The brilliance of Shah Rukh Khan

You can learn many things about him in this clip.. which you will have to probably unlearn come the next clip.. :P

• The eyes of the people in the audience positively shone with anticipation during the whole act.
• Shahid could do nothing but trail behind His Highness.
• When Shah Rukh is after something, he's relentless. You either face him bravely or back out entirely.. the art of meeting halfway is lost on this guy.
• I've never seen anyone who could handle a potentially explosive interview as suavely, entertainingly and positively as Shah Rukh has done here. I'd like to see someone else tries it.. ha!
• Members of the film industry is very VERY lucky that Shah Rukh is firmly on THEIR side. Imagine someone like him running amok as a full-fledged member of the journalistic media...
• He effortlessly turned an embarrassing memory filled with scornful sneer into one full of laughing camaraderie. Did he actually set out to accomplish this or did it happen accidentally? With Shah Rukh, one can never really tell. 

I can't imagine the Bollywood scene without Shah Rukh in it. He has permeated every corner of my memory that has anything even remotely to do with Bollywood. Throughout the 90s he carried hindi cinema almost single-handedly on his shoulders, spilling his love all over the place even outside of his home country while he was at it. Despite so many attempts to undermine all his effort, he's shouldered through the bad times that come with the good as we entered the new millenium. I hope his shoulders are as tough as ever.. tougher in fact, since he's bionic now.. 20-30-40 years in the future. Will I still be here as his silent witness? Only time and fate will tell.

Check out SRK bags 'Brand Ambassador of the Year Award'

Well, I think he should the Brand Ambassador of EVERY year! (and he managed to get this award even when his endorsement duties have been suffering in the past year due to the shoulder injury~~)

SRK bags 'Brand Ambassador of the Year Award'

I bet if he did cycle from Mumbai to Delhi, when he looked around as he arrived at the location..he'd find himself being followed by millions of enthusiastic cyclists..ala Forrest Gump.. :P

Subtitled!

Shah Rukh in hyper mode LOL.

'Dr.' Shah Rukh Khan

Full article: Source

“Education is not a preparation for life but is life itself.”

“It makes me think seriously about what I do and what I have done over the past 20 years in my career. The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those underprivileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves. I promise to dedicate a large proportion of my time to do whatever is (in) my capacity to further the cause of education amongst these kids as a way of expressing my thankfulness and gratitude for this honour — starting with my kids who are highly uneducated.”

...you know, whenever I read articles written by journalists who take whatever Shah Rukh said literally and then try to sound clever by pointing out his 'mistakes' to the readers, I want to giggle. Anyway, if you're one of those people who love to torture yourselves by finding out whether an 'honorary degree' means Shah Rukh has the right to have 'Dr.' infront of his name or not, here's a wiki on it for you. Have fun ~~

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

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!

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).

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.

Two cases in point

I'm confused. Is it Best Marketed Movie of the Decade, or Best Marketed Movie of the Year? I think the former makes more sense since OSO was released in 2007, not 2008.

Full article: SRK rules Bollywood and IPL (news published on 11 Apr, 2009)

• 4PS BUSINESS, Marketing and Advertising Power Awards 2009, India’s most aspired business, marketing and advertising awards is a platform to acknowledge corporate magicians, who have made a product into a brand. The awards ceremony was a night of achievement and celebration and was held on April 8, 2009 at JW Marriott, Mumbai
• Apart from the various corporate and advertising categories, there were two special awards, which were Best Marketed Movie of the Decade and Best Marketing Strategy.
• Best Marketed Movie of the Year was bagged by Om Shanti Om, one of the most magnificent movies made and scripted. The award was collected by Farah Khan, one of the most adorable director of the Bollywood fraternity and a choreographer who brings life into every dance step. Om Shanti Om was indeed the most deserving winner of this award because the movie personified grandeur and the marketing of the movie was in complete sync with the essence of the film. Farah and SRK seem to be ruling Bollywood with their unique and outstanding endeavours.
• Best Marketing Strategy was bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders for its phenomenal marketing strategies in making Kolkata Knight Riders one of the most popular teams at the Indian Premier League. Shahrukh Khan once again ruled and personified what a gem he is, but this time not for any movie or a Bollywood venture, but for his exemplary business aesthetics and his par excellence foresight with respect to business strategies.
• King Khan is a magnificent and unique blend of infinite Bollywood appeal and superlative business persona. His strategies and foresight have worked superbly well in making Kolkata Knight Riders reach an unmatched position in the hearts and mind of Indians
• Prof Arindam Chaudhuri, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Planman Media elatedly shared, “It was indeed a pleasure to have Farah Khan grace the 4Ps BMA Power Awards 2009. Om Shanti Om was an unrivalled choice for the Best Marketed Movie of the Decade. The opulence and magnificence with which the movie was directed and scripted made it indeed the best marketed movie of the decade.”
• “With respect to Kolkata Knight Riders, King Khan personifies the title ‘King’ as he indeed has made India extremely proud with his various Bollywood ventures and now with Kolkata Knight Riders reigning the minds and hearts of Indians, King Khan has proved his par excellence business acumen,” he said.
• Abhimanyu Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Planman Media says, “These awards brought together various Bollywood and corporate personalities on the same platform. It gives me immense elation at Om Shanti Om winning the Best Marketed Movie of the Decade Award and Kolkata Knight Riders winning the Best Marketing Strategy Award. Farah Khan, the face of Om Shanti Om and King Khan, the torch bearer of Kolkata Knight Riders have both very proudly justified their exemplary business brilliance.”
  

Photo gallery: SRK makes 'fashion' history!

• We once again were reminded why exactly Shah Rukh is called the 'King' Khan. The star despite being perhaps the second smallest thing on ramp (the first is Rahul Bose) took our breath away with his easy grace and charm. And what's more, he turned a fashion show into an awards night by thanking his friends (which happened to be almost the entire tinsel town) who turned up for the show, the designer, the models...everybody. Now he's one who doesn't believe in breaking rules, he just makes his own!

All about Awards

• AXN Action Awards 2006-07 SRK Best Action Actor
• Zee Cine Awards 2006-07 SRK Best Actor, Nomination Special
• Filmfare Awards 1995-96 SRK Best Debuts Presentation - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• King Khan decends on the stage in his throne Shahrukh 2006
• Shahrukh -- Joke "Best Actor-Singer" Award (SRK also sings KHNH)
• Filmare Awards 1998-99 SRK Performance Koi Mil Gaya
• Popular moments of iifa - Shah Rukh Khan
• Popular acceptance speeches - Shah Rukh Khan
• Debutant Award - Shah Rukh Khan
• Shahrukh khan-filmfare power award 2005
• Filmfare Awards 1995-96 SRK Best Actor
• SRK Entertainment Business Leader 2007
• SRK & Kajol - Playful Best Actor Award Speech
• The King receives Superstar Zee Award 2004
• shahrukh khan and hrithik roshan
• IIFA Awards 2004-05 SRK Best Actor
• Bollywood Awards Most Sensational 1998-99 SRK Dil Se
• Filmfare Awards 2002-03 SRK Best Actor
• Filmfare Awards 2002-03 SRK Swiss Consulate Award
• Filmare Awards 1998-99 SRK Best Actor
• Sabse Favourite Kaun 2005-04 SRK Favourite Hero
• Sabse Favourite Kaun Awards 2006-07 SRK Favourite International Hero
• Sabse Favourite Kaun 20007-08 SRK Favourite Hero
• Zee Cine Awards 2005-06 SRK Best Actor Nomination Special
• Zee 07/08 - Nomination Special / Rehearsal
• Zee Cine Awards 2005-06 SRK Rehearsal

Tribute

• Shah Rukh Khan tribute to Kishore Kumar
• Shahrukh Khan on stage (Tribute to Raj kapoor) - One, Two
• IIFA Awards 2003-04 SRK, Dilip Kumar Intro
• Lux Zee Cine Awards 2000-01 SRK Salutes Dilip Kumar
• IIFA Awards 2003-04 SRK, Salute To Dilip Kumar
• Lux Zee Cine Awards 2000-01 SRK Salutes Anil Kapoor
• Lux Zee Cine Awards 2000-01 SRK Salutes Rajesh Khanna
• Shahrukh Khan tribute Yash Chopra Zee Cine 2006 pt 1,pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6 (missing), pt 7, pt 9

Hosting stints

• IIFA Filmfare Awards 2004-05 SRK Hosting
• Filmfare Awards 2006-07 SRK Hosting (in English) - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
• GIFA Awards 2005-06 SRK Introduction, GIFA Awards 2005-06 SRK Curtain Raiser, GIFA Awards 2005-06 SRK Hosting - Part 1, Part 2, GIFA Awards 2005-06 SRK Most-Searched Star

Performances (I hope I don't miss out anyone ^^;)

• bollywood live music show with all main actor/actressess (with Amitji, Hrithik, Kareena, Karisma, Rani, Sushmita, Shilpa, Preity)
• Shah Rukh Khan Performance in Zee Cine Awards 2008 (with Minissha Lamba, Neha Dhupia, Arjun Rampal, Dia Mirza, Dino Morea?, Geeta Basra, Raima Sen, Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Chunky Pandey, Gulshan Grover, Karan Johar, Sajid Khan)
• Filmfare Awards 2004-05 SRK Performance (Vyjayanthimala, Sharmila Tagore, Zeenat Aman, Jaya Prada, Rekhaji, Kajol, Rani, Preity)
  
• Bollywood Awards 1998-99 SRK Performance Chaiyya Chaiyya (with Shilpa Shetty)
• SRK_Dil Se performance (with Malaika)
• Global Indian TV Honours 2007-08 Part 1, Part 2, Presenting Best Actress, Best Show Anchor / Quiz (KBC), Introduction / Rehearsal (I think this article is about this award function)
  
• Shahrukh Khans performance At Zee Cine Awards 2007 (with the replica of Petronas Twin Tower and a mass of wriggling bodies)
• Stage Performance (with Sonali Bendre, Rani, Karisma)
  
• 
  

Why does it always take a Shah Rukh?

He came into ads at a time when it was not popular for a star to 'stoop so low by endorsing a lot of products' and now actors, including the young uns, scramble to be named as the highest-paid brand ambassador. He came into cricket and they tumble after him to gain a piece of the stake. And now it's an award function.

Remember the Na-real (Narial) Award he instigated with Saif in Filmfare last year? Somebody has decided to follow that up with a real one. It's called the Golden Kela Awards. I'm pasting the news here:

In a spin-off from Hollywood's Golden Raspbery Awards (also known as the Razzies) which recognises the worst in cinema, India will have its own version of the same, Golden Kela Awards, to be held March 7.

Launched by Random magazine, the ceremony will take place here on the same day as the 54th Filmfare Awards 2009 are held in Mumbai.

"The Golden Kela Awards is the first of its kind to be held in India on the lines of the Razzies in America. It'll be very funny and entertaining for the audience and we hope to make it an annual event just like the one in the West," Jatin Varma, founder of Random magazine that is launching the award ceremony said.

While Himesh Reshammiya, Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan to name a few fall in the worst actor category, actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif compete for the worst actress award.

"As compared to Hollywood, Bollywood comes out with a lot of movies annually and not all of these do well. So, we have already made it clear that we are just poking fun at them with no personal remarks," Varma said.

The Indian version will also be honouring comedian Jaspal Bhatti, who is also the "Godfather of the ceremony" with the lifetime achievement Kela award.

Varma was, however, not deterred by the missing celebrity quotient from Golden Kela.

"We have invited the celebrities but we haven't heard from them yet. We might get overshadowed by the Filmfare Awards this time but we will still have a lot of humour quotient and stand-up comedians to spice up the ceremony," he said.

"Our celebrity quotient might be a bit less but hopefully we will have celebrities themselves attending the awards in the coming years to receive their trophies themselves just like in the West," he added.

The categories and the nominees have been selected by the editorial board of the magazine and will be selected via an online poll for the public on the website www.goldenkela.in.

...needless to say, I'm greatly amused :P

The results are out...

And I'm not pleased! Why didn't Naseerudinji get the Best Actor award?? A Wednesday didn't win a single bleedin award! Also, the two biggest movies of the year (Rab Ne and Ghajini) did not win anything in the important categories. Geh.

Before anyone stab me with a blunt object for not rooting for Shah Rukh as Best Actor, my defense is.. he may have played the character to perfection, but I don't think Suri/Raj is an award winning role. It might have been though, had the story concentrated on Suri. To be fair to Adityaji, it's a story he wanted to tell and he told it. I doubt he made it with the intention of winning awards. I love the story, I wish it had won some big awards, but in my heart I also know that there are others in 2008 which are more deserving. Hopefully he will come up with an excellent story with award-winning elements and cast Shah Rukh in it so they can make another clean sweep next time.

Here's the Filmfare result (link):

• Best Film - Jodha Akbar
• Best Director - Ashutosh Gowarikar (Jodha Akbar)
• Best Actor - Hritik Roshan - (Jodha Akbar)
• Best Actress - Priyanka Chopra - Best Actress (Fashion)
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Om Puri & Bhanu Athaiya
• Best Music Director - AR Rahman (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
• Best Story - Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On)
• Best Supporting Actor - Arjun Rampal (Rock On)
• Best Supporting Actress - Kangna Ranaut (Fashion)
• Best Playback Singer (Male) - Sukhwinder Singh (Haule Haule - Rab Ne Bana De Jodi)
• Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shreya Ghoshal (Singh is Kinng)
• Best Debut (Male) - Farhan Akhtar (Rock On) & Imraan Khan (Jaane Tu)
• Best Debut (Female) - Asin (Ghajini)
• RD Burman Upcoming Talent - Benny Dayal (Ghajini)
• Best Costumes - Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
• Best Background Score - AR Rahman (Jodha Akbar)
• Best Cinematography - Jason West (Rock On!)
• Best Editing - Amit Pawar (Mumbai Meri Jaan)
• Best Coreography - Longinus (Jaane Tu)
• Best Lyricist - Javed Akhtar (Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodha Akbar)
• Best Sound Design - Vinod Subramanyam (Rock On)
• Best Visual Effects - John Deitz (Love Story 2050)
• Best Action - Peter Heinn (Ghajini)

Here's the Star Screen result for comparison (link):

Best Background Music
A. R. Rahman - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Music
A. R. Rahman - Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na

Best Playback Singer (Male)
KK - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shilpa Rao - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)

Best Lyrics
Anvita Dutt Guptan - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)

Most Promising Newcomer (Male)
Farhan Akhtar - Rock On!!

Most Promising Newcomer (Female)
Asin Thottumkal - Ghajini

Best Story
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!

Best Screenplay
Shiraz Ahmed - Race

Best Editing
Rock On!!

Best Art Direction
Rock On!!

Best Cinematography
Rock On!!

Best Animation Film
Roadside Romeo

Best Jodi
John Abraham - Abhishek Bachchan (Dostana)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sanjay Khan

Ramnath Goenka Award
A Wednesday!

Best Popular Actor Award
Akshay Kumar - Singh Is Kinng

Best Popular Actress Award
Aishwarya Rai - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Arjun Rampal - Rock On!!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Shahana Goswami - Rock On!!

Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male/Female)
Akshaye Khanna - Race

Best Actor in a Comic Role (Male/Female)
Tusshar Kapoor - Golmaal Returns

Best Film
Jodhaa Akbar

Best Director
Ashutosh Gowarikar - Jodhaa Akbar
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!

Best Actor (Female)
Priyanka Chopra - Fashion

Best Actor (Male)
Hrithik Roshan - Jodhaa Akbar


...notice the glaring similarities? I wonder if the juries are the same people for those categories. Another of my pet peeve is this double winners these award functions sometimes do. Can't you just choose one of them? It's called 'Best' so that there'll be just ONE person standing at the end of the day (or night, as we have it). This happened to SRK too when he had to share the Best Actor award with Ajay (link) and the industry was lucky he poked fun at it in a jovial manner instead of making it a mockery.

One thing I love about Shah Rukh (among the gajillion things I love about him) is he respects the awards he gets and is not shy to admit that he covets them as proof of recognition for his works. I like that bluntness more than all this talk about not caring about awards and yet submitting his name year after year to the same award functions he's never attended (I bet everyone knows who I'm talking about here). To 'that guy', I want to say that if the awards repel you so much.. take your name off the nomination list coz you're wasting everyone's time in the voting process. The whole of India and the world knows that you're No. 1 (...errr, because you told us so? Hmmph...) so what's the point in contesting anymore, right? Take an example from Lataji and make scarce.

I hope Shah Rukh win some Best Actor awards next year (altho I'm not quite sure about the films he's chosen to act in this year, actually ^^;). But looking at the 2008 trend, I'm seeing some interesting things occurring. It's the year of debutantes and acceptance to the popularity of different kinds of cinema. I'm writing this with full bias: I think Shah Rukh is the person who has affected the most changes that's happening in the Hindi Cinema industry today. Off the top of my head:

1. He's the first TV actor with no filmi family/political/financial backings who came to Mumbai and was awarded Best Debut for his first released film, Deewana. That was achieved all the while he was thinking he'd be in Mumbai for only a year. To all you struggling actors, top that before you whine so much.

2. He's the first Hindi film hero who plays villainous roles, not in just one film but three, and two of them became hit movies. Actually, there's another recent one.. Don. I'm looking forward to Don 2 where he's supposed to give the character its wholesome evil worth.

3. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think he's the first actor who got the Best Actor award for a villainous role. In fact that was his first Best Actor win.

3. He's done successful remakes of two of the most famous movies of yesteryears (and the legendary actors who played the central characters are still alive and kicking), Devdas and Don. Hmm, I just noticed that both the central characters's names start with a 'D'.

4. He made a 180deg turn after Anjaam (and Karan Arjun + several flop movies ^^;) and starred as a romantic hero in a movie that has made history as the longest running film in India (second longest in the world, I think), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

5. His roles are so varied from movie to movie it makes your head spin: bad guy, comedian, gundaa, romantic hero, victim, patriotic sportsman, etc. Did you know that he filmed Darr and Baazigar in the same schedule (link)? And both are hits (by virtue of being a workaholic, he's always had 1 or 2 hit films almost every year). And he got away with Best Villain and Best Actor, one for each. Anyone else wants to argue that he can't act? In fact, I should list down some of his hit films that he made in the same schedule just so I can impress some people about this guy.

I'll stop here coz this post is getting too long and I haven't even touched the stuff he's affected outside of the film industry.. like ads, sports, overseas popularity, et cetera et cetera. I guess I'll pick up this topic in another post later.