Articles: Shahrukh Khan - Page 104

Unfair game

posted on monday, july 16, 2007

Ranjib Mujumder

After three disappointing films, Kabul Express, Tara Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, there is still no peace for Yashraj Films. Their trump card, Chak De , reportedly, has run into trouble even before it has released. The Women's Hockey Association of India is pretty upset with Yashraj Films and has demanded a screening of the film to see if they have portrayed the players in the right manner.

Vidya Stoke, President of the Women's Hockey Association of , "We want to see the movie before its release. Couple of years ago, when the movie was in the planning stage, Yash Chopra sought help from us. We were more than happy to help them thinking that it would create awareness about the sport in the country. They took a lot of inputs from us and it has helped them big time in making the movie. It's only fair that we get to see it before the release"

She added, "However, after we helped them out with research, we never heard from them. Now, we got to know that the movie is releasing very soon, but they have not kept us posted about it. We should have been given the script of the movie so that we could have an idea about how they have portrayed women's hockey in the film. We want a pre-release screening of the film. That's it."

Chak De is based on the women's hockey. The movie shows women players from different corners of the country. The entire team enacts a team of underdogs and how things change with a new coach (Shah Rukh Khan) at the helm of affairs.

The team of underdogs gets their self-confidence, and finally wins a championship.

Stoke lets us in on the reason behind her displeasure. "Our women's hockey team is doing really good. If they are showing that they are turning women hockey players from zero to hero, that's really unfair. That will reflect badly on our team. A coach enables players to perform well and never transforms them from zero to hero, not in our team at least," she said.

She finally says "If they are portraying us in a bad light, we are going to take serious action against them."

Yashraj Films' spokesperson remained unavailable for comment.

Source:Mumbaimirror.com

SRK in wildlife conservation ad campaign

By Businessofcinema.comTeam

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan will soon be seen in Sanskara's wildlife conservation awareness campaign in collaboration with Asian Conservation Awareness Programme (ACAP).

With the support of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the campaign will run on television networks like Doordarshan, National Geographic, Discovery/Animal Planet, CNN IBN, NDTV, India TV, among others. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Parliamentarians in India have also supported the campaign that will start with the broadcast of Shah Rukh Khan's message across all international and domestic airports.

Sanskara Development Trust, along with ACAP / WildAid, will launch a national educational awareness campaign on wildlife conservation. The campaign is a multi–media education and awareness campaign that aims to protect the future of the world's endangered wildlife by drastically reducing consumer demand for endangered species parts and products.

Khan highlights the challenges faced by forest guards in protecting India's wildlife in his message, "He is our nation's unsung hero - the Indian Forest Guard. He is a real life hero because he does this to save the jungle, and the animals that live there. Day in and day out, he is matching wits and battling powerful enemies - wildlife poachers and timber smugglers, and he is willing to lay down his life for this."

"We hope that the momentum of this powerful and unique campaign will help compliment India's ongoing efforts to save its remaining wildlife and its threatened habitats," added ACAP / WildAid senior consultant and Sanskara Development Trust managing trustee Aneetaa Malhotra.

"With continuous and sustained support from Indian celebrities and by working in collaboration with the Indian Government, associations such as the AAI, media, businesses, conservationists and the public, ACAP in collaboration with Sanskara is building long term support for India's as well as the world's wildlife and natural heritage," said WildAid founding director and ACAP director Steve Trent.

Sanskara Development Trust is a non profit organization, which aims to build support for the preservation of wildlife and its natural habitat through innovative programs and projects, working collectively with Governments, NGO's, Corporates and local communities.

Book on Shah Rukh Khan to be released next month

By Agencies

Noted film critic Anupama Chopra's next book, this time on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan , will be released August 9.

Titled "King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema in India", the book will trace SRK's climb from a middle-class Delhi boy to a Bollywood superstar, both in India and abroad.

"King Of Bollywood ..." will also be available in Hindi, Marathi and German translations.

Chopra's earlier book, " Sholay - The Making of a Classic", won her a National Award in 2000 for the best book on cinema.

http://www.bollywoodblitz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6091

SRK: The Khan with a magnanimous heart

Shah Rukh Khan goes out of his way to help his friends.

When SRK's good friend Viveck Vaswani approached him with the script of his movie Dulha Mil Gaya , SRK not just agreed to act in the film he also made an offer to financially support the film.

Vaswani says he was deeply touched when SRK gave dates to shoot his film without any hiccups and also offered to finance the film partly.

It is all because SRK shares strong friendship with Vaswani and the film's presenter Anuj Saxena.

'Dulha Mil Gaya' is being shot in Tobago and Trinidad. The film stars Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan .

There have been rumours that SRK has just a cameo appearance in the film, but Vaswani denies it. He says SRK has as many as 18 scenes and 2 songs in the film. In fact, Vaswani goes on to say that SRK is paired with Sush in the film.

Talks are also underway to rope in West Indian cricket legend Brian Lara to make a cameo appearance in the flick.

http://www.bollywoodblitz.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=21&am p;page=2&order=desc

Make up your mind

Recently, director-choreographer Farah Khan wanted a make-up artist called Namrata to work on the characters of Om Shanti Om, but the head of the make-up artist's union raised an objection because she is a woman.

The union has a rule against allowing female make-up artists to work in the industry.

"Finally, Farah gave in, however, she got Namrata to work on the special effects, when her characters age," says an insider

Adds an industry source, "During Dil Chahta Hai, there were so times when the female make up artists had to be hidden whenever union members barged in to create a ruckus."

Make-up artists and even production houses are afraid of the union members who threaten to create complications in the shoot if a female make-up artist is hired, says an assistant director.

"It's against the constitution to discriminate anyone based on their gender," says Farah, "I had to fight to get Namrata to be a part of my film. Last time she did the hair, but this time I wanted her to do the make-up as well.

"Had she headed the make-up artists in my film, there were possibilities that the assistants [men] wouldn't have been available or obeyed her instructions. It's funny that a woman can travel in space, but she cannot do make up in a film."

Farah says even the Indian Motion Pictures Association (IMPA) is not willing to do anything about the men who create these restrictions. "This rule seems 200 years old, and I'm not going to let my film suffer," she says.

Though Farah says she's willing to support these women in every way, she thinks the women need to stand up for themselves.

"Here I, a woman," she says, "am making a Rs 40-crore film, but I am not allowed to hire a woman for the make up. The next president of India could be a female, we had a lady prime minister but this is the state of women still.

"A woman cannot be a sperm donor, but besides that, she can be everything."

Pandharidada Juker, who has made up names such as Meena Kumari and Dharmendra over the last 42 years with Yash Raj Films, says that's the way things are.

"Yes, there is a rule that women cannot be make up artists," he says, "We haven't made them members of the association yet. There are around 3,000 male make up artists already, and no woman can just come up and do the make up.

"Actors favour girls, which will create problems for us. Too many men will lose their jobs. Only a court case can change things."

To be a part of the Make-up artists union, one has to get a card made and invest Rs 50,000 to 75,000.

"The union is not at all reasonable," says an assistant director, "Rules are made to safeguard the interests of the older members. They are aggressive, ancient and male-dominated in their approach."

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&se ctid=30&contentid=20070710024645140b8503f8e

Can you believe I missed the big Om Shanti Om Song? -- Shreyas Talpade

Excerpts from an interview:

So tell us about these different roles

In Dil Dosti it's all about today's youth and our take on relationships and life. I play a Brahmin boy who comes to the city who then goes on to join university politics. Then in Agar which is a thriller I play a psychiatrist and Bombay to Bangkok is Nagesh's first proper masala film with song and dance. And when he asked me to be a part of it there was no way I could say not to it! Finally there is Om Shanti Om – I don't think there is anything I have to say about why I did that!

Tell us about Om Shanti Om

None of us can talk about our roles. But what I can tell you is about my experience. There is no way but to say it has been by far my most memorable time. I think Farah is an extremely warm and a genuine person. As an experience I would do it all over again because more than my role or part in the movie, the amount I have learnt about filmmaking and working together, it's almost been a course on Bollywood for me. It was great for someone relatively inexperienced like me because they made it look so simple, satisfying and happy on the sets.

But surely you must have been worried about working with SRK?

If I'm to be honest I will say yes. When I started working with SRK I had many misconceptions about him. I expected him to be of a particular type but I was in for a total surprise. And I'm not just saying this because I'm a part of this movie. I think you can ask anyone who knows Shah Rukh – he is so patient, involved, treats everyone so well.

And I also think a large credit should go to Farah for not allowing me to feel any less about myself. I still remember when she came to me with this role – I was and still am quite new but she treated me with utmost respect. She gave me an entire narration and mind you there are many directors who don't like to have to do that. Her approach was so different. She told me 'I think you are a good actor and that is why I want you. This is Shah Rukh's role, this is yours.' She constantly assured me of my role. My role is very interesting and it's very challenging. I'd say it is my most challenging role till date.

Everyone is talking about the song from OSO which features all the superstars of the industry.

You won't believe this but I was not even in the country when that happened. I had my commitment to Nagesh so I was shooting in Bangkok for that. But I have seen the finished song when Shah Rukh and Farah were editing and I was completely blown away. I was quite envious of the others because I would have loved to have been there. Complete envy on missing out on that for sure…

In your short career you have had an opportunity to work with the best in the field. How has that happened?

I came into this industry with no backing and no Godfather. I'm not trying to sound pompous but that's a fact. So I learnt from my mistakes but what I did not do was compromise on what I wanted from this industry. Yes I've worked with some of the best and I've made some great friends – Shah Rukh, Farah, Sangeet Sivan, Shankar Mahadevan, Nagesh. But there are plenty more I want to work with. I have learnt a lot about this industry - I may not agree with a lot that happens in it but I'm learning my way around it so I can survive in it!

http://news.indya.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2007/July/News_ 20070709_91

'Chak De India' promos replaced

By Our Correspondent 2007 Bollyvista.com

The trailers of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Chak De India', which were included in 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' and unceremoniously removed from theatres due to the negative flak generated, have now been replaced with new ones.

The new and exciting promos will be included in the forthcoming film 'Partner'. If insiders are to be believed, the fresh trailers are filled with a patriotic flavour and will mend the loss created with the initial promos.

Haven't we heard better late than never?

http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/32/7803