Link
Shahrukh Khan for you all this November only on ZoOm
November 2, 2009- ZoOm India’s hottest destination for Bollywood content celebrates the special day of the ‘King of Bollywood’ Shahrukh Khan, by showcasing a line-up of exclusive Bollywood entertainment all of November. Starting Sunday, November 01, your weekends will never be the same again as ZoOm has dedicated its special afternoon slot on Sunday’s – 12pm to 2pm with select SRK film songs, series on SRK, news segment about the super star and loads more.
Watch some of his hit films starting with ‘Swades’, on Monday, November 02, 9.30pm on ZoOm Silver screen. Find out who topped the list as SRK’s leading actress, which is SRK’s best film, SRK’s Top 10 movies personally selected and reviewed by the star himself onZoOm Red Hot Countdown show all through November.
Shahrukh Khan speaks his heart out about his life; films; Bollywood; being on the limelight; equation with other co-stars in his many film assignments and many more with Omar Qureshi on Encounter-special with Omar. Get to know about the king and his branding on ‘SRK as the Super Brand' and how he has reinvented the era of the high-flying and high priced model. Does this help him as the brand? on Business ofBollywood. Be a part of the cake-cutting, witness the events, parties, special bytes from near and dear ones of the star on Planet Bollywood. Checking about his life, Bollywood Biographies features all about Shahrukh Khan. Right from his humble beginning as an actor, his love life, his family and lots more…
‘Stars Ke Sitare’ with its latest episode that includes next year's predictions is on the anvil too. Further, a five part special series on Shahrukh Khan is set to feature on Superstars Superlives. ZoOm Page 3 showcases special on King Khan as a trendsetter, a fashion icon. Be the first to know as the star’s celebrity friends, co-stars, personalities from the industry send their best wishes to the King ofBollywood . On SRK Deewana, get to see college goers, movie lovers, upcoming actors enact scenes, dialogues from his films, and finally their dream and desire to meet the star in person.
The excitement continues as ZoOm audiences and fans get a chance to send personal greetings to the star through online/SMS and contests. Besides, you can send gifts, flowers to SRK using on-airZoOm shopping guide. Also, ZoOm invites fans request on what they like best about SRK – the five lucky audience gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Shahrukh Khan and be a part of the star’s cake cutting ceremony at ZoOm.
So tune in…join the fun and excitement…all this November as the King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan celebrates his birthday only on ZoOm.
© 2009 Dishtracking.com
Showing posts with label headlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label headlines. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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.
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.”
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.”
Monday, June 8, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What is happening....??
These flashed in my head while I was reading the article:
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.”
- 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.”
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."
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.
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.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Aamir-SRK made for each other
Source
The last few meetings with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan will definitely make an interesting Bollywood
movie.
The two actors “who still have personal unresolved issues,” according to their own personal confession, have shown remarkable composure on the professional front, says a Bollywood producer to BT.
“Each of the United Forum Producers and Distributors meeting that these two Bollywood superstars have attended have once again highlighted that these two superstars have a crackling chemistry,” says the producer, who attended the meeting to resolve the multiplex crisis at a film Studio, a week ago.
For example, when Shah Rukh turned up at 5.30 pm sharp, a puzzled Yash Chopra looked at him and said, “Arre, you’re on the dot today,” to which SRK said, “Oh I thought the meeting was at 4.30 pm, and I am an hour late.”
Aamir gave a naughty wink because he had sent a SMS to SRK saying that the meeting was scheduled at 4.30 pm, knowing very well that SRK would turn up at least an hour late.
On another occasion, Aamir was losing his cool with the arguments being floated, but it was SRK who prevailed upon him to please not stage a walkout for the sake of the entire producer fraternity. “Don’t get agitated,” said a patient Shah Rukh to his ‘professional buddy’ Aamir, adding, “you have to learn to be more patient yaar.”
The Bollywood producers are completely bowled over by the way these two actors have been complementing each other. He says, “There are days when SRK is more aggressive, then Aamir plays passive. But between them they have rallied around and got other actors professionally involved as well to find what may not be a quick-fix solution, but it will benefit the industry in the long run.”
“It’s a pity these two may never been seen on screen together,” says the source. “In terms of habit, temperament and even in terms of patience, they are an ideal match.” Guess the fact that they are so elusive in their personal equation with each other is what makes them even more attractive for the junta.
The last few meetings with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan will definitely make an interesting Bollywood
The two actors “who still have personal unresolved issues,” according to their own personal confession, have shown remarkable composure on the professional front, says a Bollywood producer to BT.
“Each of the United Forum Producers and Distributors meeting that these two Bollywood superstars have attended have once again highlighted that these two superstars have a crackling chemistry,” says the producer, who attended the meeting to resolve the multiplex crisis at a film Studio, a week ago.
For example, when Shah Rukh turned up at 5.30 pm sharp, a puzzled Yash Chopra looked at him and said, “Arre, you’re on the dot today,” to which SRK said, “Oh I thought the meeting was at 4.30 pm, and I am an hour late.”
Aamir gave a naughty wink because he had sent a SMS to SRK saying that the meeting was scheduled at 4.30 pm, knowing very well that SRK would turn up at least an hour late.
On another occasion, Aamir was losing his cool with the arguments being floated, but it was SRK who prevailed upon him to please not stage a walkout for the sake of the entire producer fraternity. “Don’t get agitated,” said a patient Shah Rukh to his ‘professional buddy’ Aamir, adding, “you have to learn to be more patient yaar.”
The Bollywood producers are completely bowled over by the way these two actors have been complementing each other. He says, “There are days when SRK is more aggressive, then Aamir plays passive. But between them they have rallied around and got other actors professionally involved as well to find what may not be a quick-fix solution, but it will benefit the industry in the long run.”
“It’s a pity these two may never been seen on screen together,” says the source. “In terms of habit, temperament and even in terms of patience, they are an ideal match.” Guess the fact that they are so elusive in their personal equation with each other is what makes them even more attractive for the junta.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
'Happy New Year' is very modern and contemporary: Farah Khan
Nikhil Agarwal Mumbai, May 27 (PTI) After paying tributes to the 70's and 80's of Bollywood in 'Om Shanti Om' and 'Main Hoon Naa', director Farah Khan has set her next film 'Happy New Year' in a "modern and contemporary" world.
"Happy New Year is not like my older films. It is a very modern film, very contemporary," Farah said when asked whether her third film would also carry the nostalgia of the seventies like her past films.
The movie, which is being produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, will reunite the successful on screen pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone from 'Om Shanti Om'.
"'Happy New Year' would definitely go on floors this year unlike what the grapevine has been. I am presently working on the script," Farah told PTI in an interview.
The director, however, refused to divulge the story line of the much-delayed and much-awaited movie.
Despite her professional commitments, which include direction, choreography and judging reality shows, the 44-year-old choreographer-turned-director manages to spend maximum time with her one-year-old triplets.
"Most of the time, I am with my children. If I am shooting in a nearby studio like the Yashraj one, I bring them over to the shoot," explains Farah, who returns to the small screen as a judge on Sony Television's new reality show -
"Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega". PTI
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Does this mean we won't get to watch it on ESPN next year?? T__T
IPL Season 2 - Everyone Happy with Its Share of Pie
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
The month long twenty-20 extravaganza has come to end and it is now clear that the shifting of venue could not affect IPL Season 2. Starting from the franchisers to the broadcasters and every single stake holder, IPL Season 2 ended in a happy note. Everybody including the champs and the finalist and also those who could not quite make it to the top layer - all of them seemed to manage higher revenues, thanks to a re-worked deal between BCCI and Multi Screen Media (MSM) that owns Sony channels.
Since the very beginning it was marred in controversies. Finally the tournament had to be relocated for security concerns. Those who predicted that Indian Premier League outside India will die like fish outside water are now left with eggs on their faces. For not only every stake holder has made a profit this year, they also managed to increase their revenues despite the increased logistic costs.
And not only the Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers that have made profits on the merit of their performance - every single team has been reported to have made a profit out of this year’s tournament.
Knight Riders, the team that finished off at the bottom of the league table, has managed to make the third-highest profit of Rs 25.8 crore in IPL Season 2. The highest profit maker of the season however, is Team Jaipur which has made a cool profit of Rs 35.1 crore at the second season of Indian Premier League.
The prize money for the winner is Rs 4.8 crore, Rs 2.4 crore for the runners-up and 1.2 crore each for the losing semifinalists; Rs 80 lakh for the team that finished fifth (Kings XI Punjab), Rs 70 lakh for the sixth placed (Jaipur), Rs 50 lakh for the seventh (Mumbai Indians) and Rs 40 lakh for the lowest one.
However, what has really helped the franchises accumulate such huge revenues is the sharing of the common pool of the broadcasting rights. According to the renegotiated contract with WSG, BCCI got about Rs 335 crore, which is straight 90% jump from the figure in the original contract that was signed for ten years.
BCCI’ s profit from last year’s IPL was Rs 350 crore, while Sony’s profits from ad-sales alone stood at Rs 270-280 crore for the last season. But this year, both the entities decline to divulge the exact figures. “We are yet to calculate the profits,” said a BCCI official from South Africa.
This year Sony has doubled its air-time rates to sell the 10 second spots for anything between Rs 3.75 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. While the MSM officials confirm the rise in the revenues, they too refuse to disclose the actual figure. “We have increased our revenues significantly over the last year, but can’t disclose figures,” MSM president (network sales) Rohit Gupta said.
However, it was the unlikely rise of the Royal Challengers to the prominence that sent the punters on tenterhook, while leaving the bookies all smiling. One bookie described the tournament as worse than race betting with no pre-tournament favorites having made it to the finals.
In all, over Rs 5,000 crore were exchanged during the championship, informs a bookie on condition of anonymity. With hardly any pre-tournament tips working in their favor, punters could make little money, while it was really the day for the bookies when Deccan Chargers beat the Royal Challengers in the final.
In a nutshell, it was Deccan Chargers that won the title, but each team tasted success-that is on the cash side.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
The month long twenty-20 extravaganza has come to end and it is now clear that the shifting of venue could not affect IPL Season 2. Starting from the franchisers to the broadcasters and every single stake holder, IPL Season 2 ended in a happy note. Everybody including the champs and the finalist and also those who could not quite make it to the top layer - all of them seemed to manage higher revenues, thanks to a re-worked deal between BCCI and Multi Screen Media (MSM) that owns Sony channels.
Since the very beginning it was marred in controversies. Finally the tournament had to be relocated for security concerns. Those who predicted that Indian Premier League outside India will die like fish outside water are now left with eggs on their faces. For not only every stake holder has made a profit this year, they also managed to increase their revenues despite the increased logistic costs.
And not only the Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers that have made profits on the merit of their performance - every single team has been reported to have made a profit out of this year’s tournament.
Knight Riders, the team that finished off at the bottom of the league table, has managed to make the third-highest profit of Rs 25.8 crore in IPL Season 2. The highest profit maker of the season however, is Team Jaipur which has made a cool profit of Rs 35.1 crore at the second season of Indian Premier League.
The prize money for the winner is Rs 4.8 crore, Rs 2.4 crore for the runners-up and 1.2 crore each for the losing semifinalists; Rs 80 lakh for the team that finished fifth (Kings XI Punjab), Rs 70 lakh for the sixth placed (Jaipur), Rs 50 lakh for the seventh (Mumbai Indians) and Rs 40 lakh for the lowest one.
However, what has really helped the franchises accumulate such huge revenues is the sharing of the common pool of the broadcasting rights. According to the renegotiated contract with WSG, BCCI got about Rs 335 crore, which is straight 90% jump from the figure in the original contract that was signed for ten years.
BCCI’ s profit from last year’s IPL was Rs 350 crore, while Sony’s profits from ad-sales alone stood at Rs 270-280 crore for the last season. But this year, both the entities decline to divulge the exact figures. “We are yet to calculate the profits,” said a BCCI official from South Africa.
This year Sony has doubled its air-time rates to sell the 10 second spots for anything between Rs 3.75 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. While the MSM officials confirm the rise in the revenues, they too refuse to disclose the actual figure. “We have increased our revenues significantly over the last year, but can’t disclose figures,” MSM president (network sales) Rohit Gupta said.
However, it was the unlikely rise of the Royal Challengers to the prominence that sent the punters on tenterhook, while leaving the bookies all smiling. One bookie described the tournament as worse than race betting with no pre-tournament favorites having made it to the finals.
In all, over Rs 5,000 crore were exchanged during the championship, informs a bookie on condition of anonymity. With hardly any pre-tournament tips working in their favor, punters could make little money, while it was really the day for the bookies when Deccan Chargers beat the Royal Challengers in the final.
In a nutshell, it was Deccan Chargers that won the title, but each team tasted success-that is on the cash side.
KKR offload plan on table
Source
Tuesday , May 26 , 2009
by: SAMYABRATA RAY GOSWAMI
Mumbai, May 25: The “Manchester United” of the Indian Premier League may have pitched itself a notch too high.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team owned by superstar Shah Rukh Khan and friends, is looking to offload 10 to 20 per cent of its shares, possibly by June.
The Calcutta franchise, which finished at the bottom of the heap this season, retains the highest brand value because of its star and glamour quotient. Shah Rukh reportedly had ambitions of turning the team into one of the top five franchises in the sporting world such as ManU and basketball giant Los Angeles Lakers.
For example, in spite of not making it to the semi-finals, KKR, Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians top the charts in online merchandise sales among international cricket fans, according to data released by online shopping company eBay.
But, sources in the hard-nosed world of finance said, the owners would have to rework the value of the team if they want to get a buyer.
“KKR needs to get real — they do not weigh as much as they used to last year. A mere association with Brand Shah Rukh is not enough to hike KKR’s valuation. In fact, his own brand appeal is not exactly at a peak right now. Investors look at the hard-core business appeal, not star value, when taking such decisions. SRK’s expectations are a bit unrealistic, so we have backed out,” said a source in TPG Capital, formerly Texas Pacific Group, which negotiated with the owners for a share of the Knight Riders pie.
Shah Rukh could not be reached for comment and no one was willing to reveal the value the owners had worked out for the franchise.
The actor, through his Red Chillies Entertainment, and friends Jay Mehta and actress Juhi Chawla, bought the Calcutta franchise for $75 million in January 2008. International valuation agencies have pegged KKR’s current value between $42.1 million and $22 million — a 45 to 70 per cent erosion.
However, compared to international norms, brand valuation is still a relatively subjective matter in India, say experts.
“A brand valuation exercise in India is typically a more subjective exercise compared to a business valuation exercise. This is primarily due to the limited availability of data required to apply the usual methods of brand valuation,” said a source in KPMG Corporate Finance, which was searching for buyers for Deccan Chargers, owned by Deccan Chronicle, in October 2008.
Eventually, the Chargers did not sell as there were no buyers ready to meet their “sky-high expectations”, said the source.
Shah Rukh, who has assigned Mumbai investment bank Ambit as his negotiator for stake divestment in KKR, is not ready to accept the steady devaluation of the team, said a source in Ambit.
“SRK feels KKR deserves higher value. Investors on their part are looking for a good deal in a recessionary market. But we are sure there will be a middle path and a deal will be closed by June,” said the source in Ambit. The source declined to elaborate further.
At present, private equity investors such as New Silk Route, Actis and Standard Chartered Private Equity are among those negotiating for a piece of the Knight Riders. British billionaire Mike Ashley — who owns among other businesses Newcastle United football club, which was relegated from the English Premier League yesterday — is also said to be a prospective buyer.
“Shah Rukh knows that the USP of the KKR brand lies in its perceived potential. He is keen to sell before it slips further,” said a source in the Knight Riders.
KKR, which spent about Rs 65-75 crore in outgoings this season, claimed to have posted a Rs 13-crore profit last season.
“Our outgoings are the highest among all IPL teams largely because of our massive support staff. KKR co-owner Jay Mehta is due to prepare a report on who among the support staff should be retained. A more compact team will reduce our spending and ease a bit of the financial pressure,” said the KKR source.
The KKR core group is expected to take a final call on the future of cricket director John Buchanan and his friends and family, who constitute the majority of support staff members, in July.
Tuesday , May 26 , 2009
by: SAMYABRATA RAY GOSWAMI
Mumbai, May 25: The “Manchester United” of the Indian Premier League may have pitched itself a notch too high.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team owned by superstar Shah Rukh Khan and friends, is looking to offload 10 to 20 per cent of its shares, possibly by June.
The Calcutta franchise, which finished at the bottom of the heap this season, retains the highest brand value because of its star and glamour quotient. Shah Rukh reportedly had ambitions of turning the team into one of the top five franchises in the sporting world such as ManU and basketball giant Los Angeles Lakers.
For example, in spite of not making it to the semi-finals, KKR, Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians top the charts in online merchandise sales among international cricket fans, according to data released by online shopping company eBay.
But, sources in the hard-nosed world of finance said, the owners would have to rework the value of the team if they want to get a buyer.
“KKR needs to get real — they do not weigh as much as they used to last year. A mere association with Brand Shah Rukh is not enough to hike KKR’s valuation. In fact, his own brand appeal is not exactly at a peak right now. Investors look at the hard-core business appeal, not star value, when taking such decisions. SRK’s expectations are a bit unrealistic, so we have backed out,” said a source in TPG Capital, formerly Texas Pacific Group, which negotiated with the owners for a share of the Knight Riders pie.
Shah Rukh could not be reached for comment and no one was willing to reveal the value the owners had worked out for the franchise.
The actor, through his Red Chillies Entertainment, and friends Jay Mehta and actress Juhi Chawla, bought the Calcutta franchise for $75 million in January 2008. International valuation agencies have pegged KKR’s current value between $42.1 million and $22 million — a 45 to 70 per cent erosion.
However, compared to international norms, brand valuation is still a relatively subjective matter in India, say experts.
“A brand valuation exercise in India is typically a more subjective exercise compared to a business valuation exercise. This is primarily due to the limited availability of data required to apply the usual methods of brand valuation,” said a source in KPMG Corporate Finance, which was searching for buyers for Deccan Chargers, owned by Deccan Chronicle, in October 2008.
Eventually, the Chargers did not sell as there were no buyers ready to meet their “sky-high expectations”, said the source.
Shah Rukh, who has assigned Mumbai investment bank Ambit as his negotiator for stake divestment in KKR, is not ready to accept the steady devaluation of the team, said a source in Ambit.
“SRK feels KKR deserves higher value. Investors on their part are looking for a good deal in a recessionary market. But we are sure there will be a middle path and a deal will be closed by June,” said the source in Ambit. The source declined to elaborate further.
At present, private equity investors such as New Silk Route, Actis and Standard Chartered Private Equity are among those negotiating for a piece of the Knight Riders. British billionaire Mike Ashley — who owns among other businesses Newcastle United football club, which was relegated from the English Premier League yesterday — is also said to be a prospective buyer.
“Shah Rukh knows that the USP of the KKR brand lies in its perceived potential. He is keen to sell before it slips further,” said a source in the Knight Riders.
KKR, which spent about Rs 65-75 crore in outgoings this season, claimed to have posted a Rs 13-crore profit last season.
“Our outgoings are the highest among all IPL teams largely because of our massive support staff. KKR co-owner Jay Mehta is due to prepare a report on who among the support staff should be retained. A more compact team will reduce our spending and ease a bit of the financial pressure,” said the KKR source.
The KKR core group is expected to take a final call on the future of cricket director John Buchanan and his friends and family, who constitute the majority of support staff members, in July.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Location! Location! Location!
I've been a fan from the days of KKHH, but this is the reason why I feel such a connection to SRK now. No one can tell me it's not my business when I'm fussy about his comings and goings... coz he is a Datuk of my country. I'm intensely patriotic, so I take any slight towards him quite personally... although I don't go rabid and irrational about it like some do.
I feel responsible towards him because I'm a fan and because, irrespective of some opinions claiming that he shouldn't get it, I do think he deserves the title as he has done a great service in promoting the name of my country all over the world.
I dare those who challenge his Datukship to present us their service in promoting Malaysia the way he has done. I doubt they can rise to the challenge, not because they're not capable of attempting it, but simply because they don't have the same coverage he does.
If 3.2 billion people know SRK and want to find out more info on him, they'd see the name MALAYSIA plastered all over the place and mentioned in international interviews too. And that's a fact.
It's quite a high whenever I hear him say the name of my country. He's the only very well-known public figure to have ever done so, and quite often too. Not even my countrymen and our politicians utter it with the same tone full of love and pride like he does.
I'm mesmerized everytime I watch a clip of him talking about Malaysia. It can be 2 lines, but those 2 lines remain in my psyche that day as the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life.
I'm pasting this one here coz of the 'Happy New Year' mention. I wonder if it's still possible that they'll shoot the entire film in Malaysia. Does he know that the Eye of Malaysia has shifted to Melaka? There's a canal boating adventure running through the city now and Melaka has been bestowed World Heritage City by UNESCO too. Even I get excited and go all touristy with my whole family everytime I go back to my hometown nowadays.
I dunno if the film will require Melaka as its backdrop, but if it does then I think it'll be really cool. I was so excited during the Langkawi Island-parachute sequence in Don, imagine how exciting it'll be if a film with SRK is shot in my birth state! That's so.. orgasmic, man.
I'll keep you posted on further update about the location.
Source: Shah Rukh Khan conferred with Malaysian title Datuk
By indiaabroad Saturday Dec 6 5:15 PM
Melaka (Malaysia), Dec 6 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Saturday became the first foreign actor to be conferred the title of Datuk, akin to a British knighthood, at a special ceremony here.
Shah Rukh responded by announcing that he would shoot an entire film, tentatively titled 'Happy New Year', in Malaysia next year.
'There is a film I am planning some time in August and September and will send a team down to look around,' The Star Online quoted him as saying.
He would also help develop the Malaysian movie industry that has had directors like Phani Mazumdar and Ritwik Ghatak making films.
On how he felt about his Datukship, the actor said that it was an honour not only for him but also for all actors from India.
'I am very happy that I have found a big space in the hearts of people here,' he added.
Resplendent in a black baju Melayu, samping and songkok, the traditional Malaysian attire, he received the state award from Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the royal constitutional head of the state.
The 43-year-old actor held the estimated 1,000 guests at the investiture spellbound as he received the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM), conferred on him in conjunction with the 70th birthday of the royal chief October 11.
Shah Rukh was tied down by a busy work schedule and could not fly in from Mumbai to receive the award in October or on the later date, Nov 29.
He arrived at the venue, Dewan Seri Negeri, at 10.55 a.m. and kept smiling and waving to his fans as he was escorted into the hall, Bernama, the official Malaysian news agency reported.
The actor was the focus of attention of the local and foreign photographers as well as guests who clicked away on their camera phones from their seats in the hall.
At the end of the investiture, the guests took the opportunity to have photographs taken with Shah Rukh.
He has received over 40 awards in the entertainment and film industry including, the Screen Award, Zee Cine Award, NDTV Award and International Indian Film Award.
He had acted in the Hindi film, 'One 2 Ka 4', that has scenes shot in Malaysia, including at the A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah near here.
At a joint news conference with the chief minister, Shah Rukh Khan repeatedly thanked Khalil and the Melaka state government for the award bestowed on him.
'Thank you to the Melaka government for this prestigious award. I was so honoured to receive this award that was given by a country that does not even understand my language,' he said.
He said Melaka has many beautiful places and he will come back to shoot a movie here.
'Melaka has beautiful scenery and I will promote this country to the world for hosting a shooting here,' he said.
Shah Rukh said he was excited and flattered wearing a baju Melayu and samping when he received the award.
He sounded disappointed that he could not stay longer here this time and said he might bring his family on a holiday.
The baju Melayu he wore was sponsored by Sovereign Wear Sdn Bhd and the Melaka state official samping made of songket was sponsored by the Institut Seni Malaysia Melaka.
The royal chief's wife, Toh Puan Zurina Kassim, and Melaka Chief Minister Mohammed Ali Rustam and his wife, Asmah Abdul Rahman, were also present at the investiture.
Shah Rukh noted that Malacca is a beautiful state that possesses many locations ideal for moviemaking.
He suggested the state set up at least one or two floor studios and labs here in order to attract moviemakers.
Shah Rukh is immensely popular among the Malaysians, besides other Indian actors like Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan.
Their popularity goes beyond the estimated 2.6 million Indian diaspora that forms eight percent of Malaysia's 28 million population.
I feel responsible towards him because I'm a fan and because, irrespective of some opinions claiming that he shouldn't get it, I do think he deserves the title as he has done a great service in promoting the name of my country all over the world.
I dare those who challenge his Datukship to present us their service in promoting Malaysia the way he has done. I doubt they can rise to the challenge, not because they're not capable of attempting it, but simply because they don't have the same coverage he does.
If 3.2 billion people know SRK and want to find out more info on him, they'd see the name MALAYSIA plastered all over the place and mentioned in international interviews too. And that's a fact.
It's quite a high whenever I hear him say the name of my country. He's the only very well-known public figure to have ever done so, and quite often too. Not even my countrymen and our politicians utter it with the same tone full of love and pride like he does.
I'm mesmerized everytime I watch a clip of him talking about Malaysia. It can be 2 lines, but those 2 lines remain in my psyche that day as the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life.
I'm pasting this one here coz of the 'Happy New Year' mention. I wonder if it's still possible that they'll shoot the entire film in Malaysia. Does he know that the Eye of Malaysia has shifted to Melaka? There's a canal boating adventure running through the city now and Melaka has been bestowed World Heritage City by UNESCO too. Even I get excited and go all touristy with my whole family everytime I go back to my hometown nowadays.
I dunno if the film will require Melaka as its backdrop, but if it does then I think it'll be really cool. I was so excited during the Langkawi Island-parachute sequence in Don, imagine how exciting it'll be if a film with SRK is shot in my birth state! That's so.. orgasmic, man.
I'll keep you posted on further update about the location.
Source: Shah Rukh Khan conferred with Malaysian title Datuk
By indiaabroad Saturday Dec 6 5:15 PM
Melaka (Malaysia), Dec 6 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Saturday became the first foreign actor to be conferred the title of Datuk, akin to a British knighthood, at a special ceremony here.
Shah Rukh responded by announcing that he would shoot an entire film, tentatively titled 'Happy New Year', in Malaysia next year.
'There is a film I am planning some time in August and September and will send a team down to look around,' The Star Online quoted him as saying.
He would also help develop the Malaysian movie industry that has had directors like Phani Mazumdar and Ritwik Ghatak making films.
On how he felt about his Datukship, the actor said that it was an honour not only for him but also for all actors from India.
'I am very happy that I have found a big space in the hearts of people here,' he added.
Resplendent in a black baju Melayu, samping and songkok, the traditional Malaysian attire, he received the state award from Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the royal constitutional head of the state.
The 43-year-old actor held the estimated 1,000 guests at the investiture spellbound as he received the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM), conferred on him in conjunction with the 70th birthday of the royal chief October 11.
Shah Rukh was tied down by a busy work schedule and could not fly in from Mumbai to receive the award in October or on the later date, Nov 29.
He arrived at the venue, Dewan Seri Negeri, at 10.55 a.m. and kept smiling and waving to his fans as he was escorted into the hall, Bernama, the official Malaysian news agency reported.
The actor was the focus of attention of the local and foreign photographers as well as guests who clicked away on their camera phones from their seats in the hall.
At the end of the investiture, the guests took the opportunity to have photographs taken with Shah Rukh.
He has received over 40 awards in the entertainment and film industry including, the Screen Award, Zee Cine Award, NDTV Award and International Indian Film Award.
He had acted in the Hindi film, 'One 2 Ka 4', that has scenes shot in Malaysia, including at the A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah near here.
At a joint news conference with the chief minister, Shah Rukh Khan repeatedly thanked Khalil and the Melaka state government for the award bestowed on him.
'Thank you to the Melaka government for this prestigious award. I was so honoured to receive this award that was given by a country that does not even understand my language,' he said.
He said Melaka has many beautiful places and he will come back to shoot a movie here.
'Melaka has beautiful scenery and I will promote this country to the world for hosting a shooting here,' he said.
Shah Rukh said he was excited and flattered wearing a baju Melayu and samping when he received the award.
He sounded disappointed that he could not stay longer here this time and said he might bring his family on a holiday.
The baju Melayu he wore was sponsored by Sovereign Wear Sdn Bhd and the Melaka state official samping made of songket was sponsored by the Institut Seni Malaysia Melaka.
The royal chief's wife, Toh Puan Zurina Kassim, and Melaka Chief Minister Mohammed Ali Rustam and his wife, Asmah Abdul Rahman, were also present at the investiture.
Shah Rukh noted that Malacca is a beautiful state that possesses many locations ideal for moviemaking.
He suggested the state set up at least one or two floor studios and labs here in order to attract moviemakers.
Shah Rukh is immensely popular among the Malaysians, besides other Indian actors like Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan.
Their popularity goes beyond the estimated 2.6 million Indian diaspora that forms eight percent of Malaysia's 28 million population.
Viveck Vaswani: Shah Rukh has worked free of charge for DMG
Source
With Shahrukh Khan finishing the final portions of DULHA MIL GAYA and Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan also lending a helping hand on quick notice, film maker Viveck Vaswani is a happy man.
"I am amazed at the professionalism of my lead stars", smiles Viveck, "They have shot round the clock for the film. It was a tiring shoot for days at stretch but they never gave up! Each of them wanted the film to reach the finishing line ASAP."
There have also been speculations that Shah Rukh hasn't charged any fees for his work in DULHA MIL GAYA. "You have heard it right. Shah Rukh has worked free of charge for me in this film. In fact all my actors in the film have done it for love not the money", quotes Viveck with a definite sense of admiration in his tone.
Other than the 'qawalli' for which Shah Rukh Khan shot along with Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan, he also shot for a music video and trailer/TV promos.
Viveck punches the final blow on his detractors, "With Shah Rukh finishing shoot for the film, it's a strong signal to all out there that rumours will always be rumours and facts will always be facts. So many out there thought that DULHA MIL GAYA will never be completed but see, we are announcing the release date now."
And what's the release date? "18th September", confirms Viveck, "The date has been finalized after much deliberation. We are making good progress on the post production of the film and are quite positive about meeting the deadline."
Also starring Mohit Chadda, Tara Sharma, Johny Lever, Parikshat Sahni, Bina Kak, Howard Rosemeyer, Suchitra Pillai, Viveck Vaswani himself and debutant Isshita Sharma, DULHA MIL GAYA is written and directed by Mudassar Aziz. Lalit Pandit is the composer while choreography is by Ahmed Khan and Howard Rosemeyer.
With Shahrukh Khan finishing the final portions of DULHA MIL GAYA and Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan also lending a helping hand on quick notice, film maker Viveck Vaswani is a happy man.
"I am amazed at the professionalism of my lead stars", smiles Viveck, "They have shot round the clock for the film. It was a tiring shoot for days at stretch but they never gave up! Each of them wanted the film to reach the finishing line ASAP."
There have also been speculations that Shah Rukh hasn't charged any fees for his work in DULHA MIL GAYA. "You have heard it right. Shah Rukh has worked free of charge for me in this film. In fact all my actors in the film have done it for love not the money", quotes Viveck with a definite sense of admiration in his tone.
Other than the 'qawalli' for which Shah Rukh Khan shot along with Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan, he also shot for a music video and trailer/TV promos.
Viveck punches the final blow on his detractors, "With Shah Rukh finishing shoot for the film, it's a strong signal to all out there that rumours will always be rumours and facts will always be facts. So many out there thought that DULHA MIL GAYA will never be completed but see, we are announcing the release date now."
And what's the release date? "18th September", confirms Viveck, "The date has been finalized after much deliberation. We are making good progress on the post production of the film and are quite positive about meeting the deadline."
Also starring Mohit Chadda, Tara Sharma, Johny Lever, Parikshat Sahni, Bina Kak, Howard Rosemeyer, Suchitra Pillai, Viveck Vaswani himself and debutant Isshita Sharma, DULHA MIL GAYA is written and directed by Mudassar Aziz. Lalit Pandit is the composer while choreography is by Ahmed Khan and Howard Rosemeyer.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Man, you gotta upload that video at the KR website! LOL
Source: KKR players get stuck in lift after CSK win
Centurion, May 19 (PTI) As skipper Brendon McCullum put it once, something or the other keeps going haywire for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Savouring their first win in nine Indian Premier League matches, some of the team's members, including former skipper Sourav Ganguly, were stuck in a lift for more than 15 minutes.
A technical snag left a few members of the side inside the hotel lift even as their coach John Buchanan mischievously captured their anxious moments on a handy cam.
The tournament-laggards, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, have nothing but pride to play for in the remainder of the Twenty20 event.
They had earlier earned the dubious distinction of losing eight matches on the trot. PTI
Centurion, May 19 (PTI) As skipper Brendon McCullum put it once, something or the other keeps going haywire for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Savouring their first win in nine Indian Premier League matches, some of the team's members, including former skipper Sourav Ganguly, were stuck in a lift for more than 15 minutes.
A technical snag left a few members of the side inside the hotel lift even as their coach John Buchanan mischievously captured their anxious moments on a handy cam.
The tournament-laggards, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, have nothing but pride to play for in the remainder of the Twenty20 event.
They had earlier earned the dubious distinction of losing eight matches on the trot. PTI
This article amuses me...
Who says everyone in India knows who Shah Rukh Khan is?
Somehow, this reminds me of Raj's reaction after Taani says no when he asks, "Raj, naam to suna hoga?" XD
Source
In February 2009, the NDTV Toyota Greenathon was held, the first of it's kind 24 hour telethon for the environment to raise money for TERI's Light a Billion Lives initiative - that's solar powering villages across the country.
Shah Rukh Khan sponsored five villages, and we visited one of them in Rajasthan, to find no one there had heard of him.
Far away from the glitz and glamour of the Greenathon, there we were in the village of Panchbadi, one of the five villages sponsored by Shar Rukh Khan for the Light a Billion Lives Scheme.
It's a village that's been off the development roadmap for the last 60 years. The 90-odd families here resigned to the darkness that night brings. But Greenathon is set to change that. The village will soon have a solar powering station. The house of Teja Ram Gujjar, for instance, is where the solar panels and charging station will be set up.
"We held a meeting of the villagers and told them about this project. They all agreed the project should come to their village and this house was chosen for setting up the charging station," said Murli Dhar Sharma, NGO worker.
"All the preparations have been made," said Teja Ram Gujjar, Entrepreneur.
The villagers now cannot wait to switch to solar lamps from the toxic and expensive kerosene lamps.
Since this solar power programme has been sponsored by Shah Rukh Khan, we decided to find out how much villagers knew about him.
NDTV: Shah Rukh Khan ka naam suna hai? (Have you heard the name of Shah Rukh Khan?)
"Nahi," said a villager. Many like him said 'no', they had not heard of Shah Rukh Khan.
They may not know who Shah Rukh Khan is but they are about to benefit from his generosity. The marvels of solar technology are coming to this village soon.
Somehow, this reminds me of Raj's reaction after Taani says no when he asks, "Raj, naam to suna hoga?" XD
Source
In February 2009, the NDTV Toyota Greenathon was held, the first of it's kind 24 hour telethon for the environment to raise money for TERI's Light a Billion Lives initiative - that's solar powering villages across the country.
Shah Rukh Khan sponsored five villages, and we visited one of them in Rajasthan, to find no one there had heard of him.
Far away from the glitz and glamour of the Greenathon, there we were in the village of Panchbadi, one of the five villages sponsored by Shar Rukh Khan for the Light a Billion Lives Scheme.
It's a village that's been off the development roadmap for the last 60 years. The 90-odd families here resigned to the darkness that night brings. But Greenathon is set to change that. The village will soon have a solar powering station. The house of Teja Ram Gujjar, for instance, is where the solar panels and charging station will be set up.
"We held a meeting of the villagers and told them about this project. They all agreed the project should come to their village and this house was chosen for setting up the charging station," said Murli Dhar Sharma, NGO worker.
"All the preparations have been made," said Teja Ram Gujjar, Entrepreneur.
The villagers now cannot wait to switch to solar lamps from the toxic and expensive kerosene lamps.
Since this solar power programme has been sponsored by Shah Rukh Khan, we decided to find out how much villagers knew about him.
NDTV: Shah Rukh Khan ka naam suna hai? (Have you heard the name of Shah Rukh Khan?)
"Nahi," said a villager. Many like him said 'no', they had not heard of Shah Rukh Khan.
They may not know who Shah Rukh Khan is but they are about to benefit from his generosity. The marvels of solar technology are coming to this village soon.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Inspiring speaker
Mr Patel is very unhappy that Shah Rukh is still being paid attention to by some sections of the people.
It's come to a point that I wonder whether this media type actually want him totally destroyed over KR's spectacular loss in IPL 2, and let's not beat about the bush and say that it's not spectacular coz it really is, that when they found out he's conducting his life affairs exactly as he's been doing all this while, they get extremely pissed off. By now Shah Rukh should be skulking off to a cave somewhere, hiding from the public in shame over his cricket debacle... not trundling away to a police academy as a motivational speaker!@#%!!&!!111! (LOL)
I just want to tell them that if Shah Rukh had been as ordinary as they are in his professional life, he'd have packed up and gone back to Delhi a loooong time ago. The faster they realise that his thought process is wired a little differently than us mere mortals' are, the better it is for their peace of mind. I happen to think this sort of catastrophe happens in his public career every 10 years. It's nearly 10 years since PBDHH vs KNPH controversy happened. That was a really explosive one for sure, and he didn't skulk off to a cave then, did he? About 10 years prior to that, something devastating happened in his personal life and what did he do? He went to Mumbai and became a movie star.
I'd also like to console the SRK fans who are worrying about Shah Rukh and his sporting venture that they don't have to worry so much coz he'll be okay. I believe in his fighting spighit. If you're losing sleep over his bad luck in IPL, errrr... manifest your worry into ticket sales for his upcoming movie, which is a more productive way to show your concern than trying to debate with SRK-haters online. They hate him, and no amount of 'discussions' can make them accept him, so what is the point? You're just wasting your time. Anyway, here's the article:
Shah Rukh called to inspire cops
We’re wondering what his own Kolkata cricket team has to say about that
By Bhupen Patel
Posted On Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 02:04:35 AM
Shah Rukh may have been a great inspiration to his hockey team in Chak De India, but he’s proved to be quite the opposite in real life with his own Kolkata cricket team - that is, if the crew’s current standing in the IPL is anything to go by.
Yet, there are those who still believe in King Khan. Officials at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel (SVP) Police Academy in Hyderabad have recently invited the superstar to help boost the morale of their officers.The institute had sent their request to Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor earlier this week, who had forwarded it to Shah Rukh.
An officer from Bandra police station visited Khan’s Mannat residence and handed over the invitation, which requested the star to conduct a lecture to motivate probationary Indian Police Service (IPS) officers towards their jobs.
Sources say Shah Rukh accepted the invite and agreed to give the talk, but the dates are yet to be confirmed. This is the first time an actor has been invited by a police academy for a lecture on motivation.E D Mani, personal assistant to the director K Vijaykumar, said, “We are awaiting his response. The programme entails one-on-one interaction of the probationary officers studying here; no outsider is allowed.”
For the sake of the institute and all that are involved, Khan will hopefully succeed with the academy where he failed with his team. It’s no secret that the superstar team-owner bombarded his Kolkata team with SMSes before every match. For the past two years, he’s been telling them to keep their chin up no matter what, and that the only way they’ll succeed is by enjoying the game.And the advice did work – for one pitiable match all this season!
Why then would one think he’d succeed in inspiring cops, that too in just one lecture?
An official pointed out that after the lecture, Khan will interact with the officers and the faculty’s families.“The children here are more excited,” he said.
It's come to a point that I wonder whether this media type actually want him totally destroyed over KR's spectacular loss in IPL 2, and let's not beat about the bush and say that it's not spectacular coz it really is, that when they found out he's conducting his life affairs exactly as he's been doing all this while, they get extremely pissed off. By now Shah Rukh should be skulking off to a cave somewhere, hiding from the public in shame over his cricket debacle... not trundling away to a police academy as a motivational speaker!@#%!!&!!111! (LOL)
I just want to tell them that if Shah Rukh had been as ordinary as they are in his professional life, he'd have packed up and gone back to Delhi a loooong time ago. The faster they realise that his thought process is wired a little differently than us mere mortals' are, the better it is for their peace of mind. I happen to think this sort of catastrophe happens in his public career every 10 years. It's nearly 10 years since PBDHH vs KNPH controversy happened. That was a really explosive one for sure, and he didn't skulk off to a cave then, did he? About 10 years prior to that, something devastating happened in his personal life and what did he do? He went to Mumbai and became a movie star.
I'd also like to console the SRK fans who are worrying about Shah Rukh and his sporting venture that they don't have to worry so much coz he'll be okay. I believe in his fighting spighit. If you're losing sleep over his bad luck in IPL, errrr... manifest your worry into ticket sales for his upcoming movie, which is a more productive way to show your concern than trying to debate with SRK-haters online. They hate him, and no amount of 'discussions' can make them accept him, so what is the point? You're just wasting your time. Anyway, here's the article:
Shah Rukh called to inspire cops
We’re wondering what his own Kolkata cricket team has to say about that
By Bhupen Patel
Posted On Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 02:04:35 AM
Shah Rukh may have been a great inspiration to his hockey team in Chak De India, but he’s proved to be quite the opposite in real life with his own Kolkata cricket team - that is, if the crew’s current standing in the IPL is anything to go by.
Yet, there are those who still believe in King Khan. Officials at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel (SVP) Police Academy in Hyderabad have recently invited the superstar to help boost the morale of their officers.The institute had sent their request to Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor earlier this week, who had forwarded it to Shah Rukh.
An officer from Bandra police station visited Khan’s Mannat residence and handed over the invitation, which requested the star to conduct a lecture to motivate probationary Indian Police Service (IPS) officers towards their jobs.
Sources say Shah Rukh accepted the invite and agreed to give the talk, but the dates are yet to be confirmed. This is the first time an actor has been invited by a police academy for a lecture on motivation.E D Mani, personal assistant to the director K Vijaykumar, said, “We are awaiting his response. The programme entails one-on-one interaction of the probationary officers studying here; no outsider is allowed.”
For the sake of the institute and all that are involved, Khan will hopefully succeed with the academy where he failed with his team. It’s no secret that the superstar team-owner bombarded his Kolkata team with SMSes before every match. For the past two years, he’s been telling them to keep their chin up no matter what, and that the only way they’ll succeed is by enjoying the game.And the advice did work – for one pitiable match all this season!
Why then would one think he’d succeed in inspiring cops, that too in just one lecture?
An official pointed out that after the lecture, Khan will interact with the officers and the faculty’s families.“The children here are more excited,” he said.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Who are we supposed to believe? The media, the esteemed outsiders, the senior KR players or the Fake IPL blogger?
Source
KKR racial slur never happened
KKR racial slur never happened
espnstar.com has come to know that the alleged racist comment between a coach and a player in the KKR camp never happened.
By Shikha Sachdeva
According to sources in the camp it was just a heated exchange which has been misreported in certain sections of the media.
At least two senior players of the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchisee told espnstar.com that the allegations are "not true".
"I was there when the incident took place. It didn't involve John Buchanan but someone else from the support staff and a senior India cricketer," said one of the players on condition of anonymity.
espnstar.com has learnt that the incident took place on March 23rd when Kolkata Knight Riders were playing an IPL game against the defending champions Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town.
The flare up happened between a senior Indian player and one of the assistant coaches of KKR and there was nothing racist about it.
"I was there when the incident took place near the super over stage of the game. The coach told the player to whatever he is told to do and there was no mention of ‘you Indian' etc," said a member of the KKR who incidentally is of Indian origin.
The whole incident was highlighted when former India captain Ajay Jadeja told a news channel that more than one member of the KKR team has told him that they are being racially abused by the support staff of the team which largely comprises Australians.
The former Test cricketer made a sensational claim by hinting that a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders' foreign coaching staff had racial overtones to his language used for an Indian player during the tournament.
Jadeja said in a TV programme that Indian players were being ill-treated in their own domestic IPL, which has not seen the Kolkata team winning barring in one match where they triumphed via Duckworth-Lewis method.
In Bollywood, when people want to advertise for their events, Shah Rukh's name is made into a calling card
You don't believe me?
Source
Just when I was beginning to believe that cock and bull story of SRK-Big B rivalry ending I was told this: Shah Rukh Khan has planned his annual vacation in such a way that he won't be able to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards. And if one notices it has almost become a ritual of sorts every year.
Now the awards ceremony is said to be the bastion of the Bachchans. And that's reason enough for Shah Rukh Khan to avoid it as diplomatically as possible. But when Amitabh Bachchan publicly expressed his desire to invite SRK, everyone's ears perked up!
A little birdie tells me that Big B has also kept his word and sent out an invite to SRK. Needless to say our man has already found a suitable excuse.
Apparently SRK plans to vacation with his family in London for some 10 days. I am also told that he will address a select section of the media there before going to an undisclosed location after that.
And what is so unusual about this? Well SRK, I am given to believe, is free as a jaybird right now (he's to start shooting for My Name is Khan at the end of June). His children too are enjoying their summer break. And while he could have well gone on a break right now, our man has taken special permission to excuse them from school whenever it starts!
Meanwhile Farah Khan – who has won an award for her choreography – has also opted out of the function saying she needs to spend time with her kids!
Seems like this war is far from over...
Source
Just when I was beginning to believe that cock and bull story of SRK-Big B rivalry ending I was told this: Shah Rukh Khan has planned his annual vacation in such a way that he won't be able to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards. And if one notices it has almost become a ritual of sorts every year.
Now the awards ceremony is said to be the bastion of the Bachchans. And that's reason enough for Shah Rukh Khan to avoid it as diplomatically as possible. But when Amitabh Bachchan publicly expressed his desire to invite SRK, everyone's ears perked up!
A little birdie tells me that Big B has also kept his word and sent out an invite to SRK. Needless to say our man has already found a suitable excuse.
Apparently SRK plans to vacation with his family in London for some 10 days. I am also told that he will address a select section of the media there before going to an undisclosed location after that.
And what is so unusual about this? Well SRK, I am given to believe, is free as a jaybird right now (he's to start shooting for My Name is Khan at the end of June). His children too are enjoying their summer break. And while he could have well gone on a break right now, our man has taken special permission to excuse them from school whenever it starts!
Meanwhile Farah Khan – who has won an award for her choreography – has also opted out of the function saying she needs to spend time with her kids!
Seems like this war is far from over...
'Happy New Year' on schedule
Source
Tuesday, May 12 2009, 13:28 BST
By Sanjay Odedra
'Happy New Year' on schedule
Farah Khan has denied rumours that shooting on her next project Happy New Year has been postponed to 2010.
The Om Shanti Om director insisted that work on the film, which stars Shah Rukh Khan, is on schedule and filming will begin later this year.
Speaking to IANS, she said: "Happy New Year will definitely start this year, no matter what. I'm working on the script. It might go on floors on December 31, but I'm sure it will begin this year.
"It is quite strange that people spread these irresponsible and baseless rumours... Shah Rukh and I don't even know from where such rumours originate."
Khan was recently nominated for an International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award for best choreography in the song 'Desi Girl' for Dostana.
Tuesday, May 12 2009, 13:28 BST
By Sanjay Odedra
'Happy New Year' on schedule
Farah Khan has denied rumours that shooting on her next project Happy New Year has been postponed to 2010.
The Om Shanti Om director insisted that work on the film, which stars Shah Rukh Khan, is on schedule and filming will begin later this year.
Speaking to IANS, she said: "Happy New Year will definitely start this year, no matter what. I'm working on the script. It might go on floors on December 31, but I'm sure it will begin this year.
"It is quite strange that people spread these irresponsible and baseless rumours... Shah Rukh and I don't even know from where such rumours originate."
Khan was recently nominated for an International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award for best choreography in the song 'Desi Girl' for Dostana.
Monday, May 11, 2009
I like this article...
Source
Saturday May 02, 2009
There are matches every team loses. And there are games every team wins. But when you start losing every match that you were close to winning, then you are in deep, deep trouble. Which is why Kolkata Knight Riders, after having played 50 per cent of their matches in IPL2, are languishing at the bottom.
Several reasons are being offered for the inept display. None more than this: a lot of good KKR players are missing in action: Umar Gul, Shoiab Akhtar, David Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Salman Butt.
But KKR's isn't the only team missing out on key recruits. So far, Rajasthan Royals don't have Shane Watson and Sohail Tanveer, two of the most successful players in IPL1.
Kings XI Punjab doesn't have Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, James Hopes, who were integral to their success last season. Yet they are not doing half as badly as KKR. Like a bad workman, one can always go on endlessly quarelling with the tools or try to make the best of a bad situation. That's exactly what Rajasthan and Punjab are doing.
Compare the phoren resources of these teams and you'll see that KKR is second to neither. On paper, Gayle, McCullum, Hodge, Mendis are as good as anything that Punjab Kings or Rajasthan Royal can offer.
Before IPL2, had anybody even heard of RJ Quiney who has now been regularly playing as a foreigner pro in the RR top order?
The scenario is similar with domestic players. Agreed that senior pros like Ganguly, Ishant and Kartik need to do much more. But it is also true that lesser lights like Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha have not been handled properly. They seem to be filling in the blanks, rather than being given a definite role.
Young cricketers often exceed expectations with the right kind of backing. And one is not just talking about Warne and his boys. Look how Karan Goel has played for Kings Punjab XI this season. He may not have got big runs, but on every occasion Goel has shown he belongs. It is a question of spotting talent and keeping faith.
In comparison, coach John Boka-known oops Buchanan's handling of fringe players has been below par. Players like Anureet Singh, A Ghosh, Yashpal Singh have walked in and out of the team like it were a thoroughfare. And there's simply no point in discussing the plight of Bangar and Chopra.
Tactically Buchanan has followed a policy of lining up all his best senior pros in the top slots. Once they are gone, often leaving a higher asking rate than what they started out with, lesser mortals are left to handle the worst.
Wouldn't it have been better to hold at least one top pro back and let players like Shukla or Saha intersperse in the top order? The only game when such an experiment was carried out (against Rajasthan Royals), KKR played its best game. And how about using Agarkar as a pinch hitter as Mumbai Indians have done with Harbhajan?
With all the aides at his disposal (17 according to one newspaper report), Buchanan doesn't seem to have a Plan B. Or is it that he has too many plans - from Plan A to Plan Z - and doesn't know which one to choose.
Solve this mystery for me. In the game against Bangalore, KKR had three wicket-keepers in the playing XI. One of them, Van Wyk, has been relatively successful with the bat. But why was he played in the first place remains a mystery.
Surely, the team did not need a 'pro' wicket-keeper batsman taking up the precious fourth foreigner slot in the team when they already have a competent desi keeper (Saha, also a World Cup probable) and a phoren player (captain McCullum) capable of playing the same role.
What KKR really lacks is depth in bowling. The team badly needs a strike bowler capable of taking two-three wickets. Which is why playing Van Wyk was not a great idea. For playing him means keeping out Ajantha Mendis, the only genuine strike bowler in the team, apart from Ishant. In any case, Buchanan seems to be a rare coach who doesn't see the virtues of playing the best spinner in the team in such favourable conditions.
Mendis shouldn't have been reduced to being a fringe player but seen as an integral part of KKR's scheme of things. That's perhaps Buchanan's biggest strategic mistake. True, Yusuf Pathan, Sachin and Jayasuriya hit him but remember these players can hit anybody on their day. Don't forget Mendis got Pathan the first time and was unlucky not to have got Pathan in the second ball of the super over. For a majority of batsmen, Mendis still will be hard to get away.
Now, the real question is: Can KKR haul itself out of the abyss? If that is translated as whether it can enter the semi-final, the answer is a flat no. There's no way captain McCullum and his boys, including Fake IPl player, can claw their way to the top four. With or without Buchanan.
But I guess that's not what the KKR fan is expecting anymore. What the average fan really wants is a performance with heart. Even in the first edition, KKR never looked like a champion team. But there was an electricity, a frisson that every fan felt running through his spine watching most of the games.
Remember McCullum's 13 sixes in his 73 ball 158 against Royal Challengers, simply the best knock played in IPL today.
Remember Ganguly's 3-0-7-1 spell where he clean bowled Rahul Dravid, every dot ball cheered like a six by a passionate Eden Gardens crowd on a muggy night. Those 18 deliveries, along with a modest 20, got him the man of the match award in that rain-curtailed game.
Remember Shoiab Akhtar, playing his first game, bowling an unplayable 3-0-11-4 spell where he toyed with Gambhir, Sehwag, de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary. Nobody has bowled a more fiery and memorable spell in IPL before or since. That night KKR defended 133 with ease.
And remember Ganguly smoting Irfan Pathan for sixes to win the last game for KKR. It was an unbeaten 86 off 53 balls with six sixes. But that didn't get him the man of the match award because Umar Gul went one better. He had smashed 24 off 11 balls with three sixes and scalped four for 23.
Each of these performances came straight from the heart. That's what made KKR stand out from the rest. Watching them play wasn't just witnessing a game. It was also witnessing human drama. And that's what everybody is waiting for.
And that's what Buchanan, McCullum and company have also failed to produce.
Saturday May 02, 2009
There are matches every team loses. And there are games every team wins. But when you start losing every match that you were close to winning, then you are in deep, deep trouble. Which is why Kolkata Knight Riders, after having played 50 per cent of their matches in IPL2, are languishing at the bottom.
Several reasons are being offered for the inept display. None more than this: a lot of good KKR players are missing in action: Umar Gul, Shoiab Akhtar, David Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Salman Butt.
But KKR's isn't the only team missing out on key recruits. So far, Rajasthan Royals don't have Shane Watson and Sohail Tanveer, two of the most successful players in IPL1.
Kings XI Punjab doesn't have Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, James Hopes, who were integral to their success last season. Yet they are not doing half as badly as KKR. Like a bad workman, one can always go on endlessly quarelling with the tools or try to make the best of a bad situation. That's exactly what Rajasthan and Punjab are doing.
Compare the phoren resources of these teams and you'll see that KKR is second to neither. On paper, Gayle, McCullum, Hodge, Mendis are as good as anything that Punjab Kings or Rajasthan Royal can offer.
Before IPL2, had anybody even heard of RJ Quiney who has now been regularly playing as a foreigner pro in the RR top order?
The scenario is similar with domestic players. Agreed that senior pros like Ganguly, Ishant and Kartik need to do much more. But it is also true that lesser lights like Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha have not been handled properly. They seem to be filling in the blanks, rather than being given a definite role.
Young cricketers often exceed expectations with the right kind of backing. And one is not just talking about Warne and his boys. Look how Karan Goel has played for Kings Punjab XI this season. He may not have got big runs, but on every occasion Goel has shown he belongs. It is a question of spotting talent and keeping faith.
In comparison, coach John Boka-known oops Buchanan's handling of fringe players has been below par. Players like Anureet Singh, A Ghosh, Yashpal Singh have walked in and out of the team like it were a thoroughfare. And there's simply no point in discussing the plight of Bangar and Chopra.
Tactically Buchanan has followed a policy of lining up all his best senior pros in the top slots. Once they are gone, often leaving a higher asking rate than what they started out with, lesser mortals are left to handle the worst.
Wouldn't it have been better to hold at least one top pro back and let players like Shukla or Saha intersperse in the top order? The only game when such an experiment was carried out (against Rajasthan Royals), KKR played its best game. And how about using Agarkar as a pinch hitter as Mumbai Indians have done with Harbhajan?
With all the aides at his disposal (17 according to one newspaper report), Buchanan doesn't seem to have a Plan B. Or is it that he has too many plans - from Plan A to Plan Z - and doesn't know which one to choose.
Solve this mystery for me. In the game against Bangalore, KKR had three wicket-keepers in the playing XI. One of them, Van Wyk, has been relatively successful with the bat. But why was he played in the first place remains a mystery.
Surely, the team did not need a 'pro' wicket-keeper batsman taking up the precious fourth foreigner slot in the team when they already have a competent desi keeper (Saha, also a World Cup probable) and a phoren player (captain McCullum) capable of playing the same role.
What KKR really lacks is depth in bowling. The team badly needs a strike bowler capable of taking two-three wickets. Which is why playing Van Wyk was not a great idea. For playing him means keeping out Ajantha Mendis, the only genuine strike bowler in the team, apart from Ishant. In any case, Buchanan seems to be a rare coach who doesn't see the virtues of playing the best spinner in the team in such favourable conditions.
Mendis shouldn't have been reduced to being a fringe player but seen as an integral part of KKR's scheme of things. That's perhaps Buchanan's biggest strategic mistake. True, Yusuf Pathan, Sachin and Jayasuriya hit him but remember these players can hit anybody on their day. Don't forget Mendis got Pathan the first time and was unlucky not to have got Pathan in the second ball of the super over. For a majority of batsmen, Mendis still will be hard to get away.
Now, the real question is: Can KKR haul itself out of the abyss? If that is translated as whether it can enter the semi-final, the answer is a flat no. There's no way captain McCullum and his boys, including Fake IPl player, can claw their way to the top four. With or without Buchanan.
But I guess that's not what the KKR fan is expecting anymore. What the average fan really wants is a performance with heart. Even in the first edition, KKR never looked like a champion team. But there was an electricity, a frisson that every fan felt running through his spine watching most of the games.
Remember McCullum's 13 sixes in his 73 ball 158 against Royal Challengers, simply the best knock played in IPL today.
Remember Ganguly's 3-0-7-1 spell where he clean bowled Rahul Dravid, every dot ball cheered like a six by a passionate Eden Gardens crowd on a muggy night. Those 18 deliveries, along with a modest 20, got him the man of the match award in that rain-curtailed game.
Remember Shoiab Akhtar, playing his first game, bowling an unplayable 3-0-11-4 spell where he toyed with Gambhir, Sehwag, de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary. Nobody has bowled a more fiery and memorable spell in IPL before or since. That night KKR defended 133 with ease.
And remember Ganguly smoting Irfan Pathan for sixes to win the last game for KKR. It was an unbeaten 86 off 53 balls with six sixes. But that didn't get him the man of the match award because Umar Gul went one better. He had smashed 24 off 11 balls with three sixes and scalped four for 23.
Each of these performances came straight from the heart. That's what made KKR stand out from the rest. Watching them play wasn't just witnessing a game. It was also witnessing human drama. And that's what everybody is waiting for.
And that's what Buchanan, McCullum and company have also failed to produce.
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