Happy New Year Thread #2 - Updates - Page 30

San Leandro, Calif. " Shah Rukh Khan is returning to California to headline a live concert after a gap of 10 years, according to the local promoters of his "SLAM: Sound, Light, Action, Music" show. Although Khan has been in and out of the state occasionally, including to shoot the 2010 drama "My Name Is Khan" on location in San Francisco, this is a rare opportunity to see the megastar onstage.

DBR Entertainment and Red Chilies Entertainment announced July 21 that "SLAM" will also feature actors Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Malaika Arora Khan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, "Happy New Year" newcomer Vivaan Shah and "Ragini MMS 2" item girl Kanika Kapoor; "Happy New Year" director Farah Khan Kunder, and pop star Yo Yo Honey Singh.

The tour starts Sept. 19 at the Toyota Center in Houston and goes to the Continental Arena, New Jersey, Sept. 20; the Air Canada Center, Toronto, Sept. 21; the Sears Center Arena, Chicago, Sept. 26; the Pacific National Exhibition Center in Vancouver, BC Sept. 27; and the SAP Center in downtown San Jose Sept. 28.

Khan said in a statement July 21: "I am blessed to get a lot of love and support from people around the world. This is our way of giving this love back and thanking you all.

"I am super excited and looking forward to being in your city along with the director and the cast of our next film, Happy New Year,' and my colleagues Farah, Deepika, Malaika, Abhishek, Boman, Sonu, Vivaan, Kanika and Honey Singh.

"We promise you an evening of love, laughter and entertainment. So mark your calendar and be there at SLAM, the tour."

Bikram Jeet Singh, one of three cofounders of DBR Entertainment, told India-West by phone, "This is probably the most expensive [Bollywood] show ever presented in North America, twice as expensive as the Unforgettable' Amitabh Bachchan show in 2008."

Adds DBR cofounder Rana Atwal, "Earlier, the stars would have around 14-15 shows at a minimum. But now, they're only bringing six shows to the biggest [North American] cities, due to their tight schedules." Cofounder Dave Atwal added that he is confident that "SLAM" will mark another success for DBR following their presentation of numerous ambitious star shows in North America.

DBR Entertainment has brought many of India's top artists to the U.S. and Canada, including "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" stars, pop star Raghav, many top Punjabi artists including Gurdas Maan; Sukhwinder Singh; the 2008 "Unforgettable" show with Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai; "Wanted" (2000) with Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla; and "Millennium Masti" (2000) with Salman Khan among other shows.