KBC 3(with srk) : Concept and Articles - Page 69

Salman Khan: Charity begins at home!

For Salman, charity begins at home and he is doing exactly that. He has opened a charitable trust under the name of Salman Khan Foundation and has decided to donate the entire prize money of 50 lakhs that he and Katrina won on SRK's game show. "I have been thinking of opening a foundation like this for long and when I was approached for the game show I decided it's the right opportunity to announce my foundation, because for me charity begins at home," says Salman. Now this calls for a huge round of applause for Salman's noble cause!

http://movies.indiatimes.com/quickies/1947452.cms

DVD ka badshah

Shah Rukh Khan is planning to get DVDs of his entire stint on Kaun Banega Crorepati 3 and watch the shows during his vacation in June.

The actor lets us in on a little secret by saying that whenever someone used to ask him to perform on the show, he was ready for it.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't prepared. As an actor, the contestants expect me to do such things.

Also Siddharth Basu (producer) had all my songs on a hard disk, including some famous dialogues, kept ready for such occasions. It was a necessary preparation for the show," says SRK.

For the next season of KBC, SRK is planning to make the show bigger and better and rope in more friends like Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu. We just can't wait!

http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/april/156099.htm

Four hours in a room with Shah Rukh Khan

Thursday 26 April, 2007
22:27 | 8/Apr/2007 | 22 Comment(s)

Ok. Sounds like a controversial headline. But I didn't say 'alone in a room with SRK', did I? The article here is about a lot of things, mostly an ode to my love for the phenomenon of a man called Shah Rukh Khan, but something that got triggered off because I finally got to meet him in the flesh. Thanks to Star Plus and Kaun Banega Crorepati.

For those who don't know me, here's something you need to know. Shah Rukh Khan was my first love, at the age of 13. And without gushing too much about him and my love for him, suffice to say I'd been praying for the last decade or so that I should get a chance to meet him in person for once in my life. I live about eight minutes from his house in Bandra (Mumbai), take a detour to pass his house every day while returning home from work, but until recently, my prayers had never been answered.

One Saturday morning last month, I came out of the shower to find three missed calls and a voicemail from my friend Ruchi. I checked out my voice mailbox to find out what had reminded her of me after all these months of not being in touch. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Hi Sheetal. Ruchi here. Listen I've got two studio audience passes for the KBC shoot today afternoon, and I was wondering if you'd like to go. Let me know."

Wondering if I'd like to go???? You've gotta be kidding girl!

I called her back in a flash, hoping someone else hadn't jumped at the opportunity before me. She picked up the phone chuckling, "I knew you'd call back immediately. You're the only person in the world who loves SRK more than I do, so I thought if I can't go, you're the best person to give the passes to. So, you and your husband will go, right?"

"Yup."

I was ecstatic. I couldn't thank her enough. She gave me the contact details of the person I was supposed to contact at the venue, Filmcity Goregaon, and gave me her blessings. "Give him a kiss for me, will you?", she laughed as she kept the phone.

An hour later, I was still sitting in front of my wardrobe wondering what to wear. Anil was almost as excited as I was and had been ready for the last fifteen minutes. "You're not going to be in the hot seat you know", he said popping into the bedroom to check on how I was doing for the third time.

"I know I know...but it's Shah Rukh Khan...you know how important today it for me. I want to look right," I said, pulling out more clothes from the cupboard.

He just smiled that controlled smile of his. "Okayyyy, but we'll never make it at this rate."

Thirty seconds later I was dressed in my beige corduroys and blue denim shirt. "Casual yet smart", I announced as I stepped out.

I'd imagined Filmcity to be a walled-in place with one huge Central Jail kinda gate and guards outside warding off film crazy fans. But thankfully it's nothing of the sort. Filmcity is a proper commercial complex with proper roads and lush greenery all around, dotted with studios of all kinds. We did see one 'on the road' sequence for a television serial being shot on the way to the studio where the KBC shoot was scheduled to be held, and even passed by Whispering Woods, Subhash Ghai's newly launched film school.

We reached the venue in good time. There was a short line of people waiting to enter, and we stood at the end of the line waiting for our turn.

In a few minutes, we were inside the waiting area of the studio. The place was huge, and loads of people were waiting in there already. The KBC crew people in charge were strict but polite, and kept updating us with the status on things. Apparently the previous episode of the programme was still getting shot and we'd have to wait awhile before our turn. A painful one hour later, we were finally on our way to the inner studio, after we were asked to deposit our cellphones, cameras and even pens and notepads in the lockers provided. A lot of people were very upset with this. I didn't care, to be honest. I didn't need a picture to remind me of this day. It would remain etched in my mind forever.

As we walked to the studio, Anil chuckled as he noticed the stupid grin on my face that refused to go away. "Hehehe...you're glowing like a lightbulb baby! Have a blast. I'm so glad you're getting to see him finally", he said squeezing my hand as I went into the women's security check area.

In a few minutes, we were inside the studio where the actual set was created. Anil and I got seats in the second row right behind where SRK would be sitting. The crew was busy getting the lighting, sets and camera angles right. Everything was being done with clocklike precision. They'd done this a hundred times before and it was part of their daily routine.

And what's amazing is that they seemed to be as enthusiastic as the three hundred odd people like me who were getting to be a part of it all for the first time.

I was surprised at how small the set was compared to how huge it looked on television. End to end, it was just about seventy five feet, Anil gauged.

And Shah Rukh Khan would be sitting barely twenty feet from where we were. Twenty friggin feet. I literally kept pinching myself. I couldn't believe it. But there was no sign of him yet.

The crew kept trying to keep the audience involved by asking questions about where all people had come from to see the shoot, if anyone had faced the camera before and so on. I wasn't listening. My eyes were fixed at the point where Shah Rukh Khan would make his entry from.

And suddenly a few minutes later, without warning, he breezed into the set. Of course, my heart skipped a few beats. He looks even more amazing in person, with a smile on his lips, twinkling happy eyes and exuding a warmth that can only come from a person who's genuine and sincere.

Of course, the audience went crazy hooting and whistling. I was still busy pinching my arm. Anil reached over and said, "Yes that IS Shah Rukh Khan. You better believe it. And this is the most you'll get since they're not allowing pictures or autographs, so enjoy it alright."

Hehehe! He was wrong. This was not the most I was gonna get.

Anyway, the show started and SRK was his usual self, playing the game with an enthusiasm and zest that gives Star TV every penny's worth of the seventy lakhs they shell out as his fees per episode. The contestant he was playing with, Vikas Gupta, was particularly jittery and unsure, and the interaction between the two was quite entertaining, albeit at one point at the cost of the poor contestant.

Vikas got out at Rs. 6,40,000. And a few minutes later, the 'fastest finger first' contestants would get a chance at the 'hot seat'. SRK came and stood in the middle of the set to read out the question on the teleprompter, and just as the answers were to be read out, the computer froze. Something was wrong. Someone from the control room announced that there was a minor glitch that would take a minute or two. The set was dark, and SRK was standing about five feet from where I was sitting, staring at him in awe.

The woman sitting in the row in front of me leaned over and whispered loudly in his direction, "I love you..." He started to smile in her direction and before I knew it the words had escaped my lips. "Me toooo...." I whispered even louder. He broke into a grin, blew a kiss at me in the dark and said to the production manager, "Errr....I'm getting proposed guys. If you don't hurry I'm going to accept it and leave." Sighhh.....
A few minutes later, the lights came on and Siddharth Basu's voice boomed across the studio - "There's been a problem with the system. We'll have to redo this round with another question."

The game went on smoothly after that point, with SRK taking just one break in between. The whole episode was canned in about three hours. At the end of the episode, the production team requested everyone to stay in their seats, for a round of pictures with SRK.

I couldn't believe they were being this organised and considerate. Don't get your own cameras but we'll click pictures for you and then send them to you. I was impressed. But before the audience came the contestants.

And Shah Rukh Khan patiently got pictures clicked with each of the contestants and their families.

It must be a humbling experience for a superstar to meet people from all walks of life and realise what he means to them. A 50-year old woman wept as she stood next to him for a picture, and he smiled back. College kids were beaming as he put his hand on their heads as they stood next to him and flashed their pearlies at the camera. It went on for the next 20 minutes, and I looked on in admiration.

When it had been announced in the media that Shah Rukh Khan would be hosting the next season of KBC, I was thrilled of course. Imagine meeting the real man behind the actor every night, four days a week!

But Anil was sure it was a wrong move on SRK's part. "He can't take criticism well. He takes it too personally. And on an open platform like KBC where ordinary people like you and me will tell him things like 'you shouldn't have done this role or made this film', he'll break down. I don't think it'll do him good." And I agreed. Maybe it was a wrong move. But we prayed it wouldn't be.

Two weeks into the show, and we were happily eating our words. Shah Rukh Khan seemed to have eased into the role of the perfect game show host, bringing a trademark friendly style to the show that the great Mr. Bachchan couldn't have done. And somewhere along the way, he seemed to have become more humble and more in touch with reality too.
I was looking at him patiently speaking to the contestants and their families and pondering over these thoughts, when I was snapped out of my reverie. He was approaching our side of the set to meet with the audience, with us.

'Here's your chance Sheetal. Go meet him,' I said to myself as he walked towards our side, smiling and waving.

Anil and I were sitting in the second row, and would never be able to reach close enough to shake hands with him. When he came within earshot, I just threw caution to the wind and asked him, "Can I PLEASEEEEEEE hug you?"

For a second, he stopped, looked at me and grinned, as did everyone else. The people in the row before me stepped aside, while I jumped over the railing separating the two rows and stepped on the sofa below.

I think I was saying something like, "I don't care. I'm not getting this chance again in life" or something like that while Shah Rukh Khan looked at me amused, OPENED HIS ARMS, SMILED AT ME AND SAID "COME".

I hugged him tight. He smelt like mint, like a breath of fresh air. I touched his hair and blurted, 'I love you' as I squeezed him tight and then let go.

He put his hand on my head, kissed me on the shoulder and said 'bless you' as he said to everyone else, and moved on. The camera person from the crew then came and clicked our pictures with him and Anil and I managed to be in two of them.

I was trembling for the next ten minutes, as we were walking out of the set. Anil was grinning ear to ear, amused as hell just looking at the ex-pression on my face. When we finally got our cellphones back, my mom had left an SMS message saying 'Are you with Mr. Khan?' as a joke of sorts. When I called and told her the whole story, she couldn't believe I'd done something like this.

Oh well....3rd March 2007. It's a day I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Thanks Ruchi.

Pic:http://anilgoel.rediffiland.com//scripts/xanadu_diary_vi ew.php?postId=1177575233

http://sheetalgoel.rediffiland.com//scripts/xanadu_diary_vie w.php?postId=1176051459

Another chapter in Amitabh Bachchan-Shah Rukh Khan supposed rivalry

08th May 2007 14.01 IST
By Agencies

Another chapter has been reportedly added in the supposed rivalry that exists between Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Shah Rukh Khan .

Bachchan has reportedly refused to shoot for Ravi Chopra 's film Bhootnath unless the director reworks the script more to his liking because he feels SRK's cameo in the film is almost as long and important as his lead role.

"Amitabh Bachchan has not yet shot for the film. We are facing some problems with dates," says Vivek Sharma, the film's director, "The film is delayed for three months due to Amitji's other commitments and his son's wedding. But Mr. Bachchan's professionalism is legendary and I have seen how much SRK respects Mr. Bachchan. We will start shooting in July."

However, reports quote reliable sources as saying, "There is definitely some tension. The film was supposed to be shot in December 2006. Amitji has not given the green signal to the shooting. He has asked the producer-director team to rework the script because in spite of being projected as an Amitabh Bachchan film, Shah Rukh Khan has an equally strong role in terms of length and prominence. That's the real reason for the film's delay!"

The Bachchan-SRK standoff seems to hit headlines everyday in Indian media.

The Big B-SRK enmity started big time in 2004 at the Zee Cine Awards function in Dubai when Bachchan was given a seat in the 14th row a fact that so incensed his friend politician Amar Singh that he made a huge scene.

SRK, in perhaps a classic example of what is politically incorrect, described Amar Singh's behavior as 'goondagardi' causing the vibes between him and Amitabh to turn negative, despite Jaya Bachchan earlier having referred to SRK as her 'son'.

Following the incident, Bachchan has been terse when speaking about SRK in public. The bad vibes were later aggravated by intense professional rivalry because of SRK's decision to act in the remake of Don and anchor KBC.

More recently, SRK referred to Amar Singh as a 'darinda' while anchoring Zee Cine Awards in Malaysia, which seems to have severed any remaining strands of friendship.

Consequently, SRK did not figure on the guest list for the Abhishek Bachchan – Aishwarya Rai wedding.

http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20070508-1.html

Love for maaaaa...Bollywood style!

On his recent KBC appearance, Shah Rukh Khan announced to the whole world that "mothers are special people. They must be honoured and loved without exception for the unconditional love they give us. I miss my parents even today and feel that were my mother alive, I would have kept my success at her feet and hugged her." His love for his mother is evident to all his fans.

http://www.deccanherald.com/

SRK MASTERSTROKE

With us is Shahrukh Khan who can be called the Badshah of ads.

Shahrukh, thank you for talking with us. Day by day your endorsements are increasing and you're becoming the brand ambassador of new brands. When you endorse these brands do you have a pattern in mind, like which brands you'd endorse and why?

SRK: Honestly, no. But whenever a company wants me to be its brand ambassador….normally the companies are very good, that's how it's been for the last 18 years…I feel honored when they choose me. Strangely I've never thought of why and how it happens. But I think I've been lucky. The companies I've been sort of asked for my services have always been upmarket, upscale, good, very well reputed and sometimes more than a 100 year old company's internationally known. So I sort of work it around like that. it's also based on need and my time. When I have some time or need some work like most people do I choose my endorsements.

When your kids see your ads, like they do your films, do they say, papa you look best in this ad?

SRK: No, my kids don't like my films too much either. I haven't done their type of film for some time now. Maybe that's why. In ads, sometimes yes, they like it and there are a few that they say are sweet or they genuinely like. Most of my products are mass consumption ones. So they don't go into the upscale lifestyle. I also have very little time so they don't get very creative, just get me to endorse the product in a straightforward manner. So the kids have liked some and disliked the films.

You still have a season of episodes left for KBC. When are you coming back? Your fans are getting impatient.

SRK: As far as I know the channel is trying to refurbish the whole program. It's an internationally standardized program so all the shows, English, Hindi and of other languages too are being rehashed and refurbished. That will take at least 6-7 months. They have been in talks, I've met them recently and I'm looking forward to it. So another 6-7 months we'll be able to….I was hoping I'd start it in December but it seems it'll be 2-3 months later than that.

What's left of OSO and CDI?

SRK: CDI is finished. It's either releasing on the 10th or 29th of August. There are only 6 days of OSO left. Once the shooting is over, it'll hopefully release in October/November.

srk.org