Articles: Shahrukh Khan - Page 90

Shetty joins Khan camp!

Now that Shilpa Shetty is a big name once again, which Bollywood camp she is inclined towards, is important to know. But nobody expected this. Following in Big B's footsteps, Shetty cleared her preferences by inviting people for her birthday party recently.

A surprise event was organised by IIFA to celebrate her 32nd birthday during the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend. The party was organised at the Victoria Quarters and was attended by several film personalities. During the day, she inaugurated the IIFA Celebrity Cricket Match along with brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan at the Headingley stadium but the evening was just for Shetty's friends.

An IIFA spokesperson said that participation in her birthday celebrations was by invitation only. The media was not invited for the bash, she added. But surprise, surprise! Shilpa's guest list was as interesting as the Abhi-Ash wedding guest list. Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan topped the list while nobody by the Bachchan surname was invited...

It is well known that Shilpa has been very close to Salman Khan, ever since he helped her during the Praful Sarees case. Even Shilpa has been a true friend whenever Salman needed her. And now, when she had to choose between her close friend Salman and the Bachchan Pariwar, Shilpa obviously chose the former.

But whatever the reason, the fact is that one more big name has joined the Khan camp!

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Shahrukh will not act in Aditya's film

Jun 19, 2007

After a seven-year hiatus, Aditya Chopra is finally going to direct his next venture from September. Surprisingly, the yet untitled venture will feature Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan and not his lucky charm Shah Rukh Khan. Insiders are surprised by Aditya's omission of his favourite star, without whom he has not directed any film. Our Yash Raj source informs, "Aditya has started working on the pre-production plans of his film. The actresses haven't been decided yet but Rani and Preity are being considered. This action thriller, written by Adi himself, is going to be Yash Raj's costliest production till date with a lot of foreign crew being hired especially for the action sequences."The source adds, "Aamir, who is currently busy shooting for his home production is scheduled to complete his film by September and Hrithik, who is busy with the shooting of Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar is also going to be free from August end. Both shall be available for Adi's film which will mostly go on the floors from the second week of September. A major portion of the film will be shot abroad." "Rumours were rife that Aditya will be starting a project starring Shah Rukh, but he has surprised everyone by opting for Aamir who has done Fanaa with the Yash Raj banner and Hrithik who has done Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002) and Dhoom 2 (2006). The King Khan, who has done a total of six films with the prestigious banner including his forthcoming Chak De India, is currently not featuring in any of Yash Raj banner's forthcoming films. Aditya had debuted with Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (1995) starring Shah Rukh Khan as the hero and in his second film Mohabbatein (2000) he brought together SRK and Big B for the first time in a film. It was being taken for granted that SRK will be starring in his next film too," adds our source. Hrithik's secretary Ashok Vasodia comments, "Talks have been on between Hrithik and Adi Chopra for a long time now as they have been discussing many scripts. Both have been very keen to work with each other is what I can say." While a Bollywood trade analyst feels, "Shah Rukh is currently busy with his home production Om Shanti Om and expanding his FX studio in Mumbai. After completing Om Shanti Om the star has plans to start working on his next Rs 100 crore project which he intends to act in and to produce with close friend Farah Khan's husband Shirish Kunder (Jaan-E-Mann) as the director."He adds, "Both Adi and SRK share a great relationship and looking at SRK's prior commitments, Adi who is basically more of a script-driven man must have opted for Aamir and Hrithik."
2007 BollywoodWorld/IANS

http://www.bollywoodworld.com

King khan may promote basmati

PRABHA JAGANNATHAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007 02:50:29 AM>

NEW DELHI; It has all the makings of a Brand India mega potboiler: Bollywood meets Basmati. King Khan could be the new brand ambassador and Indian Basmati could sport an instant recall logo, worldwide. A Rs 20-crore ad blitzkrieg for basmati will take off soon in West Asia and Europe.

The focus of the promotion strategy would be to promote knowledge about Indian basmati rice through a suitable logo and advertisements. It was also suggested at the meeting that the superiority of the Indian basmati rice can be projected through brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Action-repacked!

14 Jun, 2007 l 1050 hrs IST
SANDIPAN DALAL /TIMES NEWS NETWORK

It may be a little late in the day but director duo, Abbas Mustan has just woken up to the fact that joining the 'sequels do work' gang might just be profitable. If not anything else, it will save them from thinking too much about new plots and ploys to woo the audience. They are busy scripting sequels for Akshay Kumar-starrer Khiladi (1992) and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Badshah (1999).

Needless to say, producer (of the originals ) Ratan Jain is delighted at the prospect of roping in his all-time favourite actors Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan for the two sequels, respectively.

Producer Ratan Jain says, "We are working on both the scripts simultaneously and if all goes well, we will start off with one of them. I have always had a successful run with Abbas-Mustan . They are taking their super plots further."

Getting the desired cast seems to be a challenging task for the makers. While Akshay Kumar has given his assent to the project, the producer is apprehensive about Shah Rukh Khan. The buzz is that the actor might not be too keen to do a Badshah sequel. "I will meet Shah Rukh only when the final script is ready," says Jain. SRK is now working only in a handful of films and most of the makers are his close associates (read Karan Johar and Farah Khan).

Our source further adds, "Shah Rukh has moved on. He is extremely choosy about his films now. Also, the script has to be engaging enough for him to agree. It has been eight years since Badshah hit the screens. Moreover, Karan Johar's next film and Shirish Kunder's superhero flick will keep him busy next year."

As for the leading ladies, Ayesha Jhulka ( Khiladi ) and Twinkle Khanna ( Badshah ) have already retired. The producers tell us that they are looking at the new bloc of heroines who are comfortable doing action sequences. Jain adds, "Going by the Abbas-Mustan tradition, there will be lots of action in these films."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Venus to make three sequels

In today's age of remakes and sequels can Jain brothers of Venus be behind. It has been reliably learnt Venus is toying the idea of making sequels to three hit films from their stables. The three films are Khiladi, Baazigar and Baadshah all directed by director duo Abbas-Mustan. It may be recalled here that Khiladi and Baazigar were the films responsible for catapulting Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan to the position they are today.

http://www.thirtymm.com/bollywoodtoday.html

SRK Bollywood's highest tax payer

Bhupen Patel
Tuesday, June 19, 2007: (Mumbai ):

Shah Rukh Khan not only rules Bollywood but also the advertising world. According to the recent service tax collections Shah Rukh is the most popular salesman of brands.

Excise officials say that SRK alone paid Rs 4.8 crore as service tax last year, which is nearly 10 per cent of his annual Rs 50 crore income from advertisements.

Next in line is Amitabh Bachchan who is second highest contributor to service tax in the film industry followed by son Abhishek.

The Big B paid Rs 1.50 crore while Abhishek paid Rs 1 crore the same as Rani Mukherjee who tops among actresses.
Among other actors John Abraham paid Rs 79 lakh as service tax, Sushmita Sen 37.50 lakh Preity Zinta paid 27.43 lakh, Salman Khan 13.50 lakh, Malaika Arora 3 lakh and Lara Dutta paid 2.93 lakh.

Service tax paid by Bollywood actors comes under the brand ambassador's sector, which is one of 104 sectors that the Central Excise collects tax from in Mumbai.

Last year, the Central Excise department had collected nearly Rs 12,000 crore in the form of service tax from various sectors like Insurance companies, Banking and Finance and Phone services.

The officials say that with the increasing involvement of film stars in promoting new brands, Bollywood is increasingly becoming one of the major sectors of tax collection.

http://www.ndtvmovies.com/

French government to honour 'King Khan'

New Delhi, June 19: Actor Shahrukh Khan has been chosen by the French Government for the award of Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters).

The award is in recognition of his exceptional career as well as his contribution to the development of Indo-French cooperation in cinema, a French Embassy release said here today.

Describing Shahrukh as an actor of great talent and unmatched popularity, French Ambassador Dominique Girard said: ''The award also stands testimony to our gratitude to Mr Shahrukh Khan for his cooperation with the French cinema industry at a time when we are determined to further deepen the Indo-French collaboration in this field.'' The date for the award-presentation ceremony has not been decided yet.

The French government gives this Award to persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of the arts in France and throughout the world.

Since 1957, the honour has been bestowed on sevaral famous personalities such as author Mahasweta Devi, artist S.H Raza and Hollywood actors Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=377989&sid=ENT&ssid= 1

Shahrukh Khan to endorse men's fairness cream

New Delhi, June 17: Shahrukh Khan has been roped in by the Emami group as brand ambassador for its fairness cream for men - 'Emami Fair and Handsome' - to increase its foothold in the fast-growing segment.

The Rs 1,500-crore personal care and health care group has signed Khan for two years to endorse the product in the country, an Emami release said.

Khan has been associated with the company and already represents brands like Himani Navratna oil and Himani Sona Chandi Chyawanprash.

"Emami Fair and Handsome has been a star brand in our portfolio and hence we thought of associating Shahrukh's brand image with our own Emami Fair and Handsome," Emami group director Mohan Goenka said, adding the company has extensive plans to promote this new association across all media.

On being signed as the brand ambassador of the fairness cream, Khan said: "I share a long and fruitful association with the Emami group and this is yet another step toward strengthening my faith in them and their products".

The company plans to expand its product portfolio and launch 18 new products this year in hair care, baby care and men's grooming segments, which would include shaving cream, toiletries and skin creams.

Emami director Aditya V Agarwal said products like fair and handsome, Navratna oil and sona chandi chyawanprash have contributed significantly to the company's annual growth rate

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=377569&ssid=1& sid=ENT

TIMES VIEW: This kind of fair is foul

19 Jun, 2007 l 0000 hrs IST

Shah Rukh endorsing a fairness cream for men is not a campaign for unisexism. It is blatant promotion of a centuries-old bias that conflates colour of skin with social status. Fairness creams are more than skin-deep. A fetish for fair skin is rooted deep in the consciousness of South Asians, who equate colour with class. In India, the shade of one's skin is attributed to not just class but worse, caste. It bears the stamp of centuries of oppression of the dark-skinned by the light-skinned, carried forward during British rule when white sahibs administered brown natives.

A consumer opting to use a skin lightener or hair toner is exercising his right of choice. Fairness cream, however, is not being marketed as a cosmetic like other beauty aids. Remember what product promos are saying: that you are either fair and handsome (male) or fair and lovely (female). The common denominator is fair skin. If you were dark-skinned, hard luck, for you would be neither handsome nor lovely. You would get nowhere - neither in the job nor in the matrimonial markets. You might even be ostracised for suspect antecedents.

Celebrities are role models, especially for the young. Shah Rukh Khan, by endorsing fair skin and equating it with good looks and so future prospects, is exhorting the young to channel money and energy towards changing their skin colour. This exercise - of using chemical concoctions to alter skin colour as promoted by role model celebs - does nothing to engender universal values that promote equality of opportunity, human rights and freedom of choice.

Shah Rukh is not fair-skinned. Tamil superstar Rajnikanth is decidedly dark-skinned. They've done pretty well for themselves, both on and off screen. Bollywood is in fact beginning to demolish some age-old prejudices including promoting only the fair-skinned as chief protagonists. The world of cosmetics advertising, however, seems to be regressing.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Courtesy SRK, Emami's brand ups target revenue

By Rohini Bhandari
19 June 2007, 11:06 AM

MUMBAI: Star power, they say, sells anything these days. In a country that has been obsessed with fair skin, selling fairness creams to women has not been a tough task so far. But are Indian men too obsessed with fair skin (no pun intended)? Well it looks like they are, which is why in 2005 Emami launched Fair and Handsome - a fairness cream for men. However, after two years of being present in the market, the brand is now looking at capturing a larger market share and what better way than to rope in the quintessential Shah Rukh Khan to endorse the brand.

With the new campaign for the brand, Emami group director Mohan Goenka expects the annual revenues of Fair and Handsome to touch the Rs 550 - 600 million (Rs 55 - 60 crore) mark, which is 40 per cent higher than last year's achieved target. Barring Khan's fees the production budget of the ad is estimated at Rs 5.5 million (Rs 55 lakhs).

The new television commercial (TVC), starring Khan, has been directed by filmmaker Shirish Kunder (Jaan-E-Mann), who incidentally makes his debut as a commercial ad filmmaker with this ad. As was first reported by Businessofcinema.com, Kunder is also planning a movie with SRK, which the latter's production house Red Chillies will produce. Sharing his experience, Kunder says, "While studying engineering, I read everything from Drucker to Porter preparing for my MBA. But then I joined films and that never happend. Directing commercials today, in some way, allows me to use that knowledge, and indulge in my interests. And directing Shah Rukh in my very first film as an ad filmmaker was a wonderful way to kick it off."

The commercial is a song-dance jingle based sequence. The music for this has been composed by Vishal and Shekhar, whereas Shaan has rendered the song for Khan and Firoz Khan has choreographed it. While Khan is currently on a holiday in London, he wrapped up a sizable amount of work on feature films and ad films. Following the ad for Sunfeast's Snacky, Khan also shot for Fair and Handsome. The latter will be seen on air by the first week of July.

Prior to this, no Bollywood actor has endorsed a fairness cream. Moreover, this is Khan's second experience at promoting a beauty product. He created an uproar in the industry when he became the first actor to ever feature in a Lux commercial. What's more, it took almost 10 months to convince Khan to endorse the fairness cream. "It was quite a task to get SRK to endorse this product. We had to meet him nearly seven-eight times before we drafted the final creative. SRK basically did not want to offend any section of the society like other fairness creams have done in the past," informs Goenka. "We needed SRK for this campaign to reach out to the male population and let them know that they should be using a male fairness cream and not a female product," he added.

http://www.businessofcinema.com/?file=story&id=3980