RAEES updates - Page 8

SRK Looking Forward To Learning From Mahira Khan And Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Mahira Khan: A raees' entry into Bollywood

By Our Correspondent

Published: January 10, 2015

Mahira Khan. PHOTO: UMAIR ALI ANJUM

Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, the film, which will see Mahira playing the wife of a gangster (Shah Rukh Khan), will also feature critically-acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a cop. In an interview with The Express Tribune, Mahira talks about how she bagged the role, which could become a stepping stone for her career in Bollywood and beyond.

How long did you wait for a script, such as Raees, to come your way? Did you refuse to do any Bollywood films in the mean time?

I was neither waiting for a perfect script from Bollywood nor had I read many. I got a call for an audition and wasn't told the exact details of the film, except the names of the producers and the director (Rahul Dholakia), both of whom I liked. Once I read the scenes, I found them to be interesting and went ahead and auditioned for the role.

Media reports suggest that Shah Rukh showed up at your audition for Raees. If this is true, tell us about what the audition process was like. Were you confident that you would get selected for the role?

I just did what I had to: learnt my lines and gave it my best shot. I was nervous before the audition and thought I'd forget all my lines. I did meet Shah Rukh. He was very kind.

Shah Rukh plays a Muslim character in the film and you come from a Muslim family from Pakistan, where Urdu diction holds significance. Do you think this played in your favour?

I'm not sure if it played in my favour, but I hope that it does. The character is that of a Gujarati Muslim, so the diction and accent will be Gujarati.

Do you feel any pressure debuting opposite notable actors, such as Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin, in a Farhan Akhtar production?

Well, yes. There is always a bit of pressure when performing with such good actors. I'm a fan of both Shah Rukh and Nawaz. Luckily, I've had the chance to perform with some of the best actors in Pakistan, who helped me out a lot on set. I also learnt a lot from them and hope for the same with Shah Rukh and Nawazuddin. Insha'Allah.

What edge do you think Pakistani actors have over Indian actors?

None. Only a good actor has an edge over a weak actor. A hardworking actor has an edge over a lazy actor. Nationality has nothing to do with it.

You worked in TV for a while after acting in the film Bol. How hard do you think will it be for you to re-transition into film from TV?

I have worked on a film Bin Roye and am currently shooting for another film directed by Asim Raza. So, the transition has been made already. What I'm nervous about is working in an environment where I don't really know anybody. Everything will be new for me except for the camera, I guess.

A challenge starring opposite Shah Rukh is that it is difficult for any actor to outshine him due to his star power. What are your thoughts on that?

I don't worry about such things. If my co-actor shines, it means I have shone as well and vice versa. These are not the kind of thoughts I focus on. I read a script, meet my director and go with my instinct.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2015.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui to chase RAEES Shah Rukh Khan from March!

One film that has provided lot of fodder for desk top journos is the Shah Rukh Khan starrer, RAEES. First there was news that Farhan Akhtar was to co- star with SRK and later we came to know that it would be master actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. But the gossip mills didn't stop at that, and one read somewhere that Nawaz had refused the film and the last straw was when we heard that RAEES had been shelved.

However, we recently read that a set for RAEES is being constructed and the shooting would commence soon.

As our patience was running thin, we decided to get the facts straight from Nawaz man-of-the -moment Siddiqui, firing one salvo after another at him.

Taking everything in his stride the usual calm and composed Nawaz told us, "Yes, it is true. I have signed RAEES with Shah Rukh Khan. What is also true is that I play a cop and Shah Rukh Khan, a gangster. And I am after him all the time. I will start shooting for the film from March. <i>Iske alawa main abhi aur kuch nahin bata sakta. ( I cannot disclose anything more at this stage) But as always the exclusive details will be revealed to you all (Glamsham/Bollywood Trade) as on previous occasions," concludes the humble master actor.

Shah Rukh Khan's Raees set in 80's, sets being constructed in Mumbai

January 29, 2015 0

Shah Rukh Khan's Raees is finally on floors, it is set in 1980's and sets replicating Ahmedabad are being created in Mumbai's Film City grounds confirms the director Rahul Dholakia in an interview to a leading daily.

"The city has changed a lot since then and some of the old architecture is lost. The only way to get the old havelis with their intricate wood carving back is for our production designers, Anita Rajagopal and Daniel Reagan to create them here. Also, we have some action scenes which would be better to shoot on a closed set rather than on real locations," he says, adding that with all the detailing work, the set will be ready only in March which is when the film is expected to roll.

Try to pin him down to a date and he says the schedule will be locked only after the final recce and will depend on the progress on the sets. "But it's not going to be the Ides of March for sure," Rahul joked.

SRK has been spotted on the sets late at night. He is playing a gangster in the film. "He's a larger-than-life character in the film, the idea of which came from prohibition and its after-effects," says Rahul in an interview with Mumbai Mirror

After a game of musical chairs which eventually led to Farhan Akhtar bowing out, SRK's nemisis is being played by Nawazudding Siddiqui. "Fortunately, it's a character driven role so it was the actor who has to adjust rather than me.

When I'm discussing the role, I don't see Nawaz but my cop," he says.

What's his name? "Let's leave a few surprises for later," Rahul laughs.

The biggest surprise however was Mahira Khan who sahashed across the border and beat her Bollywood colleagues to the much-coveted role of SRK's better half. "It's not about an Indian, Pakistani or an American NRI but about an artisite who fits the role. Her personality is a perfect match for the role," Rahul explains adding with a chuckle, "Please no controversies, I'm staying away from them this time."

Courtesy - Mumbai Mirror

Originally posted by: touch_of_pink

We are working on Shah Rukh Khan's look and accent for Raees: Rahul Dholakiya

Saturday, 21 February 2015 - 6:30am IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: dna | From the print edition

• Subhash K Jha

Director Rahul Dholakiya opens up about his upcoming film

Raees will take Shah Rukh in a world as far removed from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengeas Punjab is from London. Rahul says it wasn't difficult to convince Shah Rukh at all. "I had gone to narrate the script to Shah Rukh with my producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. I think Shah Rukh got interested. Because at mid-point he said he's doing the film. I felt like a schoolboy who has just been told he has passed. It's every director's nightmare that an actor would get bored during the script narration."

The second-half of the script had to be apparently reworked a bit. "Not much. But some changes had to be made, though not that much , because it was the unusualness of the script that appealed to Shah Rukh."

What blew Rahul's mind was Shah Rukh's memory. "I went back to him with the second-half of the script after almost a year. He remembered details from the first narration that even I had forgotten. This kind of dedication coming from a superstar of his stature left me deeply impressed."

Rahul who begins shooting for Raees in February-end is now working on Shah Rukh's look and accent. "He plays a man from the ghetto in Gujarat. He will dress and speak in a particular manner."

Buzz is that Shah Rukh Khan plays a true-life character in Raees. Says Rahul, "His characters started off as a real-life person. But as we wrote and re-wrote several drafts of the script Shah Rukh's character become more and more fictional."

The idea for the film started on the issue of Prohibition. "We wanted to make a film on the issue. And since Gujarat is the only state that has Prohibition we decided to locate our plot in Gujarat."

The last time Rahul was in Gujarat was to shoot Parzania the award winning film on the 2002 communal carnage in the State. But no, Raees and Shah Rukh Khan are not staying away from Gujarat because of the bitter aftermath of Parzania.

Explains Rahul, "It's very practical and logical to not take Shah Rukh into the crowds. He is a star with a mammoth following. And he has a massive following in Gujarat. To shoot with him on the streets in Ahmedabad is not only impractical it's probably suicidal. I remember when we were shooting with Sanjay Dutt in Kashmir for Lamha. Huge crowds would gather and obstruct the shooting."

Rahul says he didn't want a repeat of that situation. The film will be shot on a sprawling set in Mumbai representing the slums of Ahmedabad.

Shah Rukh Khan talks about 'Fan', 'Raees', Rohit Shetty's next and his TV project!