Thursday, February 12, 2009

Shah Rukh Khan’s ladies!



The ‘Billu’ release is in many ways a landmark for Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a movie superstar in the movie. ‘Billu’ depends heavily on the famed SRK charisma and star appeal, to make it big at the box office.

SRK movie posters, costumes and other artifacts are reportedly been used extensively, to add to the sheen. And the content is all about reconnecting with your old friends! So, in more ways than one, ‘Billu’ reflects on SRK’s life and times as a superstar.

If a man’s greatness can be measured by his enemies, a movie star’s glory can definitely be gauged from the glint on the eyes of his leading ladies. Here is a parade of SRK’s heroines, right from the ‘Deewana’ days to ‘Billu’.





Divya Bharathi

With due respect to Manjula Avtar (‘Fauji’) and Renuka Shahane (‘Circus’), we crown Divya Bharathi as SRK’s first on-screen lover. The pair looked awesome together, in ‘Deewana’ (1992). Remember the song, “Aisi Deewangee…”!




Deepa Sahi

SRK fans remember Deepa Sahi for that steamy bed-room scene with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Maya Memsaab’ (1992).




Urmila Matondkar

Urmila played Shah Rukh’s girl on screen for ‘Chamatkar’ (1992). The reunion happened in ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007), in which Urmila did a guest appearance.




Kajol

Kajol is considered by most SRK fans as one who complimented the Khan’s ebullience with her bubbly charm. Together, they weaved magic in films such as ‘Baazigar’, ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ (1995), ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ (1998), and ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’ (2001).



Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa shared screen with the Khan in his first blockbuster, ‘Baazigar’ (1992). Though the pair looked electrifying on-screen, they were never seen together again, until Shilpa’s guest cameo in ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007).




Juhi Chawla

One of Shah Rukh Khan’s personal favourites, Juhi Chawla shared screen space with SRK in ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ (1992), ‘Kabhie Haan Kabhie Na’ (which also starred Suchitra Krishnamoorthy), ‘Darr’ (1993), ‘Ram Jaane’ (1995), ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’ (2000), ‘One 2 ka 4’ (2001), ‘Paheli’ (2005) and ‘Bhootnath’ (2007). She is also SRK’s partner in film production.




Raveena Tandon

Raveena and SRK did a Romeo-and-Juliet in Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Zamaana Deewana’ (1995). The pair never met again, on screen!




Sonali Bendre

‘Duplicate’ was the film that had Sonali Bendre opposite Shah Rukh. The song, ‘Mere Meh**** Mere Sanam’ became a super hit. Sonali also did a guest appearance in the SRK starrer, ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’.




Karishma Kapoor

Karishma had her day with SRK in ‘Dil To Paagal Hai’ (1997); she landed the Filmfare award for the Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie.




Madhuri Dixit

A superstar in her own right, Madhuri Dixit hit it off well with SRK, right from ‘Koyla’ (1996). They came together again for ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ (1997) and ‘Devdas’ (2002).




Manisha Koirala

Manisha was Shah Rukh’s leading lady in Mani Ratnam’s 1998 take on NE terrorism, ‘Dil Se’.




Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan shared some quality screen space with the King Khan in three super hits: Mansoor Khan’s ‘Josh’ (1999), Aditya Chopra’s ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Devdas’ (2002).



Kareena Kapoor

Kareena’s first on-screen date with SRK was in Santosh Sivan’s ‘Asoka’ (2001). She also did Karan Johar’s multi-starrer ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’, the same year. She reprised Helen’s item song in the ‘Don’ remake of 2007. Kareena will be seen dancing with SRK in ‘Billu’.



Sushmita Sen

Sushmita played ‘Chandni’, SRK’s love interest in Farah Khan’s ‘Main Hoon Na’ (2004).



Rani Mukherji

Rani began her “SRK run” with ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). She went on to star in super hits such as ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’, ‘Chalte Chalte’ (2002), ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ (2003), ‘Veer Zaara’ (2004, ‘Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna (2005), ‘Paheli (2005) and ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ (guest appearance).



Preity Zinta

Preity debuted with the SRK starrer, ‘Dil Se’ (1998), and went on to star in SRK super hits such as ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ (2003), ‘Veer-Zaara’ (2004), ‘Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna’ (2006), ‘Om Shanti Om’ (guest appearance) and ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ (guest appearance).



Priyanka Chopra

Another of SRK’s fav heroines, Priyanka reprised Zeenat Aman’s Roma act in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don’ remake of 2007. The performance was received well by fans and critics. Priyanka will also be seen doing an item number in ‘Billu’.




Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone made her debut with the SRK starrer, ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007); she will be seen with SRK next in ‘Billu’.




Anushka Sharma

Anushka is the latest of SRK's girls. In 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi', the Punjabi lass romances a 40+ SRK, only to find out that he is younger than her. In heart, that is!

Barbers are creative people: SRK

When Shah Rukh Khan wants his hair cut, trimmed, styled, dyed, streaked or whatever, he does not go to a barber’s shop, hair-dresser’s salon or beauty parlour... he has the stylist come home!



And why not — he’s the Bollywood Badshah, after all. In this case it is Dilshad Pastakia, hair-stylist to celebrities, and God’s gift to Bollywood. At Mannat, in his dressing room on the third floor, Dishad cuts and styles SRK’s hair.

She’s being doing this for years. “Ever since Mohabbatein and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani,” she revealed. Gauri Khan was her client. And one day Gauri brought Shah Rukh into Dilshad’s salon at Bandra. “I was damn nervous and dropped the scissors thrice,” said Dilshad. SRK was himself, and went, “Cut like this, cut like that.” Gauri interrupted and told Dilshad, “Don’t listen to him, do what you want.”

The hair-stylist and the actor have been friends ever since. Now she attends to him at home. On the eve of his new release Billu (the Salon & Beauty Parlours Association of Maharashtra got the Barber snipped from the title on the grounds that the word was casteist), BT sneaked into Mannat where Dilshad was working on King Khan’s hair. The conversation went like this...

SRK: I don’t understand how the word barber is casteist... but I understand the emotions of the association. Hair dressers and stylists, they are creative people...
Dilshad: Yes, we create hairstyles for you...

SRK: But the film is not about the barber’s profession, the profession is incidental, Billu is about love and friendship, it’s about environment, so much fun... it’s the least controversial film.
Dilshad: I have no problem being called a barber. We’re cutting hair, that’s what the profession is about. If you call a barber a hair-stylist, you’re just changing the term, not giving him a different profession.

SRK: The associations issue is that the Hindi word nai, when translated into English, becomes barber. And nai is a caste. Which makes barber a caste. But then so is hair-dresser!
Dilshad: Hajam would have been closer... I’ve been called a hajam for years. Actually, the profession ought to be happy to be acknowledged in a Shah Rukh Khan film...

SRK: Aren’t barbers only for men? And stylists for women?
Dilshad: Barbering is a male technique in which the barber works with clippers and employs the scissors over comb. All over England, you have barber shops... there is dignity in labour there.

SRK: But people do use words to demean professions. It’s like calling Manish Malhotra a tailor.
Dilshad: That mindset should be curtailed.
SRK: Maybe after the film, it would have been... because Billu (Barber) has such a simple message. Whichever world you belong to, as long as you’re true to your emotions and your goodness, you’re a better person already. Your profession does not make you a special person. Your ordinariness is special.
Dilshad: It’s a fab profession, and people are proud to be barbers.

SRK: Are you a real barber?
Dilshad: I am a real barber!
SRK: ... Unless you’ve been lying to me for 15 years and are really a choreographer and cutting my hair!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Shah Rukh's next is a super-hero film


By Taran Adarsh

The excruciating pain on his shoulder notwithstanding, Shah Rukh Khan is going all out to promote his new film BILLU (the word 'Barber' has been removed from all posters/billboards).

Tell him that he's the best marketing brain in the industry thanks to the kind of promotion he did for OM SHANTI OM, he just smiles, "Not OM SHANTI OM, but YES BOSS was the film that started it all," he recalls.

Although BILLU is an SRK production, with Irrfan Khan enacting the title role, SRK hasn't forced himself in the story. On the contrary, he has removed two of his scenes from the film.

Not many are aware that Priyadarshan had offered SRK two choices - a film on heist and the other, a story on friends. "I chose the second," SRK tells me. And the actor is extremely happy with the way BILLU has shaped up.

"We had a screening recently for family and friends. I wasn't expecting people to get emotional, but a lot of people did. The last 20 minutes did make me moist-eyed as well. I think the film will connect with the audiences," the Numero Uno star states.

Financially too, SRK will make a neat profit on the film. Reportedly, he has sold the film for a fantastic price (Rs. 50 cr.) to Eros. "The rumours just don't stop. Sometime back I was told I was charging Rs. 100 crores for a film.

I've never over-charged any of my producers. Now this one! The truth is, we've spent quite a bit on the making of the film. Coming to the point, the price is not Rs. 50 cr., but Rs. 35 cr.," he sets the record straight.

Next on the cards is a film with Anubhav Sinha. "It's a super-hero film. I want it to be the best super-hero film made in India. We're hiring technicians from abroad. Am really looking forward to this one," he reveals.

Monday, February 9, 2009

SRK invites 400 barbers for Billu`s Premiere

SRK is going the Aamir way in promoting his latest flick Billu Barber. Latest buzz is that SRK has invited over 400 barbers to attend the premiere of the flick. This comes amidst the rumors that Hairdressers Association are pestering SRK and gang to change the barber word from the flick’s title.

Priyadarshan, director of the flick says, “Instead of having celebs over for the premiere of Billu Barber, Shah Rukh has planned to invite 400 barbers and their families to the premiere. His idea is to welcome barbers for the premiere on February 12, as the film revolves around Irrfan Khan, who plays a barber. Things are just getting organized for the premiere and the office is also in talks with the barbers’ association to get everything sorted for the big day.”



However Uday Takke, president of Hair Dresser association says, We want Billu Barber to be called Billu Hairdresser as barber is a derogatory and insulting term. We choose hairdressing as a profession because it is an art. Also there are many women hairstylists if Billu Barber becomes a hit, women hairdressers will be called barbers too!”

However SRK on the issue says, “Oh wow! So much for freedom of expression. We have not made this film to disrespect anyone. As a matter of fact, when a title of the film is kept after the protagonist, it is only to honor that character.”

SRK’s going the reality show way

Idiot Box, the television division of Shah Rukh Khan’s production house Red Chilies, is to launch their first ever reality show titled Knight And Angles . Shah Rukh also promises to come up with many more new and innovative shows.



About the reality show, Samir Nair, the CEO of NDTV Imagine, says, “Knight and Angles will have various cheerleaders competing with each other. The winners will be selected on the basis of public voting and they will get a chance to perform at the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches which will commence soon.”


Talking about his small screen plans, SRK says, “I’d like to do comedy shows. Action and thrillers are also good options, but stand up comedy has become part and parcel of every show, even on news channels. I enjoy the genre a lot. Apart from fiction, we will be working on realities too - though these will be different from the usual kind. For instance, Knight and Angles is all about cheerleaders. I am interested in doing quiz shows that the youth can relate to. After all, young audiences are coming back to TV.”

As far as SRK’s contribution goes, Nair adds, “We are grateful to Shah Rukh for working with us. He has agreed to do, not just his first situational comedy, but also his first ever reality show with us.”

Promos for Knight and Angles are currently airing. Featured in them are SRK and Juhi Chawla, the co-owner of his IPL team, Knight Riders. The show is expected to start by end of this month on NDTV Imagine. It will air on weekends. The IPL’s second season will start in April.


Sonali Joshi, Hill Road Media

SRK drops 'Barber' from the title of his forthcoming film Billu Barber

These days it's become a trend of sorts for films to face some opposition or the other at the time of release. The latest to face such rough weather is the SRK - Irrfan Khan starrer Billu Barber.

The film's title was found derogatory by members of the Salon and Beauty Parlour Association. The President of the Association, Mr Uday Takke, had requested SRK to change the name of the film and remove the word 'Barber' from the title. His explanation was that the term 'Barber' not just denotes an occupation but is also a caste.

After much deliberation and talks between the parties involved at SRK's residence Mannat over the weekend, Shah Rukh Khan has decided to drop the word 'Barber' from the title of the film with immediate effect. The film is now called Billu and posters of the film have also made the necessary change.

Shah Rukh didn't want his film to run into any unnecessary trouble nor did her want to hurt the sentiments of a certain section of the society and hence the change.

Hope audiences are as excited to see Billu as they were to see Billu Barber.

SRK's bakbak

There are promotions and there are promotions dearies, but when it comes to promoting their own movies, no one does it better than the dosts

After Karan’s coffee-style grilling of his Dostana stars, now Shah Rukh has done the same for his forthcoming Billu. He has sat down Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta and Priyadarshan and made them go Bak Bak Bak for a very special TV episode to be aired on Zoom.

The episode is so hilarious — in keeping with SRK’s razor sharp humour — that it had everyone in splits. So much so that when King Khan requested everyone to get up and dance, Lara and Irrfan burst into a jig but the only ‘spoil sport’ was Priyan who refused to get coaxed.

Don’t miss this exciting encounter on Zoom as an SRK special called ‘Billu Ke Bak Bak’. Wonder what hair dressers’ association will have to say about this one.
 
Disclaimer: srkdailynews.blogspot.com is an unofficial blog with no affiliation with Shahrukh Khan. All images are © to their respective owners. This blog was made for entertainment purpose only. I do not know Shahrukh Khan, his family, his mobile number, his postal address or his email address, so please do not ask. Thank You.