at her baby bump)So one does gonna be choreographer, one film editor and the other director?By twenty years they’ll be tycoons yaar. They’ll do whatever they want. But they’d surely be doing something connected to films. With my husband and I in films, with my brother Saajid in films and Shah Rukh around there’ll be a complete filmi atmosphere, which I think is great. I’ll take them on the sets and leave them there.


Arjun Rampal:
SD: Your character was the villain of ‘Om Shanti Om’ (OSO). Was it a tough decision to make considering that you’ve played hero so far? Or was it simply the mounting of this magnum opus that made you give the nod of approval?
AR: I think it was a tough decision because it is the toughest role I have played. Initially I was a bit skeptical and then I spoke to Farah and Shah Rukh about my fears and Shah Rukh said to me as an actor when one takes on a film it is about the different expressions one can get out of it. Six or seven years ago the films were much more hero centric. I think all actors nowadays are just playing characters and hero is the film itself. Actors are changing their looks for films. Yet this was a very negative character and therein was the challenge.


SD: Were you insecure when you were not promoted in the initial promotions of ‘OSO’? It seemed to be only SRK and Deepika and even Shreyas Talpade had made it to the high ranks but not you.
AR: Sure. What you are saying is right. But if I had a song in the film then that would be promoted. It’s the way we promote our films. As for the teaser, I know for a fact that they wanted to promote me as the surprise package of the film. There was no point for them to open all their cards. Being a superstar and having a huge draw at the box-office Shah Rukh still works so hard to create awareness about his film, so when Shah Rukh has a plan you follow it.


SD: When SRK sports a six pack, does it take the limelight away from Arjun’s Adonis physique?
AR: No, I don’t think so. I think Shah Rukh’s six pack is an achievement. He has not done it over six months like people think. He has been working out for three and a half years on his body and he has been very aware of it. It all started when his son Aryan showed him a six pack and said. ‘dad you don’t have this’, and it has taken him this much time because of his neck injury and knee injury. He is not even a gym going person. Having the addictive personality that he has, he has achieved this and any person who is fit and inspires others is a role model. He has a lean, nice body, not a steroid infested or pumped up unusual one. He looks athletic, it suits him. I know my fitness levels and I don’t get into comparisons unnecessarily. It didn’t require me to remove my shirt so I didn’t. Maybe in the next film we do together we will both come bare bodied.


Viveik Oberoi:
SD: Weren’t you worried about the fallouts of saying no to a biggie like ‘OSO’ especially since the producer and Bollywood power center Shah Rukh Khan is not known to take rejection very kindly?
VO: Both SRK and Farah were so absolutely nice and encouraging through this whole process that even I was taken aback. I know them and did not expect them to be vicious. But I didn’t think they would be so graceful, this just strengthened our relationship. I will always respect and thank them for that. But at that point in time I did not want to do that role because personally that was not the direction I wanted my career to go. They respected that and we are still great friends and we do spend a lot of time and have a lot of fun together and Farah still maintains that I was the first guy who told her that the film would be the biggest hit of the year and of her career. She sent me an sms saying that when the film was released and declared a mega hit.The second thing is that for me to say no to ‘OSO’ should have been the scariest moment of my life but it turned out to be the most secure and fearless moment. Because if the project was so big and I could say no there because of the firm conviction I had in my head, then I had a lot of clarity. It was a great role for someone who wanted to do it but not for me.

SD: Today when you make an appearance for a Kolkata Knight Riders’ match and cheer the team in full gear, is it your way of saying to SRK that I might have said no for the film but I am ready to bend backwards for you?
VO: No, it is an honest way of saying thank you for being so wonderful and not allowing a professional decision to come in the way of personal friendship. Tomorrow if I became a senior star and subsequently a producer, I would take a page from SRK’s book. Whatever your decisions might be professionally, he does not treat you personally on the basis of that. If he does not like you, he will not invite you. Let us be honest, at the stature he is at today, someone like me will not even matter.

Putting Bytes to Words - SRK to be conferred honorary doctorate degree

Yumm...

A blog about Shah Rukh is simply not complete without entries on his heroines. My favourite would be Rani, of course. And if you check his list of movies, Rani has played his on-screen wife (and lover.. ehem) more times than the others... although Kajol is fast catching up. I have no wish to indulge in fantasies about him getting it on with Rani or Kajol or whoever. I just love their on-screen camaraderie and would like to just leave it at that. Yes, I'm a bit of a prude (lol).

I especially adore these three female co-stars who have graced the screen, and stage, with their superb dancing skills. Rani is a trained Odissi dancer, Madhuri is an accomplished Kathak dancer, and while I can't find anything on Aish's classical dance background... she dances like a dream. Coincidentally, all three have played the part of courtesan in different movies, so when I found this youtube fanvideo clip, I couldn't resist pasting it here. Thanks for the lovely video, Preitybabe!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

I would like to have a SRK steak, please?

An interview with Farah Khan that's absolutely peppered with references to Shah Rukh:

Just mumbling...

I stumbled upon this post and I found the 'Personal Analysis' part quite a fun read, so I'm pasting it here.

One thing I always want to say to his fans whenever I read some comments in some forums or blogs, but I never do coz I like to mind my own business when I'm on the web, is that... you can believe Shah Rukh to be whatever person you want him to be, just that don't be disappointed when he's not what you think he is, that's all.

My interest in Shah Rukh is purely virtual, and I can't imagine that one day I'd be face-to-face with the guy. I can't imagine screaming when I see him exiting some hotel. I can't imagine looking him in the eye and asking him questions or even saying 'hello'. I'm so reserved and shy that were I to be at the location shoot with a paper and pen in my hand, I'd likely ask a friend to go and get that autograph from him. I'm hopeless with celebrities and strangers, unless it's for asking directions. And even then, it's because I'm too lazy to find my way around by myself coz I know I'll get lost for sure (me and map don't like each other very much).

I enjoy Shah Rukh in his movies, and while he's doing things he loves doing. I enjoy his interviews like I've never enjoyed anyone else's. I enjoy the thoughts that he disperses to all and sundry in his biographies and speeches. And I'd like to continue enjoying his presence without judging him for what he is and what he is not, for as long as I can. Forasmuch as he appreciates his fans and knows in his heart that each fan he has (which inludes me) is one of the faces in the huge, gargantuan crowd that supports him, I'll be here.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

So...

... if you're thinking of furthering your study to a university in the UK and you're a die-hard Shah Rukh Khan fan, which university would you pick?

Bedfordshire University, of course.

I'm thinking some of us out there are beginning to have a serious change of heart regarding the course they want to take (hehe).

I find the news awesome, and hopefully this time the people in Jamiya Miliya Islamiya will finally give him the call he's been waiting to hear for almost 2 decades to invite him over and give that talk.

So next time he's in Malaysia, be sure not to mess up the protocol. For those who're still not clued in, it's Datuk Dr. Shah Rukh Khan for you!

Endorsements

He has done so many that simply posting the individual youtube clips for each ad will take up too much space. I like it when the posts I'm reading are all on the same page so I don't have to scroll down too much (I have lazy fingers) and I guess a lot of people prefer that too.

Endorsement is a huge part of his professional life, and he's known to have thanked the companies who trust him to carry their brands forward as the financial perks it's given him has enabled him to do the kind of cinema he wants to be involved in without having to be particular about the paycheques he receives from the movie producers.

So here it is... my page on ads he's done over the years, which may also include non-clippy things like articles or interviews I could find.

1. Tag Heuer

2. Du Mobile

Achtung!

SRK delivering a speech... (what ceremony is this?)



If you care to notice... the last few sentences of the speech were given without looking at the script (which I suspect he wrote himself). This is the kind of thing that got me thinking how Shah Rukh might have played quite a major role behind the scene in changing the landscape of Bollywood.

And on screen too. Don't forget, the two films that broke international barrier have him as lead: DDLJ and KKHH. For western countries, DDLJ did it for them and in Malaysia, it was KKHH that got Hindi films back on our interest radar. Even the films associated with Amitabh Bacchan's successful comeback are Mohabbatein and KKKG, which also have him as part of the cast ensemble.

He is always steps away from everyone else in terms of awareness, esp when it has to do with commercial values, and what the next step should be. His views are not only based on what's currently popular, and most times he says things that are just common sense but can still make people go... 'hey, I never thought of it that way'. And he has no qualm about working extra hard to make a non-popular concept work in his favour, in his filmi or non-filmi ventures.

Fans, non-fans and critics can bitch and whine about him and his works all they want if that's what gets them on, but that's because there're so many things they can bitch and whine about as he's got his fingers in too many pots. Shah Rukh is the one person in Bollywood who has never failed to raise our interest level a tad pitchier, whether by himself or by his association with the other stars. Heck, he is the only reason why I'm interested in Bollywood in the first place. If he were to disappear from Indian cinema for whatever reason... then I'm outta here in a jiff, man.

He may have failed in some of his enterprises due to God knows what reasons, but he has always believed passionately about where he (and everyone else, really) should go next. And I think it's really keren (this is a fun Indonesian word, which means 'cool' ..I don't even know how to pronounce it but I think it rocks).

I dunno what to title my posts anymore...

... because I suck at naming and titling things.

Anyway, I wanted to write a post earlier on the sacking of Mr B, yeah.. kinda late huh? But I was away from the country for a fortnight and the hotel only has wifi at the lobby, plus the hotel TV has 59 channels to flip through, so my blogging activity was a bit stunted.

Needless to say, the news made me go.. YES! *fist in the air* ..when I read it at the office computer in the workplace I was placed at. No one was around, I checked (hehe). I bet the only guy who's wondering where he had gone wrong was Mr B himself. The rest of the population, esp the cricket savvy ones, can probably point out 1001 stuff that has gone completely wrong during the games he coached.

Gayle was saying some good things about him, but all I can say is... if you compare it to studying for an exam... learning all the good points and actually going into the exam hall, answering those questions & scoring 100% are two completely different things most times.

His 'vision' led to two consecutive losses for the team. As fans, that's all we can care about, really. I dunno about anyone else, but when it comes to competitions or tournaments, winning is everything to me. Which is probably why I seldom enter them coz I get stressed out easily and then my body will go under and I get sick (like right now, actually, although it's just about work and nothing to do with a competition of any kind). But I'm hankering to study some stuff soon that will make me go through exams to graduate. All this exam-less studying is beginning to make my boredometer go off the chart.

Now they're looking out for new coaches. I hope they won't be overpopulating the franchise with non-performing staff this time.

EDIT:
I also found this on Shohaib (SHAH RUKH TAKES ON SHOAIB’S THREATS). Wow, I haven't read anything about this before. No wonder it's so silent on the Akhtar front. I thought it's all because of that ban he's under from the Pakistan government.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Just musing...

Maybe the non-muslim fans of Shah Rukh are angry too regarding the fatwa issued against him that refers to him as kafir (i.e. non-muslim). All I can say is, please refrain from commenting about something you understand nothing about. The more you comment, no matter that it was written in good intention, you will definitely insult the muslim fans with your remarks, whatever it is. And no matter how you try to justify your remarks later or apologise, the damage has already been done. "Silence is golden" is really a true and tested adage in this case.

See, I know nothing about Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and other religions of this world other than what I saw of the followers, what I read in books/magazines/papers, and what the followers of those religions told me themselves. I have my own opinion regarding those religions, which I will never in a million years make public or even say to the respective followers. I don't follow their faith, nor do they follow mine. Knowing about other religions does not make you knowledgeable about it. You have to spend some time believing and following in their paths to have an inkling of what the religions are about. That's why I respect people who study religion in order to seek the light of truth, not to pass exams or just obeying their parents or, God forbid, studying it in order to manipulate/hide/overcome the teachings and spread lies and untruths.

To explain what a fatwa is, a simple definition does not suffice. I'm no Islamic scholar myself, and I hold fatwa issued by our religious leaders in high-esteem. But there are conditions that must be fulfilled in order for a fatwa to be issued, and in the opinions of the other Islamic scholars published in several papers (this is also my opinion), these conditions have not been fulfilled. Accusing another muslim of apostasy is a sinful thing to do, but apparently the accusers are so sure that they'll go to heaven and the other guy is going to hell to come out with such statement. We have such things happening in our country too. Fools exist everywhere on earth.

I don't understand what it is about Islam that evokes so much fear in the hearts of people, muslims and non-muslims alike. But I think the negativity surrounding Islam stems from ignorance, lethargy to learn, impatience to triumph, political milage and competition for power. Embracing Islam means leaving the world behind, but it also means governing the earth. Saying that finding a balance between the two is difficult is actually a gross understatement. Many things happen to us in the course of our lives that we justify a lot just to keep on going. Shah Rukh justifies a lot between his belief and his work/personal life, but I think it's no more than any of us would have done. Far from it for me to say that he's going to hell because he marries a Hindu or because he's an actor... I mean, I have no idea where I'm going myself even though I wear a veil and and don't drink alcohol/eat non-halal food and refrain from socializing freely with men and pray 5 times a day and fast during Ramadhan and save my money to go for Hajj. Everytime I watch a Hollywood movie where the characters die and 'go into the light' I find myself thinking... "boy, they have it easy".

So long as Shah Rukh declares that he is a muslim, then I see no reason why anyone would want to accuse him of not being one. I believe that God knows what's in our hearts. Let Him be the judge of our deeds and determine our final resting place.

P/S:
If you want to comment to my blog, at least please leave a name behind, if not a link, for a personal touch. I have this severe aversion towards reading comments signed by 'Anonymous'. I really don't like this 'Anonymous' guy/gal, whoever he/she is, and I hope I'll never have to run into him/her in my blog ever again.


Thursday, June 18, 2009

uh oh... here we go again~

Have they even read the interview that contains the supposedly outraging religious sentiments? Here, I'm pasting it in my blog for your benefit:

According to you who is the most impressive figure in history?
There are lots of them, some negative ones like Hitler, then Napoleon,Winston Churchill and if I can call it history, then Prophet Mohammed and from recent time — Nelson Mandela. And there are the nice ones like Gandhiji and Mother Teresa.

This reminds me of his interview when he supposedly told Gavaskar to buy his own team, hmmm. IMO, to look at the reply above from Shah Rukh's POV, it has to be divided thus:


  • Impressive leaders of nations - Hitler (negative); Napoleon and Winston Churchill (positive)
  • Impressive historical figures in general - Prophet Mohammed (long ago), Nelson Mandela (recent)
  • Historical figures who were not involved directly in determining the politics of their countries but are impressive because of their peaceful approach towards the people - Gandhiji, Mother Teresa
See, it makes sense now, doesn't it? The problem with Shah Rukh is his brain works faster than his tongue and most of us have to read what he says several times before we can understand what he was getting at. I mean, seriously... I didn't hear anything about French and British national groups registering complaints on Shah Rukh for allegedly grouping their previous leaders with Hitler, did you?

Now they're registering complaints againts SRK. I was so blah about it, I registered to Hindustan Times just to give this comment:

I find muslim religious groups in India incomprehensible. First, they threw flamming bottles at his house over some song lyrics they haven't even heard. Now they're registering complaints over a statement that I'm sure they haven't even bothered to read. Because if they've read it as I have, they'll find there's nothing 'outraging' about it. I should know because I'm a practicing muslim who pray 5 times a day and I'm not outraged. SRK gave a sensible answer to a question, and I have no idea how it suddenly became an “outraging religious sentiments”. I'd like to suggest to these publicity-hungry outfits, to find out first what in the world they're registering complaints about before embarrassing themselves infront of the whole world. Coz anything to do with SRK always finds itself in the front pages of international news.

What Shah Rukh has to say about it:
"Obviously, I think that there is no figure in history more important than Prophet Mohammad. Also being a Muslim and standing up for the tenets of Islam is my most important agenda.... and if they have seen my interviews, etc on TV about Islam, then the people who are objecting, should realise that what has appeared is a writing error not a thought or view that I believe in. Prophet Mohammad is the most important positive figure in Islam... and anyone who questions my view on that, is doing it for just creating a controversy." (Source)


EDIT:

I'm not sure why my blabbering, unimportant post is pasted in a pakistanidefence forum (yeah, I'm tracking your comings and goings) but if you're THAT interested in my puny worthless opinion, these are the follow-ups to it. It's sort of my reply to the comments pasted below and today is the last post I've written on this issue...

This is going to be a long one. Skip it if you don't care...
Well, I hope you guys are satisfied now...

I'm not interested to dissect a movie star on the subject of his faith and religious practices, coz seriously... that's such a ridiculous notion it's not even funny. If you want to have a role model whom you can look up to in terms of his strong adherence to the tenets of Islam, I suggest you turn away from the cinema halls and head towards the mosques/some religious institutions, coz usually that's where guys like that can be found... or else you're running a risk of being laughed off as hypocrites.

Shah Rukh makes his living romancing women on-screen, and to suddenly turn him into an ambassador of Islam is so... I can't even find the word to express my feelings about this bizarre concept. Maybe this sort of concept only finds acceptance in his subcontinent, so who am I to judge? I'm just an outsider who loves Shah Rukh Khan the actor. I know nothing about Shah Rukh Khan the person (what I got from his interviews is still his public persona so I essentially have no clue what he's like in real real life), nor am I so eager to know that I'm willing to stalk him 24-7 just to satisfy my curiosity. But hey, it's your life and you can spend it however you want to.

Signing off with love,

Ami

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Let's do a calculation based on logic

Even though I think Hrithik deserved the Best Actor win for Krrish and Koi Mil Gaya, but I don't think he's crafted Akbar as an amazing character. If Shah Rukh had to lose, I'd much rather he lost to Naseerudinji in the Wednesday.

In fact, can I say that JA is a boring movie? The battle sequence made me yawn and the movie is peopled by characters I can't give a dem about. Aishwarya looks like a doll most of the time and the only scene that made me sit up and take notice is the sword scene between Jodhaa and Akbar.

If Shah Rukh got the IIFA Star of the Decade, it's only logical that the same people who voted for him in that category would vote for him in the Best Actor category as well.

I know Shah Rukh's fans... I'm one of them. 99.999% of us will NEVER EVER vote for someone else as Best Actor no matter how good they are on screen (coz we sincerely believe that Shah Rukh's acting chop is always going to be above everyone else's in whatever movie he stars in, that's why).

So by logic, if he got the most votes for Star of the Decade and let's say that 0.001% of us veered off track and voted for someone else, I'm sure he still would have got the most votes for Best Actor.

So why didn't he win? No wonder Shah Rukh said the movie industry is like a playhouse. The people in it play games of intrigue that none of us outsiders understand.

Another question, what is the point of having different award ceremonies if the big winners are all the same people? Might as well have one big award for mainstream movies, one for indies and one for made for TV shows. That way, we won't have to watch repetitious acceptance speeches that'll drive us bonkers with boredom.

(Also, I think it's a joke nominating Abishek and Hrithik along in the Star of the Decade category. They've got about 10 more years of work to catch up with the other nominees)

Anyway, congrats to Shah Rukh for getting the IIFA award. This year's not a very good one for him in terms of winnings, is it? Hope he'll get lots next year. Please don't get severely injured again coz we want you healthy and at your workaholic best, Datuk.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

On the other hand...

...I hate it when other people are having catfights and Shah Rukh's name got dragged in the mud without any rhyme or reason.

Go pull hair and bite each other's face if you want, but leave him out of it. Shah Rukh is supposed to be doing only a cameo in that movie and stuff like this is already creeping and crawling out of the pile of dirty laundry.

Do you guys know what a cameo is?? A cameo is an appearance so short that you'd probably miss it if you blink. It's not bloody substantial. In fact, I don't like watching his cameos. I get disturbed when I want to watch a movie just to catch him in it. It's like I'm not doing the movie any justice. If it's a good movie, it should be followed until THE END. Or else, I prefer not to watch it at all.

Sometimes I wonder why Shah Rukh even agrees to do cameos in the first place. He always gets injured doing them, and other times he gets exploited. He has an inhuman amount of patience, that's all I can say about it.

Anyway, I don't feel like pasting this stupid 'news' here. Go there to read it yourself.

Shah Rukh, please don't get yourself killed...

My immediate second reaction was to scream... of course. I want to watch this movie now! LOL

So now that Arjun has been confirmed to appear in the 2nd movie, I'm not peeved anymore about Jasjit's drawn out scenes in the first Don (okay, technically the first Don is a remake of the original Don, but let's just call it Don 1 to save my poor fingers, okay).

Is Issha out of the picture?? *pout*

Wow wow wow wow wow... will Shah Rukh get Best Action Actor in a Lead Role in the AXN Action Awards again? I can't wait to watch it. In fact, I can't wait to watch all the movies he's got lined up for this year and next. Happy, happy... I'm a happy fangirl *dance a jig*

SRK to perform daring stunts in Don 213 Jun 2009, 1231 hrs IST, Subhash K Jha, TNN
Farhan Akhtar says Shah Rukh Khan will be performing daring stunts in Don 2.
He’s always game for the audacious. But the health problems really frustrate him,” says the director referring to the SRK’s shoulder surgery this year.

But now SRK is all set to bounce back with a full-on actioner in Don 2.And there’s Priyanka Chopra for company again.

Bipasha Basu who has been eased out of Race 2 firmly believes leading ladies don’t have a future in sequels.

But here’s one to prove her wrong . Though Priyanka has apparently been left out of Dostana 2 she’s very much a part of Don 2 which starts shooting, finally, in May 2010 in Ireland and Berlin.
In fact Don 2 will be the first Indian film to be shot In Dublin.Says the producer Ritesh Sidhwani, “We’re very much going ahead with the original cast Shah Rukh, Priyanka, Boman Irani, Arjun Rampal and Om Puri.Only those who died in the original won’t return, obviously.”

Also, for obvious reasons, this time there won’t be a double role for Shah Rukh. What he will be be doing is, some of the most heart-in-the-mouth stunts ever done by any leading man and certainly SRK’s most audacious actioner yet.

For this Shah Rukh needs to recover from this year’s back surgery. Says a source, “This is why he allotted dates in 2009 to Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. It requires very little physical exertion whereas Don 2 is a kick-ass role.”

When the proposal to do the sequel first came up Shah Rukh was very sure it would have to go beyond the first part in terms of locales, action and drama.

Says producer Ritesh Sidhwani, “We’re shooting Don 2 in Dublin .No Indian film has been shot there. We want to make sure that the sequel goes ahead of the first film. While the first part was a remake the sequel is an original script and would be much tougher to film for Shah Rukh and Farhan.”

Quote of the day

Source
Aamir has said that you are famous and your films become hits because you have befriended member of the media. What do you think?
You give me the answer if you think this is true. If this is true, then journalism's principal has died and you people are fake! Journalists are fake, news channels are sold out. Then none of the films will flop. I am asking you people if it is true. These are baseless rumors. And I don't have any special friends in the media. If I had friends in the media, you all would not do any negative stories against me. When I came to Mumbai and was on my way to becoming a star, I used to get tensed and angry with the media wanting to write about my personal life. But then I cooled down as I realized that I am doing my job and they are doing their job.

Aamir has put up his Ghajini statues in theatres to compete with your film. What is your reaction?
I think Ghajini will be a blockbuster. See I will tell you that he is intelligent, he is smart and he is a great actor. And we met each other last night. Don't take it the wrong way! We were shooting next to each other. I will tell you one thing about Aamir. Now Aamir has become so funny ...earlier he was very serious. And now he pulls my leg so I can also pull his leg. So I thought I would tease him about his hair but when I saw him his hair had grown. Then I asked him about the boys who have gone bald because of him as they are sporting the Ghajini hairstyle and what if their hair doesn't grow back? And then I joked with him about his muscles. I got a six pack last year but Aamir has got an eight pack now, so who toh mere se aage nikal gaya hai. I wish him all the best for Ghajini.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Shah Rukh unplugged

People always think that when Shah Rukh talks about his awards and medals that he's being obnoxiously arrogant about his achievements. They simply refuse to believe that his enthusiasm towards those shiny stuff is simply childlike exuberance at winning something.

Maybe they've all forgotten how it's like to win awards when they were 8-years old. Or maybe they've never won anything major at school, at sports or at life. Flip through Shah Rukh's biography and you will see that he's always won at something from way back in high school.

Be it academic or sports, this guy simply loves to win awards, medals and accolades. Being a non-sporty person, I'm still in awe of the fact that he was the captain of hockey, cricket and soccer of his school. Oh, and best student too.

They can be scathing and cynical all they want, but just because they don't have the same drive to excel, it's a crime to expect and force everyone else to be as mediocre as they've turned out to be when they've grown up.

I like Shah Rukh's enthusiasm, and even though I'm not as 'hungry' for life as he is, it's a great balm for the spirit to witness someone like that in real time. I'm so glad he's a living legend, instead of a dead one I can only read in biographical/autobiographical books. I hope he stays awesome for a long time to come.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Quote of the day

Whenever Shah Rukh talks about Islam, I tend to cringe visibly. I've long ago accepted that I don't understand his perception of Allah and Islam, and it's okay that I don't understand it.

After I read "Life of Pi" I realised that the problem lies not in being unable to understand what Shah Rukh is saying, but in being unable to understand how Islam is perceived and practiced in his home country.

Malaysian muslims have their own ways that I'm sure Shah Rukh and the muslims in India may not understand or even agree with. What's important is recognizing our differences and working towards maintaining harmony.

Although, as is everything good in life... these ideals are easy to preach but difficult to follow.


Source
You said that you are making an effort to rediscover Islam. Why now?
Now that I am a father, I have to read up on various subjects, including religion. When my children ask me questions about God, I have to give them an answer. But I am happiest when my son defines God as Ganesh Allah. I don’t want that to change. That sounds so right to me. I tell my son, God, Allah and Bhagwan are all one. My daughter is still too young to ask questions like these.

What role does religion play in your personal life?
I am godfearing and would not like to do anything that may make god unhappy. I smoke and apologise to god for not being able to stop the bad habit. And I believe in heaven and hell.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

SRK Movie My Take - Don The Chase Begins Again 'review' (Part 2)

Part 1

You don't think I've finished spazzing about Don B, do you? 80% of this movie was shot in my country. Of course I'm going to boogie all over it like a crazed fangirl.

Also, I've made it a point that when I do a 'review' of any of his movies, I'll do it while going through the scenes in real time. That's the only way I think I can do justice to them. I'm telling you very pointedly though that every 'review' I do is heavily SRK-centric so if you can't stand a large dose of SRK lurve, keep away. Don't say you haven't been warned.

For people who are not familiar with my 'review' style, it's just a technical term I adopt to mask my obsession to babble/spazz about Shah Rukh and any interesting project he gets his beautiful claws on. It doesn't have a particular format.

So for any of you who thinks I should have written it in a specific format to fit it into a review category, I want to make a word play of what Shah Rukh has said regarding this sort of issue, "If you have a problem then you make your own review and write it the way you want." (hehe)

Let me begin where it all started this time. In romantic Paris:
  • For a cool killer, Don B has a pretty boring ringtone.
  • I love the fact that the transaction was done in the same building as a ballet school. What irony...
  • As Don B is being frisked, he makes this annoyed smiling face. That reminds me of how Shah Rukh said he didn't like being frisked at US airports just because his name is Khan. I guess he was drawing from some surplus emotions in his real life experiences for that scene
  • I love the way he says "Keep it". In fact, I love the way Don B says pretty much all of his lines. I really miss his dialogue delivery when Vijay comes into the picture. I'm like.. give me my Don back!!! It doesn't matter that Vijay was also played by Shah Rukh. The two characters are poles apart that the only reason why I wasn't so blah about Vijay is because I knew from the beginning that it's Don B all along (thanks to wiki spoilers). So watching Don B plays Vijay to fool everyone, from the police officers to his mafia buddies, has its droll moments.. :P
  • Don B is so polite, hai na? His insistence for every request to be followed by "..., please," tickles my easily amused bones. I did say in Part 1 that I love Shah Rukh's characterization of Don B. Despite him saying he knows nothing about characterization, his recent movies have characters with quite a few distinct traits that you can recall easily. According to me, if the audience can immediately remember some quirks a character has, then the actor has assayed the role quite well. And Don B brims with memorable quirks
  • The... "Do you know that there are 36 points on the human body, if struck right, could prove fatal" ...is so random! LOL. But it's fortunate that I'm a kung fu buff, so I do get the reference to the human body pressure points. This type of thing was also highlighted in 'Kill Bill' and discussed quite involvedly in a lot of sites, for example this one where some creeps actually practiced it on their friends, or maybe it's all exaggeration. I think this reference comes out in Farhan's Don because their fight choreographer practices shaolin kung fu
  • I love the first fight scene like OMG! I wish it goes on longer, like in Hong Kong kung fu movies. I love Don B's moves, especially when he breaks the guy's vertebrae. The crunchy sound is so fulfilling. A question though... if someone is blown up, won't his blood, meat and bones be sprayed in all directions along with everything else around him? The glass shards look too white and clean IMO. But that's just gory details I like to notice, so don't mind me
  • Okay, so the defining moment for me is when Don B shoots the guy in the head. It was like.. wham! Instant love.
I would like to know how Vardhaan infiltrates the (Malaysian? Indian?) police force and how long has he been holing himself in there? Anyway... back to Don B and his golf missiles.
  • You know, I feel like memorizing the entire dialogue of that beach-golf scene and deliver it exactly the way Shah Rukh did it. It's just so... delicious! I think this is my most favourite murder scene ever in a movie. Cool, humorous, and unrepenting. "Terrible shoes!" LOL. I just love that one. And I repeat, I like it that Anita laughs at what Don B says about the murder as if it's the most amusing thing in the world. I want her in the sequel, Farhan!
  • I want Priyanka to beat up some practice partners in the dojo... or at least make mincemeat out of a Wing Chun wooden dummy... not just showing off some unconvincing moves all by her own boring self
  • The Ramesh murder scene draws a clear line between a bad guy and an evil entity. Don B is the latter. He's like our Dr. Lecter when he's conversing with the poor guy, the difference is he doesn't pounce on Ramesh and tear the guy's ear off. This kind of acting is what makes so many fans (and media type too) clamor after SRK to take up villainous roles. No one in Bollywood does a psycho quite like him. Don B is not a typical psycho, of course, but by planning a murder so breezily, carrying it out with such aplomb and not showing remorse afterwards, he does fit the bill of a psycho killer. The difference is, he gets monetary benefit when he kills... something typical psycho killers, who usually kill for self-fulfillment, don't care about and may not even understand
  • "I'm trying to quit. It kills you..." LOL. Shah Rukh has delivered anti-smoking lines like this in some other movie too, I forgot which one. It amuses me when a smoker gives anti-smoking campaigns, and it amuses me more that anti-smoking societies are always after Shah Rukh to kick the butt. You people don't really care about his health, do you? And if he truly quits, you will lose a celebrity who can give you a free piggyback ride on your road to extreme publicity. Are you sure that's what you want? Hmmph. Sarcasm aside, smoking is fatal for your health, Shah Rukh. I want you to outlast me, or at least die from overwork... not lung cancer
  • "No, it's mine." ..okay, I know this was lifted from Don A but I prefer the way Shah Rukh delivered it. This is completely my unbiased opinion (lol)
  • I have an issue with the whole earth-gold tone of the hotel, their outfit... even their make-up... for the Kamini-Don B scene. The two seem to be buried underneath too much heavy colour. I dunno, maybe it's just me. Also, I don't get what the fascination with Don B's tie being worn inside his shirt is about. But hey, what do I know about fashion?
  • Every gesture Don B makes fascinate me. Even the... *who were you calling when you're inside?* ...sign language mesmerizes me to oblivion. Hey, I did warn you that this 'review' is going to be very heavily SRK-centric, didn't I? ;P
Yeh Mera Dil and the death of Kamini

Is that a batik shirt he's wearing? o wow o wow o wow o wow o wow...

The only move I don't understand in the whole choreography is Kareena slithering and stalking about on the ugly brown carpet. I was like.. whaaa? It could have been a big brass bed and I still would have cringed. It's just the way it's done. It degrades her sexy Earth Goddess image and ruins the effect of the scrumptious dress. The rest of the choreography is good and Shah Rukh was of course perfect in the song. Yes, yes... again it's my completely unbiased opinion.

I do think despite his insistence that he doesn't like doing romantic movies and that he doesn't understand romance... he instinctively knows what his female audience likes to see on the hero's face and eyes or how the hero behaves with his heroine. Even in a song that lasts a few minutes he can shine when he has a woman (or several women) draped all over his body. It's what makes him a very effective romantic lead. I'm sorry Shah Rukh, but your romantic image will be stuck in our psyche forever. You'll never be able to overshadow it with any comic, dramatic, macho or psycho portrayal any time soon, or maybe ever.

It's my belief Don B knows the entire time that Kamini is a police informer and a bunch of police officers are about to descend onto his lair. And yet, he's so supremely confident of his ability to get away from the seemingly impossible situation that he humours her amorous advances. I dunno about Don A, who looks as if he's not interested in the opposite sex even when it's in the form of luscious Helen, but Don B is oh-so-ready to get down to business with his lady of the night while waiting for the boys in uniform.

Don B is portrayed here (and throughout his Don scenes and some of Vijay's too) by Shah Rukh to be always edgy, a parting of ways from the cool, expressionless and almost-unresponsive Don A who seems to have it all under control. I prefer how Shah Rukh played it (of course, of course hehe). Don B is a megalomaniac, and megalomaniacs never forget for a second that the world revolves around them... while Don A is a workaholic mafia hitman and he never forgets that his work is never done. That's the difference between them, or at least, that's how I perceived it.

"Selamat malam, gentlemen."

Man, I just can't seem to get over that. And I like the creepy lift door that can't close because of the body stopper. So Asian-horror-film like. Nice one. Whose idea was that?

Don B's mysterious disc

Shah Rukh and his laptop... (lol)

Will someone finally tell me what the bloody hell kind of information is in that disc? Why does Don B make it and almost sacrifice his life to get it (when he was being Vijay), then turn around and tell Anita that it's not important??

I love how he delivers these lines:
  • "Ya hamare kam ki... *eyes yummy Priyanka body* ...hai?"
  • "Waja?"
  • "Mujhe junglee bilia boht pasand hai"
  • "She tried to kill me~~~"
Can I say that I absolutely adore the posture Don B adopts when he delivers that... "The biggest mistake Don's enemies can make is to make an enemy of Don" ...line? Every word was lovingly spoken. It's so obvious from the way Shah Rukh treated some lines that he's absolutely crazy over them. I bet he and Farhan went completely ballistic when they were discussing the dialogues and scenes Farhan lifted and modified from the old Don movie.

It's rare for an actor to be able to assay one of his favourite roles by someone he's idolized since childhood, so Shah Rukh is fortunate in that respect. But don't think for a second that he's gonna let us keep comparing between Don A and Don B. The sequel is where he's gonna make us forget that the old movie has even existed. He's gonna 'own' Don and the younger generation will equate Don with Shah Rukh, not Amitabh. That's what he did with Devdas (opinions from SRK-haters and tabloid media type notwithstanding).

What I don't understand annoys the heck out of me

"Nobody says please anymore" ..awww, poor Don LOL.

This whole scene is entirely incomprehensible to me. Even the old movie with its penchant for telling us every itty bitty thing that's going on doesn't give me a clue as to why Don is betrayed or why Don expects to be betrayed. I mean, he wires the whole case with explosives so he must have thought something fishy is going on. But he goes there anyway with a bag full of rupees that he wants to blow up.

Oh, that's another thing I don't get. Is it real money, or does Don come to the meeting with fake money? Frankly, I don't understand a greedy guy (which Don B is) who blows up money. So if it's fake money, what is Don B doing there? That can't be a real transaction, can it? Don B's the type who's absolutely possessive of his reputation. He would not have botched up a deal by conning his clients. I don't like the idea that Don B gets severely injured due to his inability to predict the situation correctly. That sort of incompetence should be reserved for government officials, not crime lords. It doesn't go with the image~~~

Oh, did you know that Shah Rukh did the stunts himself? Yep, including the driving-through-the -great-balls-of-fire sequence. Too bad the camera got burnt to rubble and they lost the footage, otherwise we'd be able to see some cool SRK-in-flames stuff. I'm not sure if he did the whole chase scene though but he did get behind the wheel for some action. His affinity with action stunts scares me (coz I'm a coward when it comes to the people I love. It's okay when I'm the one in the driver's seat though). Please take care of yourself, okay Datuk?

I love the car-chasing part though. Chase scenes usually juggle a lot of logistics issues so I'm always in awe of car/motorcycle chase sequences.

To be continued in Part 3...

Quote of the day

Source
How do you respond to being regarded as the number one star in Bollywood?
I was never number one. It is an old quote of mine that only telephones have numbers.

Ask the distributors in Bihar and CI-CP and they will say Shah Rukh sucks. I have existed at a higher position only because of my overseas position.

I do three films a year and one or two are hits, and that is more due to a Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Yash Chopra or Karan Johar — they make good, hit films, with or without me. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time.

Monday, June 8, 2009

SRK-Kajol-KJo-Farah team is back again

Full article: Source
The song will herald the comeback of Karan, SRK, Kajol and Farah quartet after Farah's choreography for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham's Suraj Hua Madham track.

Farah adds that Karan was sweet enough to even adjust his dates for her. "Initially I was to go for eight days to San Francisco but then he reduced it to four. It's always fun to work with Shahrukh, Kajol and Karan. Though I am very excited to be shooting with the gang again I can't stay without my babies for four days. I don't know what I am going to do."

But hasn't Karan always maintained that MNIK is a songless film? "It's a montage song with the song and music playing in the background. Shahrukh and Kajol won't have much movement or steps to do," she explains.

Here we go again~~

Full article: Source

uh oh.. after the Knight Riders, they're closing onto IIPM next. These 'journalists' really have it for anything Shah Rukh touches outside the realm of filmdom, don't they?

It's like... warrgghhhh, Shah Rukh buys a cricket team! Let's make mincemeat of it! *stab stab*, then... gyaarrrghhh, he's invited to IIPM as a quiz host?? Go find any garbage we can bury this school in! *stab tear tear claw stab*

I can even 'see' the blood spurting from all the virtual wounds. Urgh. Very ugly.

I don't feel like pasting it here... so if you're curious, click the link and read it from the actual page.

My Name is Khan update

Full article: Source (June 01, 2009 03:03:00 PM)
Bathija fleshed out the love story between Rizvan Khan (Khan) and Mandira (Kajol) by reading “An Asperger’s Marriage” by Chris and Gisela Slater-Walker and talking to the couple in depth. She also visited the National Autistic Society in London, and read numerous books on the subject.

“A lot of research has gone into it,” said Bathija. “Chris and Gisela’s book was one of the many I read, but it was especially informative for the Asperger’s male in a marriage with someone who is not on the autistic spectrum. The issues they addressed helped me imagine situations for the script.”

Shah Rukh Khan, too, did independent research on the topic, she said. “I gave him all the books, articles and documentaries I had used in writing the script. He has absorbed and involved a lot of that and brought it out wonderfully in his performance.” Bathija, whose screenwriting credits include “Fanaa,” “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” and “Kidnap,” writes her screenplays in English, and another writer is brought in to adapt the dialogue into Hindi.

Idiot Box news update

Source (Mon, Jun 8 05:00 PM)

Ghar Ki Baat Hai, the weekend situational comedy show on NDTV Imagine produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chilies Idiot Box, will go off air from the first week of July after completing nearly 40 episodes.

The show began on January 30 this year and was given the 9.30 pm slot from Friday to Sunday. Gradually, it was reduced to a weekly show, apparently because of the IPL matches. But the show failed to grab eyeballs. So now, it will be pulled off air.

Shailaja Kejriwal from NDTV Imagine confirms the news. "It's true the show is going off air but it was supposed to. It doesn't have to do with its TRPs. The show had its set of dedicated viewers. We brought it down from three episodes to one because of technical reasons and of course the IPL. It was a one-episode-one-story concept and had to be seasonal." However, she adds that the show will be back after a six month- break in 2010.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

What is happening....??

These flashed in my head while I was reading the article:

  • Hoshiz, Shah Rukh is becoming an institution of excellence all by his own lonesome awesome self!
  • "Who else in India can make an event global by his sheer global popularity than Shah Rukh?" ..who indeed. I dunno how it is in India, but Shah Rukh's fans in Malaysia are not just children and women, but also include some of our ministers and ministers' wives, and also an ex-Prime Minister. I think he's achieved that by being not just an excellent actor, but a trendsetter and a man of vision. Those of you who bother to read my blog would surely have read a lot of his interviews too... so you should know what I'm babbling about
  • I know Shah Rukh has always said he's short... but coupling that word with 'staccato' and using it so familiarly as to call it 'usual' to describe his delivery style amuses me to no end...

What's Shah Rukh doing in B-school?
Shah Rukh Khan is all set to quiz some more. But this time around, it is not the aspiring crorepatis of the country who will face his rapidfire questions, but students of a B-school. Yes, Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) has roped in SRK to host their annual business and marketing quiz, not just for this time, but for the next three years. To be held in association with Planman Media’s magazine, 4Ps Business and Marketing, the idea is to make this India’s premiere B-school quizzing event.

Well, quizzes sure are big on the annual festival list of every business school, but IIPM wants it to be an important annual calendar event in the B-school fest circuit, by not only having SRK host it, but also by making sure that a huge number of international B-schools participate in this quiz. IIPM already boasts of a faculty from various Ivy League colleges from across the world.

Says Arindam Chaudhuri, Dean, IIPM, “The idea is to bring world-class elements in terms of education and the campus life of the students. At IIPM, we have laptops and WiFi campuses for all students, leading faculty from Ivy League B-Schools. We take all our students abroad for study tours in partnership with top B-Schools like Haas, Darden, Judge or McComb. And even this year, IIPM has already placed more than 2200 students in India and 45 students abroad!”

But why Shah Rukh? “Who else in India can make an event global by his sheer global popularity than Shah Rukh? He is perceived as the face of intelligent Bollywood because of his ‘Economics’ education background, his suave marketing skills and sharp intelligence. He is obviously the natural choice,” says Arindam. The finale of the quiz show, which will also be a part of the annual IIPM B-school fest – Amaze — will be held in Delhi — at the IIPM campus in Satbari.

When asked, SRK was his usual staccato short self, “I am coming to IIPM and it will be nice to be there.”

What a loaded interview this is...

Note: There's a brief summary of it here.

This is not by Shah Rukh, but since it's an interview on the conclusion of the strike and I'm following the issue.. so, I'm pasting it here. I'm especially curious as to whom was he aiming the sentence I bolded right at the end. I know that Aamir was the one who was so gung-ho about this due to his own tussle with the multiplex owners and he roped in Shah Rukh to help out (coz having Shah Rukh at any event always guarantees maximum eyeballs). Hmm, hmm...

And wow, putting both of them as your front faces at the beginning... then turning around and saying that they're "...not part of the core community during the just-concluded crisis," sounds very grown-up and mature, Mr. Khanna. Keep up the good work~

Aamir, Shah Rukh not in core group:Khanna
“ We arrived at a settlement late on Thursday night”

So is the strike finally over?
Yes, it’s finally over. We arrived at a settlement late on Thursday night. The problem was the way films were distributed in the last 15 years was very different from what it used to be 50 years before that. With more releases, emergence of multiplex theatres and corporate houses planning releases in a more organized and lavish scale, the market had changed dramatically. But no ground rules about marketing and distribution emerged. Sometimes stronger producers would muscle their way and extract something extra from the multiplexes. Or the larger chain would bully the smaller producer into saying, Okay if you want me to release your film in Kolkata you give it to me for Asansol also.’ In a way, a long-due framework of how the downstream business will operate, has finally been worked out.


Everyone went home happy after the meeting on Thursday night?
Yes. Before I got involved with the strike the producers and exhibitors had taken very hard positions. It took a lot of effort to thaw the ice between the two parties. It was a long-drawn process. We started the meeting at 2 pm on Thursday and ended at 2 am on Friday morning.

What are the financial equations between multiplex owners and producers that have been worked out?
We’ve tried to be as fair to both sides as possible. The right to the marketing strategy of a film will now rest with the producer. The producer will decide how and where to release his film. As a counterbalance to this, the showcasing rights as they are called, that is, how many shows for every film, will rest with the exhibitor. The theatre owners will have the right to decide how many shows each film gets. In this way, no one gets exploited.

What about the revenue-sharing?
It would be 50 percent for the first week, 42 ½ for the second week, 37 ½ for the third week and 30 percent for the fourth week. However there’s a provision provided now by which if a threshold of profits is reached by a film in a certain number of screens then that film will be entitled to a bonus of 2 ½ percent for the first two weeks. That means a successful film like Ghajini gets a little more. Similarly, as a counterpoint to this, by another provision, films that perform exceptionally poorly, like for instance our own Reliace release Love Story 2050, the exhibitor gets a 2 ½ percent rebate.

Besides you, who else were the architects of the resolution?
Mukesh Bhatt and Yash Chopra from the producers’ side. From the mutiplex sides we had Ajay Bijli as the main representative.

Was the time chosen for the strike a deliberate attempt to coincide with the IPL matches?
No, I don’t think so. The differences were brewing for a long time. A couple of meetings ended in an impasse. But finally reason prevailed.

Would you say this is one of the worst years for the film industry?
I’d say this is a year of change. And change is always painful. The entertainment industry is going through a metamorphosis.

In-between Reliance Big Pictures had decided to exempt themselves from the strike?
That was only a rumour.

But Vashu Bhagnani said so.
He can say anything. But I was always confident that before this eventuality could be considered, the strike would be resolved. In any case since Big Pictures has its own chain of theatres, I never had an issue releasing my own pictures in my own theatres.

How much are the losses for the film industry because of the strike?
We’re hit very badly. We’ve lost between 200 and 300 crore rupees. But it was finally for the good. Now we’ve to bring in more efficiency for the system to make up for the losses. Last night Aamir Khan called me. We discussed the problems that the film industry has to face. Everyone is now willing to work together.

What about Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan as the glamour faces of the strike?
There was big crisis in the film industry in 1986. And all the stars were involved. Earlier people like Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Manoj Kumar were actively involved in all industry crises. But Aamir and Shah Rukh were not part of the core community during the just-concluded crisis. I think this industry is growing up. I’m sure that after the strike everyone now realizes that your personal interests have to be separated from the industry’s interests.

Archived links

Some links I want to save:
I've always loved anything related to ads and Shah Rukh. He seldom talks about his ad philosophy now but I love reading whatever article or interview I can get my hands on, and this is one of them.

Being the first film of his I watched at a time when I didn't know anything about him, this film will always be special in my heart. Yes, I watched the oversea 'uncut' version. I like this review, but I don't agree about Maya being a sympathetic character. Why should I sympathise with her for being able to fulfill her wish to act out her greatest fantasy in her dying moment... that of a tragic heroine?

Of cameos and camellias...

As I recall, most of his major injuries were aggravated during the shooting of cameos or item numbers... the back injury, the shoulder injury (remember his fear of losing his arms? The surgery for both injuries could have rendered his left arm useless... which is tantamount to it being cut off, IMO).

The only major one I know he obtained from his own movie was the knee injury from Koyla when he quite hyperly smashed his caps in a dance sequence. Watch the making of to see how it happened. He actually repeated that exact jump during Main Hoon Na in the Chori Chori song (this probably means he's already dabbled as a stunt director during Koyla), but they softened the blow with a pile of matresses.

Well, this article proves what a softie he is when it comes to his friends, or anybody really. Maybe he could become so busy that the solution to the problem (of whether or not he should accept future requests for special appearances) would take care of itself. But then, Shah Rukh can be the busiest man who seems to have all the time in the world... so I doubt he can fulfill that promise he's made to himself to stop doing cameos any time soon.

Source
Shah Rukh Khan has readily made cameo appearances for friends as a goodwill gesture in the past.

However, he had decided to stop doing cameos after he felt that producer Viveck Vaswani tried to take advantage of his goodwill while shooting Dulha Mil Gaya. His decision worried Makrand Deshpande as he had planned a cameo for SRK in his
film, Shah Rukh Bola Khoobsurat Hai Tu.

However, Makrand is at peace now as his superstar friend has finished shooting for the film. As a bonus, Shah Rukh also allowed them to shoot in his home and in his car. Shah Rukh had refused to make cameo appearances after Viveck Vaswani's Dulha Mil Gaya, for which he was asked to shoot for about four days. But when he read the script, he realised that it would take at least 18 days to complete his portion. Thereafter, SRK made the decision about not doing cameos, but we guess there are a few exceptions for friends.

Makrand Deshpande confirmed the news, "I'd mentioned my film to him while shooting for Swades and he agreed to do it. After that, I got my script together and roped in producer Amarjeet Singh. In fact, we took the film on the floors on November 2, which is also Shah Rukh's birthday. I messaged to wish him and informed him about the status of the film. This was in 2007. After that, I started coordinating his dates and I was regularly in touch with him and his secretary Karuna. He said that he will shoot with me before leaving for the outdoor schedule of My Name Is Khan. So, a couple of days ago, he just called me over to his house with the unit and asked me what he has to do. I also made a request that I will need his car and he was extremely sweet. He said we could use whatever we wanted. We shot the sequence where he tells a flower girl, ‘Khoobsurat hai tu’ as she had had a bad day. SRK leaves and that's when she realises that it was Shah Rukh Khan and she collapses with joy. After that, her life changes."

Talking about the sequence, Makrand added, "This sequence was an integral part of my film. After the shoot, he met my whole team and Preetika (who plays the flower girl) and we had a long chat."

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Nooooo!!!

Not the bulgy muscles! I hate that kind of body type T__T

Maybe I can just concentrate on his face and the action and the surroundings and the heroine ...and completely ignore the open shirt. Hmm...

I did think he's going to have to develop this kind of muscles for Ra-1 coz he has to fit into a superhero costume. But this way, he's killing two birds with one stone. Or developing one body for two films. No wonder Ra-1 must be consecutively produced with Happy New Year.

That said, watching Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om gave me the impression that Farah khan has a complete torture album for Shah Rukh to flip through and slip into whenever he stars in her film LOL. She must have developed this burning desire to put him through various obstacles while watching him act in rather unchallenging scenes that she thought didn't deserve him.

Anyway, Shah Rukh has always wanted to act in action-type movies, so I think all this masochistic exercises will make him a happy camper. Happy camper Shah Rukh is a joy to watch on screen so this makes 2010 a very interesting year to look forward to. Film set to be released in 2010: My Name is Khan, Ra-1, Happy New Year. (YEAY!!)

I'm disappointed that Don 2 will be released in 2011 but time flies so fast these days so I'm sure in no time at all I'd be munching popcorn and cheering to another murder-by-golf-ball or other ballistic killer weapon of that variety.

What about The Zoya Factor? Is it going to be put on hold coz the Knight Riders did not do well in IPL 1 & 2 and the executive powers in Red Chillies fear a backlash if they make and release the movie before the team tastes any victory on the real playing XI? They must have planned to include KR in the scenes, so perhaps this decision to put it on the back burner is understandable. O well.. I still think it's a fantastic idea for a movie. Hope it's going to be made soon. Which means... Knight Riders, you guys have to win the final next year! (yeah, I no longer aim for the semis now. It's the final or nothing~)


Full article: Source
The King Khan is set for an uphill task – to develop bulgy muscles and a brawny bod a la Aamir Khan in Ghajini . Farah Khan , who first made SRK get six packs and flaunt them in a shirtless song in Om Shanti Om , is penning a script in which SRK’s role is physically challenging to the limits the superstar hasn’t yet tested in his career so far.

Next book in line...

Daemon by Daniel Suarez.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Source
In the clamour for female and gay eyeballs, some of us forgot the original Mr Sexy of contemporary movies. Shah Rukh Khan may have buttoned down for the role of Surinderji Sahni in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, but the same women who interviewed Akhtar have also interviewed Khan. They know that SRK drops quotes per nano second. He is sharp and attentive. He is courteous and charismatic. He laughs at himself and the world. He wears suits as well as George Clooney. Now if that isn’t the opposite of ugly, I don’t know what is.

Source
Does your dosti with SRK post OSO affect your equation with stars like Akshay, Aamir, Salman?
No. Why should it? Shah Rukh is a friend and I will stand for him like a loyalist. I will root for the Knight Riders – not just because of SRK but because I like his team as well. I love him, his family and everyone knows that. So I guess my equation with others always starts with them knowing that he’s a close friend, so no one goes there. (Arjun Rampal)

KWK - Preity Zinta + Saif Ali Khan (they talk about him around 03:30 - 08:30)
http://tr.truveo.com/preity-and-saif...3/id/382263814

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Zamaana Deewana

I know this is one of the very much less popular movies of his, but I really love some picturization of the songs in this film.. *cough* ..so I'm on a mission to spread the lurve to others.

My ultimate favourite... coz of its high erotic quotient, of course. I'll refrain from gushing about the clip coz I don't want to sound like a lecherous old man. Suffice to say that... OMG, Raveena was made of flawlessly yummy flesh!


Shah Rukh is so full of energy in this one. Actually, the reason why I love him so much is his restlessness. On screen... he's always doing something, going somewhere, goofing something up. He's a feast for the eyes. Watching the dance routines in his movies and award ceremony performances... his energy level is still very high. Other Bollywood actors may also look good at 40+ but they're nowhere nearly as energetic as he is. I just can't take my eyes off him when he's somewhere in the frame.


The picturization is nothing to note, but this is one song I really love dancing to. And the meaning of the lyrics is beautiful.


This song is such a romp! Their comic timing in the choreography is so good.

What drives Shah Rukh Khan

Source
Sonia Singh: I mean, 'logo ko kuch kahna hai'. But what drives Shah Rukh Khan? That is an amazing drive you have, you do not give up, you keep going, you keep coming up with something new. What drives you?

Shah Rukh: I think I hurt easy; I get disturbed if I do not win. And that is the general truth. But if I get disturbed, I do not give up. I have this saying which is very greedy and perhaps not nice but I say it to my kids, 'losing is not my option'.

When I say that, I do not say it with vengeance, anger, aggression. I think you need to pick up yourself, dust yourself and sit again I will give it another go. That's what I do every morning. I wake up and I say this is one aspect I would like to win, I would like to win not in a competition but I want to win myself from the last year, from the last expression, from the last work. It is not directed toward x,y,z.

And the second part is I want to end my career as an actor by bringing smile to the maximum number of faces. You know, I am driving in a car, I just come down at the airport and somebody just smiles for no reason, they just smile, they do not know even I am a good guy or not but they just smile. And that is the gift Allah has given me that I can make people smile. So I want a lot of people to smile through the work and because people are giving me so much, I have to return it. So the drive is to get up every morning and say thank you through my work. I need to just get up and the drive is to say thank you. I think it is a positive drive and the negative drive that I want to win.

What a LOL

... the 'discussion' is long and in-depth *makes gagging noises*

Of course it doesn't take away the fact that almost everyone who's against or for Shah Rukh's performances has watched ALL of his movies mentioned there! Some even more than once, and they're the ones who complain about him the loudest. Weird much? For people who claim over and over that his performances suck, they sure submit pretty meekly to the 'torture' of watching movie after movie of his.

The problem with these people is, I think, they take the movies they watch too seriously. It's okay for Shah Rukh and all the actors to take their movies seriously coz movies are their rozi roti (bread and butter). But the audience? I mean, you've just spent 3.5 hours of your life in the dark cinema hall. That's 3.5 hours you'll never get back, dudes. So you'd better enjoy it, otherwise I advise you to do other activities more to your taste next time coz you're wasting your life doing something you'll only bitch and whine about later.

I doubt any other Bollywood actor/star will have people spending so much time and energy arguing intelligently like this in so many blogs and websites. Not even their Mr Intellectual. Well, do whatever you must, if you think it could show off how clever *sic* you are. And if you're so intent on self-torture, I'm not gonna stop you from buying those tickets when his movies are releasing. Go buy! Shooo! Shooo! Buy more! And while you're at it, why not bring the rest of your anti-SRK friends and fill up the whole friggin hall!

What Shah Rukh has to say about it:

(Source)
Q: Did Veera-Zara and Swades gave you a chance to be different?
A: I think the difference is in the media's head. I think I'm different in each of my films. To me it seems anyone who says I'm different in Veer-Zara or Swades is only recognizing what I've done in all my films. Those who don't understand cinema or acting would see the difference only when it's in-your-face, as it is in Veer-Zara, where the guy is hundred percent different. The nuances of acting are completely apparent only to the actor. It's very difficult for the outsider to cotton on fully to what an actor does on screen, good or bad. This applies to every profession. I mean I wouldn't really know about the craft of journalism, would I? Though I'm penning my thoughts in a book that would out soon.

Bookwormy activities

I've finished reading Life of Pi! From now on, I want to write a review on every novel/book I read. It'll be short and sweet, I promise. I'll group all the reviews together... that way I don't have to go through link after link to find a title later.

I've just bought Catch 22 today. Hmmm, it's quite a thick volume *sweat* (I'm more of a comic book reader nowadays). Hope it's interesting...

Planet SRK has a thread on some of the books he said he's read. I'm all set to read them one puny page at a time hehe. In the meantime, lacking any specific title and author... autobiographies or biographies are a safe bet coz I know he likes them.

Well, Shah Rukh has rekindled my love for books, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my manga! Japanese comics, or called manga, (malay-translated, of course) are an important staple of my brain diet.

And I do have those textbooks and journals to look into. They're collecting dust at the moment though... meh.