Face Off- It's SRK vs Salman at Dubai this New Year!

It seems year 2011 is going to be historic in many ways.

Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, the two arch rivals of Bollywood, might come face to face at Dubai again, as the two are expected to come face to face this New Year.

Sources suggest that both would be celebrating the party at a radius difference of a 100 meters. There are several B-town celebs, who are attending SRK's bash and the possibility of them visiting Salman party is cent per cent," added an insider.

Both SRK and Salman came face to face twice recently, once on an aircraft and then, at Ritesh Deshmukh's birthday bash, where the two showed ignorance, but this bash could be a blessing in disguise in many ways.
As per sources Salman and SRK have also got invites from the Royal Family of UAE to attend their party and are likely to bump into each other on that turf again.
While Salman's guest list includes his parents, brothers, sisters and close friends Sajid Nadiadwala, Bhushan Kumar, Katrina Kaif (tentatively), Mahesh Manjrekar and Shirish Kunder. SRK's party will see Farhan Akhtar, Bhavna and Chunkey Pandey, Arjun Rampal, Karan Johar, Kajal Anand, Anubhav Sinha with SRK's wife Gauri and her friends Suzanne Roshan and others.

SRK praises the villain of Don 2

The villain of Shah Rukh Khan and Farhan Akhtar's film 'Don 2' Nawab Shah has won SRK's heart due to his drop-dead good looks and for being the perfect fit for the negative role in the eagerly awaited film. 

Shah Rukh Khan says, "Nawab Shah is not your quintessential villain but a handsome guy who can win hearts even as he breaks them. He has gorgeous drop-dead good looks unheard of in Bollywood. I am happy that he fits the role for Don 2 to the T! After Arjun Rampal in 'Ra.One', Nawab Shah will be another villain whose work will be appreciated and loved by one and all."

A confident but humble Nawab Shah says, " I am happy that Shah Rukh is saying nice things about me. It means a lot to me because I have really struggled and come a long way. For me Don 2 is the most important release of my professional life and I have slogged a lot to make it work. It's also important from the personal point of view as it signifies my comeback post my recovery from the accident."

Nawab Shah has recovered fast post his near-fatal accident at the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal and is aspiring to get fighting fit. Post his accident, he is awaiting the release of his film so he can get inspiration to fight back for some more action.

Nawab Shah says, "Well, Don 2 has become more of an inspiration to me than just a film. I trained and worked on action for 6 months before shooting for Don 2 in Berlin ..for a two months shoot. After my accident, it took me 3 months to recover , now I am training again for the next 5 months for the release of Don 2."

Shah Rukh Khan beats Hrithik Roshan?

Big screen apart, the small screen too is fast becoming a war zone for mega-budget flicks, even before their release. Along with the box office collections, even the cost of sale of satellite rights help in determining a film’s success today. According to industrywallahs, the revenue earned through selling the satellite rights of a film are also decisive factors for establishing an actor’s position in the industry.

Most recently, actor Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming film Agneepath apparently sold its satellite rights to Zee Network for Rs 41 crore, making his film the highest earned satellite rights beating all the three Khans in this space (Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman). But now if rumours are to be believed, then superhero Krish has been defeated by none other than Ra. One — Shah Rukh Khan in this race.
If insiders are to be believed then Shah Rukh’s upcoming release Don 2 has been sold for a whopping price of Rs 43 crore to Zee Network. A source says, “Both Don and Agneepath are remakes of actor Amitabh Bachchan’s superhit films. The cult film Don has already been remade and Don 2 in fact is the extension of the original story. Hence it has a new thrilling story line along with the stylish appeal and very importantly
Shah Rukh-Priyanka Chopra’s interesting chemistry in the film make it a wholesome entertainer.”
The source further adds, “Agneepath too is a highly awaited film with Hrithik and yet again PC who will be seen after a long time with junior Roshan post Krish. Also the pivotal character of Kancha Cheena made popular by actor Danny Denzopa is being played by actor Sanjay Dutt, whichseems interesting. However, since SRK’s Don had already proved its mettle at the BO earlier and was liked by the audience, it got a higher price than this first ever remake of Agneepath.”
Though both SRK and Hrithik’s films have apparently earned exhorbitant prices as far satellite rights go, only time will tell, which film wins the final lap at the BO!

Shah Rukh Khan, FMCG cos lead TV advertising charts

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, backed by more than a dozen brand endorsements, has emerged as the most visible celebrity on television in the first nine months of the year followed by Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor.

The top ten advertisers list, on the hand, is dominated by the consumer goods majors. While Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Procter & Gamble (P&G), and L'oreal India led the pack, telecoms major Idea Cellular and jewellery brand Gitanjali Gems emerged as the only non-FMCG advertisers on the list, according to TAM, a television audience measurement agency.

Film actors, who continue to dominate television screen space thanks to their multiple brand endorsements, have seen their presence decline, even as sportspersons (read cricketers) led by M S Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar upped their share by 7% between January-September this year compared to the corresponding period last year.

Shah Rukh Khan’s daredevilry

International stunt director Wolfgang Stegemann trained Khan in some daring fight sequences and created a special fight style for him in Don 2

Shah Rukh Khan has Pathani blood coursing through his veins. And for the first time, he is bringing that side of him to the fore with some hard-hitting action sequences in Don 2. Khan trained with international stunt and fight director Wolfgang Stegemann, who has worked in films like Inglourious Basterds and Valkyrie, and is known for his daring stunts and stylised action scenes. Wolfgang, who also plays a negative character called Karl in the film, created a special fight style for SRK. "These are powerful and effective to knock off Don's enemies. I had to analyse Mr Khan's motions and find the perfect fight style for him. It is a mix between martial arts, Krav Maga, Wing Chun and Trapping, which has not been practised in Bollywood. It helped him endure long settings of fights together," he says.

Adds Farhan Akhtar, the director of the film, "There is a lot of hard-hitting, edgy and gritty action in Don 2. We evolved the fighting styles we had established for Roma and Vardhaan in Don for the sequel. Throw into that an amazing car chase and a lot of things blowing up and it was like directing action scenes I had fantasised about growing up."

The sequences were tough, but SRK had a blast doing the stunts himself. He says, "This time around, Don is lean, mean, sexy, scheming and menacing. He does all the planning and scheming on his own, without the help of his gang, as this time he doesn't trust anyone."

Shah Rukh got the moves right rather quickly. As producer Ritesh Sidhwani says, "Action is usually associated with a muscular build, but the action scenes in this film demanded a lean body inspired by Bruce Lee's films. And though performing stunts requires rigorous training, Shah Rukh got a hang of the stunts in no time." He adds, "The action is authentic, like the ones in films like The Bourne Ultimatum or the James Bond series. It is not exaggerated or larger than life."

Aishwarya-Shah Rukh Khan in Bhansali's next?

The tinsel town is buzzing with this latest tidbit, that - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will make a comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film....

Talks are that the project in question is actually Bhansali's 'Bajirao Mastani' his dream film which is lying on the shelf for a considerable time. While earlier the filmmaker wanted to have Salman Khan and Aishwarya in lead, the film will have now Shah Rukh Khan instead, rumours reveal.

Although the 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' pairing would have garnered much hype, SRK-Aishwarya jodi cannot be ignored as well. After all the two looked compatible in 'Mohabattein', 'Devdas', 'Shakti' (item song)... Shah Rukh and Aishwarya first worked together in 'Josh' as siblings, but then they replaced the performance with romance in 'Mohabattein'.

On the other hand, if things fall in place then this will be the fourth time that Aishwarya will work with Bhansali - after 'Hum Dil De...', 'Devdas' and 'Guzaarish'.

Now let's wait and see if the Badshah and the gorgeous diva will indeed come together in SLB's project...

Smoking ban likely to burn SRK’s ‘Don 2’

Ahead of the release of Shahrukh Khan’s Don-2, a section of the Hindi film industry including the producer is lobbying with the Centre to ensure that a new order restricting on-screen smoking scene does not throw a spanner in the film’s release.

The lobbying began on the eve of release of the much-awaited sequel of Shahrukh-Farhan Akhtar’s earlier film Don. Don-2 reportedly has smoking scenes. 

The producer is apprehensive of restrictions coming in the way of the film’s release without any anti-tobacco message or blurring of a scene. In November this year, the government came out with a new set of rules that allowed  smoking scenes in films and television serials only if there are very strong editorial justification for them.

In films or TV programmes, where smoking scenes are editorially justified, the actor who puffed on the screen has to be featured in a separate spot in which he or she will speak about the ill-effects of tobacco. The disclaimer would be 20 seconds long and has to be shown in the beginning or middle of the film.

When a tobacco scene appears on the screen, a prominent anti-tobacco display with a warning has to be scrolled at its bottom. If the film is shot or dubbed in a vernacular language, the scroll would also have to be in the same language.

Despite repeated efforts by Deccan Herald to contact Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pankaja Thakur, he was not available for a clarification on whether Don 2 had received the censor board certificate.

Earlier this month, a Telegu movie titled “Bezawada” was released with those warning messages in 11 smoking scenes of the movie.  Many members of the film industry, however, are against the notification. Representatives of the film industry had met Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, who in turn asked her officials to take up the matter with the Union health ministry.

On receiving complaints from the I&B ministry, which cites court rulings, the health ministry has forwarded the contentious notification together with rulings from Mumbai High Court and Supreme Court  to the Union Law Ministry for its opinion.

“The health ministry notification on smoking rules on films has been referred to the law ministry. There is no further decision,” a health ministry official said adding that I&B ministry did not raise any objections when the notification was discussed among the ministries.

The Centre took the decision on banning smoking scenes after studies showed that glorifying smoking on screen drives the young generation to pick up the deadly habit.

Yash Chopra's SRK project: Rahman finalizes first song!

After receiving all round critical acclaims as well as commercial success with his last album, ROCKSTAR, music wizard A. R. Rahman is all set to rule over the hearts of music lovers once again. And this time it's for the much awaited and anticipated Yash Chopra-Shah Rukh Khan project.

Yes, for all those who were thinking that the Yash Chopra-SRK project has still not seen the light of the day, here is breaking news about the music of the project which is being composed by none other than music maestro A. R. Rahman. 

The first song of the project is complete and as expected it's a superb number and this has been confirmed by none other than Gulzar himself, the lyricist of the project. According to Gulzar Sahab, 'We have done one song so far and Yash Chopra is ecstatic with the result.'

Well, this is definitely very good news for countless Yash Chopra-SRK fans who love their kind of films and have been waiting since VEER ZARA to see the two of them come together and create magic once again.

Smoking scenes not blurred in 'Don 2': Farhan

Director Farhan Akhtar says they are not blurring smoking scenes in the upcoming SRK starrer 'Don 2' and will only show a disclaimer in the beginning.
"We all agree that smoking is a major health issue and there is no intention of glorifying it in the film. It is shown as a weakness or a trait of the character. We reasoned with them and they saw our point of view. So the film will only have a disclaimer in the beginning. No blurring of scenes or scrolls during the movie," Farhan told reporters.
A recent notification by the Health ministry to the producers says they should put a disclaimer along with the lead character speaking about the ill-effects of smoking. It also demands that the scenes where the character is shown smoking should be scrolled down or blurred.
Film's producer Ritesh Sidvani and Farhan's father Javed Akhtar recently met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni to resolve the matter ahead of film's release on December 23. 

SRK's Don2 song an action sequence!

Farhan just finished shooting a video for the song MUJHKO PEHCHAAN LO for DON 2 with Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai. This will be the first of a kind music video where instead of a choreographed song and dance treatment, they have opted to visualise the song as an action sequence. The song is being choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant.

Speaking on this Farhan Akhtar's said, "Its going to be a first of its kind music video which makes it really exciting to do. Instead of a song and dance treatment, we've opted to visualise the song as an action sequence.. to see Don vanquish his opponents while casually singing the words is surreal but very intriguing".

Commenting on this kind of choreography, Vaibhavi Merchant added, " Lip syncing, doing action, performing and all that jazz without a dance and yet a song is an unique experience for me. Hope this sets a trend because its first of its kind and this is only possible with SRK in a Farhan Akhtar film."

Shahrukh Khan takes over Salman’s ‘Bajirao Mastani’?

As Salman Khan continues to refuse several lucrative projects, SRK seems to be taking on his rejected films, this time with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, we hear.

Shahrukh Khan doesn’t seem to be in the mood to let go of any projects that could further strengthen his position in the industry. Just when we thought that he had recovered from the cricket and superhero setback, the actor surprises us by undertaking some new assignments. Well we aren’t just talking about any assignment; we are talking about films that have been turned down by none other than the RA.One actor’s arch-rival Salman Khan. The Dabangg actor was supposed to do the remake of Tamil film Kanchana but when his brother Sohail got a li’l more ambitious and started asking for the rights of the movie, he was instantly shown the exit door. Apparently, SRK is cashing in on this big time and has given his nod to this film, for now. Eons ago, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had approached Sallu bhai for his Bajirao Mastani which he was supposed to shoot with Salman and Aishwarya Rai, but couldn’t for obvious reasons. Now, we hear that the director has decided to revive the project and rope in SRK as the lead. And it looks like King Khan is giving this project a serious consideration. Well, hope you are listening Salman!

SRK drops dancing shoes for action song

Trust Shah Rukh Khan and Farhan Akhtar to do the unthinkable. The two artistes, who have teamed up again for Don 2, are giving Bollywood choreography a new twist. On Wednesday, filmmaker-actor Farhan finished shooting a video for the song Mujhko Pehchaan Lo… for the sequel to his 2006 hit at Yash Raj Studio.

Interestingly, unlike other music videos that have dance moves, this one has been shot like an action sequence by choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant and Farhan. As a result, the audiences will now get to see a lot more action and stunts instead of the same old archetypal dance moves.

“It has come out very nicely. It was a collective decision by Farhan, Shah Rukh and Vaibhavi, and the entire song looks sleek and stylish,” says a unit member.

The director too is excited about the final product. “Instead of an oft-repeated song-and-dance treatment, we’ve opted to visualise the song as an action scene. And to see Don vanquish his opponents while casually singing the words is surreal, but very intriguing,” says Farhan.

Merchant, who has worked on songs like Kajra Re… and Chance Pe Dance… in the past, finds the entire experience “unique”. She says, “Shah Rukh is lip syncing and performing some stunts for the song. All of this is a very unique experience for me.” Don 2 that also stars Priyanka Chopra hits theatres on December 23.

Shah Rukh Khan - Salman Khan are sports rivals

Shah Rukh and Salman's on screen rivalry is going off screen.

The two actors are now taking their enemity to the sporting arena. The World Series Hockey that begins from December 17 to January 12 will see the two actors clash on the field. The buzz is that while Salman has agreed to be part of the Mumbai team, Shah Rukh is in talks for the Delhi team. 

Since SRK hails from Delhi there are chances that he might take the offer and be the brand ambassador for the team. Also the actor is fond of hockey and considers the sport to be close of his heart.

Similarly Salman has fondness for football and hockey. Now, the organisers are sorting out dates and figuring out ways the two actors can support and cheer their teams respectively.

Shahrukh Khan replaces Salman in ‘Kanchana’ remake

Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan are at it again. The two Khans of Bollywood clearly leave no opportunity to pull the rug from under each other’s feet. And just when we thought that they are finally ready to bury the hatchet and move on.

 

At a recent awards function, Shahrukh Khan was called to give an award to Salman Khan. As usual Salman did not turn up for the show, to which SRK said that he wished Salman had been there to take the award personally. Maybe Shahrukh was just being politically correct, but it did cross our minds whether he was going to call a truce at last. Now we hear Shahrukh has no such intentions. According to the latest buzz in the filmy circuit, the King Khan has bagged a role in the remake of the Tamil film Kanchana – a role originally offered to Salman. But because Salman’s brother Sohail wanted to buy the remake rights of the film and director Lawrence did not want to part with the rights, he approached SRK. The Badshaah agreed to do the project. So now Kanchana will be remade with Shahrukh in the lead role and the Khans’ common friend Sanjay Dutt in a supporting but pivotal role. Looks like SRK was only too eager to take the movie from right under Sallu’s nose!

Shah Rukh Khan Reveals His Dates Diary 2012

Shah Rukh Khan talks about the films he is doing next, the ones he has refused, and why, and  what he plans to do in 2012.  A Koimoi.com Exclusive. 

Now that his Ra.One is released and Don 2 is due for release, Shah Rukh Khan is all set to start his new slate of films. The first movie he will face the cameras for will be Yash Chopra's untitled film, co-starring Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. Although the original plan was to have the cameras rolling for it in the first week of December, Shah Rukh requested the maverick filmmaker to postpone its launching by a month.

The superstar, who will go with family to Dubai on 29th December, will return to India on 4th January in the new year. Says Shah Rukh Khan, "I will start shooting for Yashji's film on 5th (January)." Before that, Katrina and Anushka will do a workshop with the actor.

SRK: There is a project with Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap…

There is a project each with Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap on the anvil. Anurag Basu's script for the Shah Rukh starrer was ready quite some time back but the superstar asked him to complete Barfee first as he knew, he would be busy with Ra.One. As for the Kashyap film, Shah Rukh smiles, "He says, he has got a full-on commercial film up his sleeve this time, which he wants to make with me." If Anurag Kashyap is keen to open his account with Shah Rukh Khan, so is younger brother, Abhinav Kashyap. "Abhinav had met me soon after Dabangg was released but I don't know what is happening thereafter," explains Shah Rukh, adding, "He wanted to make a film with me but he also has the subject of a rom-com ready for a younger actor."

SRK: I have decided not to do Vishal Bhardwaj's 2 States

What about Vishal Bhardwaj's film based on Chetan Bhagat's novel, 2 States? "I have decided not to do that film," admits the actor. "Too many people were saying too many things about the film and so, I lost interest in the project. I told Vishal, I wouldn't want to work in this film. But I'll definitely do a film with him. He is very talented, hardworking and very sincere." Shah Rukh then reveals what he jocularly told Vishal: "I told him, we'll not make a dark film, we will shoot with a lot of lights. In fact, when Adi (Aditya Chopra), Vishal and I met together, Adi told him to keep the ending of his proposed film starring me, completely commercial. Why, I jokingly asked him to shoot his climax first, and then the rest of the film." The actor is all praise for Vishal's musical genius too. Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express finds a definite place in Shah Rukh's dates diary. "Rohit has completed writing the first half of Chennai Express, and it is damn good," reveals Khan.

SRK: I'm not playing any role in Karan Johar's Student Of The Year.

Denying rumours that he is acting in Karan Johar's Student Of The Year, Shah Rukh reveals, "No I'm not playing any role in the film. My name will adorn its credit titles as one of the producers because Karan feels, I must be a joint producer in every film he makes." So what is Shah Rukh Khan's plan of action before he leaves for Dubai in December-end? In the next 33 days, he would, of course, be promoting Don 2. He also intends devoting time to all the aforementioned filmmakers he is in conversation with for their films. "I need to understand which films I would be starting and when," says Shah Rukh. "I intend sitting in my new office for two-three days and meeting Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, etc."

There is one more film Shah Rukh Khan is kicked about and that is his friend, Sanjay Ray Chaudhuri's (cofounder of the Network 18 group with Raghav Bahl) debut film. "Sanjay and I are friends since college days," explains the actor. All of this means that Shah Rukh will be busier than the proverbial bee once the New Year sets in.

Yash Chopra’s SRK-Katrina starrer to hit floors in Jan

Shah Rukh Khan is on his way back home to spend time with his kids after a marathon travel schedule. Currently on a promotional spree for his upcoming film, Don 2, the actor promises he’ll return to the studios in January next year to start filming Yash Chopra’s yet-to-be titled romantic movie, which also features Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma as leading ladies. 

“After a mammoth promotional exercise for RA.One, I needed the break to spend time with my kids at home and sleep in peace. But as the days go by, I’m reminded that I have to return to the studios soon,” he smiles. “It’s not such a task if the director is someone like Yash Chopra. It’s a hardcore romantic movie. We should be on floors by the second or third week of January, hopefully. Yashji had very casually told me, “Tu kuch dates January ki de de pehle, phir aage ka plan karte hain. (Give us a few dates in January first, then we’ll plan ahead)”

The actor will first face the camera with Katrina Kaif, and later be joined in April by actor Anushka Sharma, who’s currently promoting her fourth YRF movie Ladies V/s Ricky Bahl.

Soon after Yash Chopra announced his return to direction at 79, his company announced that the film would be 2012’s Diwali release.  After RA.One, it will be SRK’s second Diwali release in continuity.

“I don’t sign a film thinking that it will release on Diwali and or on Christmas. If my film is worthy, it will have a superb box-office run, even if it doesn’t open during a festival. As filmmakers and actors, we target a festival because it’s also the holiday season and we can have more families entering cinema halls than on a usual weekend,” argues Shah Rukh. “Diwali has never disappointed me.”