Shahrukh Khan to Dawn: I will come to Pakistan

It may be recalled that SRK got into hot water with a right wing political party not so long ago because he’d suggested that Pakistani cricketers be allowed to play in the IPL. Thanks to King Khan’s sentiments, the party also disrupted the release of My Name Is Khan. Now the Badshah of Bollywood has given an interview to Pakistan’s premier newspaper Dawn where he’s said that he will visit our neighbour. He’s also advocated Pakistani artistes working in Bollywood

A true flag flier of Aman Ki Asha is our Khan. Here’s hoping that the right wing politicos don’t blow this up and disrupt the Don 2 release and instead take Khan’s comments in the spirit in which he meant them. Excerpts from the Dawn interview:

Keeping My Name is Khan and the relations between India and Pakistan in mind, do you think films need to absorb the socio-politics around us or influence them? What does good cinema do, in your opinion?

Art is always going to go beyond boundaries. Primarily, all a good film needs to do is entertain. Enjoyable cinema will always transcend boundaries and we are so similar as a people that we laugh at the same things and cry at the same things. But why restrict the Dawn question to India and Pakistan? I’m glad people liked Khan (My Name is Khan) all over the world for a very simple reason. I’m not claiming to know everything but I do know that as a Muslim it’s important for me to tell the world who we really are. It’s important for us to explain Islam to the world and it’s important for the world to know Islam and what it truly stands for. But that’s not the only reason I did the film. It was a good experience.

Indian films are now releasing in Pakistan so at least some boundaries are softening. What do you say about Pakistani artistes working in India?

We speak the same language. This exchange is very important because we have the same background and I hope it continues. Where films are concerned, it’s important to step out and explore new options. I have worked with a lot of singers from Pakistan and I’ve also worked with Akon for RA.One. I feel that new voices bring novelty as well as longevity.

You always had fans in Pakistan but your fanfare reached dizzy heights with MNIK. What are the odds that you’ll come to Pakistan?

One of these days, I will come to Pakistan. I will come to Pakistan when work takes me there.

Work, but not the love of the people?

I find work is an excuse for love. I find love in work.

And, since Cineswami loses no opportunity to coin a cheap pun, here goes:

‘Knock knock’

“Kaun Hai?”

“Dawn, dawn, er, don 2”.

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Shah Rukh's 800-page biography to weigh 37 kgs!

Mumbai: Weighing an incredible 37 kgs, running up to 800 pages and consisting of exclusive content including fascinating extracts from Shahrukh Khan's personal diary, "King Khan - The Official Opus of Shah Rukh Khan" is likely to be released next year.

"I am overwhelmed by the honour. Though there have been books written about me, but the magnificence of this book simply stands out. I am thankful to the group for choosing me. My opus will surely get me closer to my fans," Khan said signing the first copy of his official opus.

The Bollywood megastar joins the league of iconic names in the opus collection, including Sachin Tendulkar, Michael Jackson, Manchester United FC, Formula 1 and Ferrari.

He is the second Indian to have this luxury, large-format work dedicated to him.

Announced by Britain-based Opus Media Group, the Opus will narrate the journey of the star through rare pictures and extracts from his personal diary.

The opus will reveal the incredible passion, intellectual drive, constant ambition and charming personality of Khan.

The leather-bound publication will weigh an incredible 37 kg, running up to 800 pages and consisting of exclusive, newly-commissioned content that will make this work a must-have for every fan.

"On behalf of the entire Opus team, we are immensely honoured to be given such a wonderful opportunity to tell Khan's story in an opus. Khan continues to lead the way creatively and we hope to rise to the challenge in telling his story in a new, diverse and unprecedented style through the King Khan Opus," said Opus Media Group CEO Karl Fowler.

Said Eszter Karpati, editor of "King Khan - The Official Opus of Shah Rukh Khan": Eight hundred pages of an Opus allow for plenty of storytelling. But when we were planning the King Khan Opus, it was a case of how can we possibly fit everything in."

The Opus will be semi-autobiographical as Khan will contribute much of the exclusive content himself, including fascinating extracts from his personal diary that he has kept for over 20 years.

Structured around 13 themed chapters, the editorial content will include a detailed filmography plus a light-hearted cinematic intermission in which people can gain an insight into his on and off screen persona and the colour and flavour of Bollywood.

Each marquee edition of the Opus will be personally signed Khan and presented as a strictly limited edition worldwide.

"King Khan - The Official Opus of Shah Rukh Khan" will also be offered as a DVD as well as a downloadable iTunes App designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and Android platforms.

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When Shahrukh Khan's wife got scared of his real stunt

Gauri Khan scared to see Shahrukh Khan’s jump!


He tests his own unflagging spirit and in spite of his back pain and serious injuries in the past, Shahrukh Khan performed a breathtaking stunt that had his wife Gauri Khan scared. 


It happened at the shoot of Don 2 in Berlin, Germany. Farhan Akhtar asked Shahrukh to shoot for a sequence which required the star to jump off from a height of 300 feet from the top of the Park Inn Hotel in Berlin. When Shahrukh Khan heard this he couldn’t say yes immediately! Indeed, he was nervous. 


As a source is quoted as saying about the incident, “When Farhan asked Shahrukh to jump, his first impulse was to say no. Then Shahrukh asked Farhan to take the plunge first, hoping that Farhan would chicken out. To Shahrukh's surprise, Farhan jumped, leaving Shahrukh with no choice but to do the same.” 


A shiver ran down Shahrukh’s spine after seeing Farhan performing the stunt. Who can forget Farhan even ran with the bulls in his film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. So as King Khan had promised, he did the scene, and his fans would also agree that he is a braveheart and a complete professional. 


But this certainly didn’t go down well with Gauri Khan; she was stunned to know about the stunt, and same was the case with Farhan Akhtar’s hairstylist wife Adhuna Akhtar. It was learnt that both the wives frowned upon their husbands’ daring acts. 


Shahrukh even confirmed the news; yes he was scared as the shot needed him to be horizontally parallel to the ground.

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'Ra.One' drops in week 2, 'Rockstar' keenly awaited

Despite no potential competition ('Loot', 'Miley Na Miley Hum') in its second week, the business of 'Ra.One' wasn't anything to rave about. All eyes on 'Rockstar' now.

There weren't any big release lined up in the week following Ra.One release. Perhaps the industry might have perceived it to have a huge impact and thereby big releases kept away by a decent two weeks. Unfortunately Ra.One hasn't done any wonders despite having no potential competition in its second week.

Loot starring Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Javed Jaffrey and Mahakshay Chakravarthy looked like a dated project with bad performances, wrong sense of humour and poor direction. Clearly the film failed to excite much even in the small centers. Chirag Paswan's debut film had as much indifferent fate as his act in the film. Even Kangana Ranaut couldn't add any spark in Miley Naa Miley Hum which had a boring plotline and directionless narrative. Expectedly both the films met with disastrous fate at the box office. We aren't even talking about the B-grader Tension Door in which some Swaraj Singh tried to launch himself as an actor.

With practically no competition in its second week, the business of Ra.One slid down to a considerable extent. The mixed response in its first week didn't encourage more footfalls in the second week. The second weekend collection is around Rs 9 crores and the total nett. collection has reached around Rs 110 crores which isn't saying much for SRK's superhero. 

Now all eyes are on Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor in the title role. The film is being hugely promoted and is being keenly looked forward to. Ranbir's chemistry with Nargis Fakhri, AR Rahman's music and Imtiaz Ali's track record makes it a promising film. Again Rockstar comes as a solo Hindi release and is expected to open big.

Top 5 Films this Week

Film: Ra.One

Position: 1

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal

Upside: Good special effects, SRK's energetic act, ravishing Kareena Kapoor, well-choreographed action sequences 

Downside: Superhero enters pretty late in plot, cardboard villain, too long, average music, screenplay could have been more eventful, humour too vulgar for a family film

Running Week: 1

Trade Comments: Despite no potential competition in its second week, the business of Ra.One slid down to a considerable extent. The mixed response in first week didn't encourage more footfalls in the second week. The second weekend collection is around Rs 9 crores and the total nett. collection has reached around Rs 110 crores which isn't saying much for SRK's superhero. 

Film: Loot

Position: 2

Director: Rajnish Raj Thakur

Cast: Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Javed Jaffrey, Mahesh Manjrekar

Upside: Decent plot

Downside: Bad direction, pathetic performances, sense of humour gone wrong

Running Week: 1

Trade Comments: Poor opening

Film: Miley Naa Miley Hum

Position: 3

Director: Tanveer Khan

Cast: Chirag Paswan, Kangana Ranaut

Upside: Practically nothing

Downside: Dismal debut by Chirag Paswan, bad acts, dull plot, boring screenplay

Running Week: 1

Trade Comments: Extremely poor opening.

Film: Damadamm

Position: 4

Director: Swapna Waghmare

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Sonal Sehgal, Purbi Joshi

Upside: Interesting plot

Downside: Boring execution, average acts

Running Week: 2

Box Office Verdict: Flop

Film: Tell Me O Kkhuda

Position: 5

Director: Hema Malini

Cast: Esha Deol, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra

Upside: Senior actors try to be the saving grace

Downside: Boring story, uninteresting acts, Esha Deol fails to impress

Running Week: 2

Box Office Verdict: Flop

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'Ra.One' collections drop, distributors suffer

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Mumbai: While RA.One couldn't boost its collections last week, the other two Hindi releases sank without a trace

Post Diwali, RA.One had yet another long weekend, thanks to Eid yesterday. But the film saw a drop in collections that started last Monday onwards. Trade analysts peg weekend figures (in India) at about R 7 crore, and concede that it's not a hit.

The newer releases like Loot and Miley Naa Miley Hum couldn't lure the audience to watch the Govinda, Suniel Shetty and Mahakshay Chakraborty-starrer or Chirag Paswan- Kangna Ranaut romance either.

Dismissing the fate of the new films at the BO, veteran trade analyst Amod Mehra says, "People aren't interested in seeing these films. They're washouts." On the other hand, Komal Nahta, trade expert terms them: "One is worse than the other."

Interestingly, despite the negative word-of-mouth, RA.One fared better during the weekend as compared to Loot and Miley Naa Miley Hum.

"Last Monday onwards, the numbers of the SRK-starrer have been falling like a landslide. This weekend saw it collect Rs 7 odd crore, but it's not good enough to put the film into big league," pointed out Mehra.

A distributor based in Central India said that considering the numbers were low on the first Sunday, there was no hope in the second weekend for the Anubhav Sinha directed special effects extravaganza.

"In Central India, Bodyguard collected Rs 4.30 crore in nine days, while RA.One garnered only Rs 3 crore. So how will it recover the cost for the distributor?" he said, reiterating that his counterparts in different territories are losing money on this R 150 crore movie.

He maintains, "Nizam territory was sold for Rs 7.5 crore, but this distributor is losing Rs 2.5 crore. CI territory sold for Rs 3.15 crore, but it hasn't seen more than Rs 2.5 crore.

Rajasthan went for Rs 5 crore, but is losing at least Rs 1 crore, and so is CP, where the distributor spent Rs 4.75 crore. The entire east circuit (West Bengal, Assam, Orrisa, Bihar) was sold for Rs 7 crore, but the distributor is losing about Rs 2 crore."

Nahta too says that the second week has not been good for RA.One. "Though the children liked it, elders didn't," he says, pegging the India collections of RA.One (Hindi) at Rs 103 crore for the week. "Despite over Rs 120 crore in India, including the Tamil-Telugu versions, the collections are not good enough.

While Shah Rukh Khan and Eros will make money, RA.One is not a hit as some distributors lost money. Their grievances will have to be compensated," he said, pointing out that Eros will have to make adjustments with their forthcoming Rockstar (November 11) and Desi Boyz (November 25).

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SRK's RA.One earns Rs 170 crore at BO

Shah Rukh Khan's technolgical masterpiece RA.One, one of the most expensive films made in India, has recovered its costs by earning Rs 170 crore worldwide in the opening weekend. The superstar is congratulating his business partners on the superhero's box office success.

Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International) released the collection report stating that the film has got a record breaking opening - the highly anticipated Diwali collected of Rs 137.25 crore (net collection Rs 96 crore) in India and Rs 32.75 crore overseas. 

Apart from this, Shah Rukh Khan had reportedly sold the satellite rights for Rs 37 crore, the music rights for Rs 8 crore and ancillary rights for Rs 10 crore even before the film had hit the screens.

"As always, my heart doesn't crunch numbers and heroes don't count zeros...but it's nice to know how RA.One is flying," he further tweeted.

"Ga Ga ooh la la...Ra Ra Ra.One. Thrilled with response. Congratulations to my business partners." 

Made at a budget of Rs 150 crore, the film, described as best in terms of technology, opened across more than 4,000 plus screens worldwide - 3,100 plus screens in India and 904 prints internationally, including 3D and has become the biggest Hindi grosser in southern market too.

"RA.One released to packed houses across the country on Diwali day and has already created history by taking over the mantle of the biggest domestic earner so far. The film continues to be on its record breaking spree with several new achievements since its release. It has touched the highest individual collection in circuits such as Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan," Nandu Ahuja, senior vice president, distribution, Eros International Media Ltd said in a statement.

"We see repeat viewings of the movie with the 3-D version being equally sought after. With the Eid holiday also coming up next week and no other major film release, we are anticipating the film to continue doing huge numbers," he added. 

Speaking on the film's overseas performance, Pranab Kapadia, president, distribution,  Eros International, said: "The film is enjoying a superb run across all major regions including UK, North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Overseas, the film has broken SRK's own previous first weekend record established by My Name Is Khan and occupies the position of biggest Indian first weekend grosser overseas as well."

Eros plans to take the film to non-traditional markets - RA.One is scheduled for theatrical release in the first quarter of 2012 across several territories including South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia , Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Greece .

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, RA.One saw King Khan as G.One along with Arjun Rampal as RA.One and Kareena Kapoor. 

Though the critics didn't give it a thumbs up, the film's visual effects and state of the art production techniques have set a new standard in the Indian film industry

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Shahrukh Khan Premieres Ra.One in Toronto

It's a superhero/supervillain battle that goes from the virtual world into the real one.

Bollywood is hoping Ra.One, with a reported budget of $30 million — the largest in Indian cinema history — will score at the international box office and bring some much-needed glitter back to a film industry in the midst of a two-year slump.

The Hindi-language film, starring Shahrukh Khan — dubbed the "King of Bollywood" after starring in more than 70 movies — opened in Toronto Wednesday with a red carpet premiere at TIFF Bell Lightbox. In an indication of the film's publicity push, Khan arrived here direct from the London premiere and on his way to the Los Angeles one.

It also opened to the general public Wednesday at 10 theatres throughout the GTA, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Diwali, and is scheduled to open in 5,000 screens worldwide and 600 in 3-D.

The film premiered in Dubai on Monday, with Khan and fellow stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in attendance.

The plot — which tips its hat to Hollywood movies such as The Terminator franchise — centres on Shekhar Subramanium, played by Khan, who develops a virtual reality videogame in an effort to impress his son, Prateek.

But Prateek's insistence that his father create an unbeatable virtual reality villain gives the cyberworld creature, Ra.One, some grandiose ideas and an ambition to wreak havoc in the real world. Khan also plays the role of G.One, a blue-suited virtual superhero who is Prateek's and his mother's only hope for survival.

In typical Bollywood style, the film offers four playful and dazzling dance production numbers, including one that pays homage to the Ben E. King classic, "Stand by Me."

The film, which splits its time between London and Mumbai, also features some wild, CGI-heavy action scenes, prompting a disclaimer that the stunts are choreographed by professionals and should not be mimicked by audience members.

The nonetheless family-friendly Ra.One seems geared for an adolescent audience — and it helps to be fluent in Bollywood cinema. 

http://www.toronto.com/article/702364--shahrukh-khan-premieres-ra-one-in-toronto

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