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Shah Rukh Khan wonders if good enough for Hollywood
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has never been offered a role in Hollywood and is not particularly surprised -- he doubts he is talented enough.
The heart-throb, one of the world's most famous film actors due to India's huge cinema-going population, is in London promoting "Chak De India" ("Go For It India"), in which he portrays a hockey coach in charge of a motley team of girls.
"If there is a (Hollywood) role which is interesting enough, I would do it," he told Reuters in an interview.
"But so far I have never been offered a big role or a good role from Hollywood ... actually, for that matter, never a role from Hollywood -- big or small."
Bollywood's biggest stars are often asked to reflect on why they have failed to break into the Anglo-Saxon movie mainstream, with only a handful of personalities enjoying limited success.
"I don't think I am a specifically talented enough 40-year-old actor. I am sure there are a lot of 40-year-old actors there who are more talented, better looking, speak the language better.
"And I don't have a USP (unique selling point) of Kung Fu, I can't do something specific. Unless they start doing Hindi film songs in Hollywood, I don't think anybody is going to cast me.
"I don't think working down there (Hollywood) is the ultimate aim or should be the ultimate aim of an Indian actor."
Bollywood is still dominated by big-cast, bright-coloured musicals that usually fail to connect with Western audiences.
16 NEWCOMERS
In "Chak De India" Khan plays alongside 16 female newcomers who make up the ragtag hockey team that challenges for the pinnacle of the sport. He said he found the experience of working with untrained performers refreshing.
"I have been acting for so long that I have developed a system of getting things right," he said. "I have fixed expressions, I have a fixed way, a method to the madness that we call acting.
"But you have a set of people who react differently and it still sounds right. I believe in the maxim there is nothing right or wrong when you act."
Khan, whose biggest hits include "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" ("The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride") and "Dil To Pagal Hai" ("The Heart is Crazy"), said he hoped the film would do something to empower women.
"I hope it does talk about the uplifting of women and the fact that they should be given choices in decision making."
Khan added that he had no intention of following in the footsteps of other movie stars, including Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, who have gone into Indian politics.
"No. I am not so selfless that I would be able to give up my life for the good of the nation ... If I may use the word, I would screw it up further than it is already screwed."
Shah Rukh & his 13 girls rock!
For Shimit Amin the leap from the gritty cops film Ab Tak Chappan to the world of female hockey players in Chak De India….is astounding!
Man, what a leap in time and pace!
Says the softspoken movie maker, "For me it's just the script. I react to the script. It didn't matter which genre. But yes, the thought of doing a hockey film was challenging. Because nobody had done it.
It gave me a chance to explore an entirely untried genre. Jaideep Sahni's script was something I wanted to put on screen. I've come from the US and this film gave me a chance to connect to one new part of Indian culture."
But the audiences responded somewhat warily to the theatrical trailer of Chak De India where all the hockey playing girls were brought on screen one after another.
"We were experimenting with the trailer format by putting a music video. We clearly wanted to introduce the thirteen characters through the film. It was a broad canvas. Some people did like it. Others didn't.
The trailer was an experiment, just as much as the film. Chak De India doesn't have romance songs and the formula. My film is about characters who'll hopefully involve the audience within five minutes of playing time."
‘Chak De India’ opens to packed houses
After flooring cine lovers in London, Chak De India - first Indian film based on country's women's hockey team- released to a tremendous response across the country on Friday.
The film, which stars Shahrukh Khan, revolves around the story of a women hockey team that goes onto win a World Cup.
The film received a warm welcome from cricket crazy Indian audience for its subject and storyline.
"The movie was really very nice. It was worth," said one of the cine goers, who admitted of being a greater fan of cricket star Sachin Tendulkar than Shahrukh Khan.
"The film gives a push to women hockey players as it could revive public interest in the dying game, which is also our national games," she added.
This film is a shift from a regular Bollywood movie as it diverts from the usual and delves into the unexplored arena of sports.
"The film is very good. It's a complete Shah Rukh Khan film with lots of sporting action," said another viewer.
Shah Rukh's inspiration for CHAKDE! INDIA
A performance befitting Shah Rukh's stature.
The first CHAKDE! INDIA promo (with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom), met with mixed reactions. Some loved it, some found it unimpressive. Those who loved it were happy about the fact that Shah Rukh Khan, 'the actor', was finally here. And with a performance befitting his stature.
Coming to those who did not appreciate the first promo, they were, perhaps, expecting another Raj-Rahul act from SRK, or were looking for glamorous faces (like Preity and Rani!), amidst realistic hockey players!
Cutting a long story short, the subsequent promos got uniform acclaim and when Shah Rukh Khan was queried about his inspiration for the true-to-life hockey coach, 'Kabir Khan', he was forthright and honest as usual. He disclosed that his school day sports teacher, Brother Eric D'Souza (presently in Shillong) was his inspiration for the role. The superstar further elaborated that Brother D'Souza taught him not just hockey, but football and cricket as well.
Brother D'Souza, if you are reading this, here is wishing you a long and healthy life and many more Shah Rukhs!
SRK and Amitabh Bachchan are friends…
All the talk of ‘cold war' between Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan can take a beating.
While the two superstars have been alleging that their so-called ‘cold war' was a creation of the media, there can be little doubt that the vibes between the two stars have been rather cold for some time.
But now things are warming up. SRK and Big B have been sending each other gifts lately.
Not long back, SRK gifted Big B a computer game (SRK is an avid lover of computer games). But Big B is relatively ignorant about such games. However, the sexagenarian superstar is glad that his grandson Agastya enjoyed playing the game gifted by SRK.
SRK also gifted Big B a white Dolce and Gabbana leather jacket, which Big B liked a great deal.
Reciprocating SRK's gesture, Mr. Bachchan also gifted him a trendy Dolce and Gabbana jacket along with an expensive pen.
Big B also dropped by during the shooting of SRK's home production Om Shanti Om and is making a one-scene guest appearance in the movie.
"Chak De' makes me look different" : SRK
Shahrukh Khan speaks to TIMES NOW on playing hockey with the girls and wearing a beard on 'Chak De! India'
Shah Rukh Khan's first out-and-out sporty endeavour 'Chak De! India' releases this week (August 10). TIMES NOW correspondent Pratiksha Menon got him talking about his scruffy look in the film and why he supports feminism.
Interview excerpts
Pratiksha: Is this film an experiment, and do you believe in its feminist theme?
Shahrukh: This is a message about how sports should be nurtured in our country and women should be nurtured in our country. I'd like to do a film about women every year, but I don't like the bra-burning type of movies where they say 'Zakhmi Aurat' etc. But if you make films like this (Chak De), and perhaps like me also talk about it like (in the film), women will get confident and say why not you're right - women are educated, pretty, they do as well as guys. Especially in my line of work - from the actresses to working in the technical aspect - the other day a woman cameraperson was shooting me, she does fantastic work. Even a 'liberated' person like me thought, my God isn't a camera too big for a girl? So even I sometimes think stupidly, like a man.
The film is different, it doesn't have a heroine, it doesn't have a love story. It's got 16 new girls, it does not have a song, it does not have a villain, it does not have Shahrukh Khan in Switzerland. I just did it because I wanted to play hockey once again.
Pratiksha: How rigorous was working on Chak De for you... was it physically taxing?
Shahrukh: I am sportsman by nature, and physically also, I like to play games so I continue playing games whenever I get a chance. Hockey was something I had not played for a long time and so I had to go back to it and play for a couple of days. I used to play after pack-up or while training with them (team) - there was the stick and a ball and the girls were there and so you just start playing. I did play for about a month, and yes, it was difficult. I tore my hamstring, though I was not even playing full out. I wasnot bedridden but I couldn't walk around for a month. And the by the time we came to shoot in Delhi I was still strapped.
But no, it wasn't rigorous for me. I have had two knee surgeries and on my ankles, they hurt when the cold sets in, the bones pain. I need to take injections - yeah that happens! But it happens even if I am doing a dance. So that's not a big issue.
Pratiksha: Your scruffy look is going down very well with the ladies. Was it intentional?
Shahrukh: You know there's an 'eight years ago' period, and I come back in the film eight years later. I think I was unshaven, I wasn't working that time, I had just finished 'Don'. I was on time off and I was not well and I think Adi (Aditya Chopra) and everyone came and said, Hey will you keep the beard? So I kept it since its for just one film I was doing, because I have never grown a beard...Yeah, it looks nice. I saw the film three days ago. You know, on television sometimes or personally, when I look at it it looks scruffy and not very clean. But when I saw it on screen, it looked very nice - at least for the character. It makes me look different. It's a nice crutch to an actor. I look very different and it seems I am acting different.
The character's name is Kabir Khan - he doesn't have a beard because he is Muslim, but it just feels nice in the scheme of things. He is supposed to be a bit of an older person, for the girls so it gives a kind of maturity.
"God looks after good people" : SRK
Brand SRK in his new lean mean avatar talks about life,his favourite sport and Sanjay Dutt.
Its not often that Shah Rukh Khan chats about ordinary, everyday issues, but when he does, people strain their ears to listen. Thats the power of the Badshah.
After a long break, SRK is back in the thick of action, promoting his film Yash Raj's Chak De and shooting for Om Shanti Om . Whats striking to the world at this point is SRK's new lean look and long, unkempt hair.
He is looking visibly fitter and younger by the day. Some say I look good and others feel otherwise. When I look in the mirror, I see myself, good or bad.
My daughter Suhana says that when I don't gel my hair, I look like her! And now my hairstylist is thinking of changing my look, King Khan said in mock exasperation over coffee with BT.
He explained his new avatar, so to say. I was on a vacation for a few months and so I just decided to grow my hair. And my lean look, well, I am working out more than ever now. I have taken up sports big time too, because it keeps me fit.
I have got Aryan and Suhana also into it. I am 42 and have to look after my body now, he said blushing.
Fitter yes, younger and hotter, certainly. Is that how he is planning to change the fate of Indian hockey through Chak De?
Spare me! I don't claim to change the world, the actor smiled, adding, Lets put it this way, I started playing hockey for a few months because I love it. So if people see the film and take to playing hockey like me, well, it'll be good.
Otherwise, no problem. He admits to be an ardent hockey player. I love hockey more than soccer. I have played it but not in big way.
Does he believe that hockey is one of the most neglected games in India? All games in India like kabbaddi, basketball, football, badminton, tennis, squash, and golf are neglected. And we grudge cricket because it is getting more importance than all other games put together.
On the contrary, we must applaud the fact that at least in one game India is doing relatively well, said SRK with conviction. Would he object if his son Aryan takes up hockey? Why Aryan, if my daughter Suhana wants to play hockey, I will be fine with it, he added.
He talked about Sanjay Dutt, the topic of hot discussion in Bollywood. Well, we all feel the same about him. Honestly, I am not exaggerating, but Sanju is one of the nicest guys I have known since I came to the industry.
He helped me immensely in every possible way when I was a newcomer. I owe him, said SRK of his friend, who he says is family to him. Whenever I asked him to come over, he would make a point to drop by for sometime, even if it was late in the night.
I cannot relate to anything bad about Sanjay. I have never seen his aggressive side or his famous temper. He has always been so mild mannered and sweet, its difficult to assume Sanju in any other form.
Destiny has its own plans for him, but we can only keep the faith. God looks after good people. I hope and pray that he gets out of this at the earliest.
'Chak de India' can revive interest in hockey: Australian expert
By Abhishek Roy, New Delhi, Aug 5 : Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Chak de India' is ready for release, and a top official of the Australian hockey board feels that the movie can instil the lost interest in hockey in India.
"The film will give a much needed boost to Indian hockey, given the fact that it is going through one of its darkest phases," Adam Wallish, a board member of Hockey Australia, told IANS on the sidelines of a workshop on the planning and management of the 2010 Commonwealth Games here.
The Indian government has demoted hockey from the "priority" to the "general" category of sports because of the continuous poor showing of the national team in all major tournaments in recent years.
However, recent successes at the 16th Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia and at the Champions Challenge Cup in the Netherlands, where India won the bronze medals, have given hockey lovers a new ray of hope.
Wallish is also the chief executive of Hockey Victoria, and 'Chak de India' was shot in their State Netball Hockey Centre.
"It was a wonderful experience witnessing the whole unit of the film shooting at our stadium, which was also the venue for the finals of the hockey tournament in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games," he said.
Wallish also said the authorities had a tough time controlling the mainly Indian crowds gathered outside the stadium to have a glimpse of Shah Rukh.
"During the shooting I realised that hockey may not be of any great interest for Indians but Shah Rukh is! We hope hockey gets back its interest via the superstar," he said.
In the movie, which will be released Aug 10, Shah Rukh plays the role of hockey coach Kabir Khan, who turns a rag tag bunch of hapless girls into a unit that goes on to win the World Cup on the silver screen.
The story is based on the real life story of former Indian goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi, who fell from grace after conceding seven goals against Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final, after which he was dropped from the side.
Negi, however, managed to extricate himself from disgrace by guiding the women team to Commonwealth Games glory in 2002.
"Indian hockey has lots of icons and inspiring tales to encourage a whole generation to pick up the stick and dribble ahead. If these stories are captured on the celluloid and presented in a captivating tale, nothing would be better than that," said Wallish.
He felt that in the past films on sports had been successful and were able to pull crowds to the theatres.
"We can't forget that films ... have been really very successful and they have immortalised some of the legends of the game," Wallish pointed out.
The movie "Ali" was featured on the life story of heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. "Hurricane" was about middleweight boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter - whose dreams of winning the middleweight boxing title was destroyed when he was wrongfully accused and arrested along with another man for the murders of three white men in a New Jersey bar. Academy Award winner Denzel Wahsington played the role of Carter.
"It is good to see that superstars are coming forward to play such roles that capture the struggle of the sports personalities. I am sure that 'Chak de India' will create the same magic these movies have done so far," Wallish said.
French honour for Shah Rukh Khan
Mumbai, June 22: Shah Rukh Khan will be awarded the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government for his prolific career and his contribution to the development of Indo-French cooperation in the field of cinema.French ambassador Dominique Girard said that it gives the French Government has chosen to give the honour of the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres to Shah Rukh Khan, who is a very talented actor with unmatched popularity. Shah Rukh will be given the honour on a later date.
The French government presents the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award to persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to art in France and other parts of the world. Some other Indians like artist SH Raza and author Mahasweta Devi are the ones who have received this honour before.
Shahrukh Khan
June 22, 2007(Sawf News): Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was at Britain’s historic Warwick Castle Friday, to inaugurate ‘Dream of Battle’, a million dollar attraction recently added.
Shah Rukh, accompanied by his wife Gauri and two children, arrived at the popular tourist attraction in a helicopter and were escorted by armored knights for a medieval-style red-ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the new addition.
“No one from Bollywood usually gets the opportunity to do something like this. It is very rare indeed,” commented Reena Combo, a British-Asian journalist.
Sue Kemp, a senior official at the castle, beamed over the actor’s visit, “he is one of the most popular actors in the world today and we are delighted he’s officially opened our newest attraction.”
Immediately after the official opening, Shah Rukh and his family were given a private tour of the castle and new attraction, which was off limits for the media.
“I love Britain and our visit to Warwick Castle has given us a wonderful and exciting taste of British history,” told Shah Rukh. “The castle itself is spectacular. There are so many stories and so much to do. We’ve had a truly memorable time.”
So would the newly appointed Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) shoot a movie here?
“I’d love to; it’s an absolutely stunning place,” told Shah Rukh clearly exulted by the experience.
Bollywood Rising: India's Biggest Movie Star Shah Rukh Khan
Move Over Brad Pitt, Shah Rukh Khan Wows an Audience Larger Than Top Hollywood Stars.He is the biggest movie star whose name you may never have heard.
Known as the "King of Bollywood" to his fans, 41-year-old Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan evokes hysteria among South Asians from Delhi to Delaware. The estimated size of his audience is over 3.5 billion, according to BusinessWeek -- and it's growing.
To put his popularity in perspective, in 2002, the Hindi film industry sold 3.6 billion tickets. Hollywood films, on the other hand, sold 2.6 billion tickets.
Bollywood film stars enjoy a huge fan base in Asian countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where neither the Taliban nor the Pakistani government's ban on Hindi cinema has stemmed their popularity. Their films may not show at the local cinema, but massive sales of pirated DVDs suggest that official attitudes have done little to dim their appeal.
Bollywood's appeal is widening beyond South Asia, expanding to countries like Germany, Israel, and Gulf nations, where almost every Hindi film is dubbed into Arabic when it releases.
So what makes these films -- largely song and dance extravaganzas -- so popular all over the world?
According to Indian author and film critic Anupama Chopra, "Bollywood films are fairy tales for adults. That's their appeal."
In an interview with ABC News, Bollywood superstar Khan was more succinct. He said simply, "We sell dreams."
And to a country where reality is often grim and filled with unrelenting economic struggle, "the small and simple fantasies" offered by the Hindi film industry are vital, according to Khan.
"The world of Hindi films," he told ABC News, "is fantastical, kitsch, and loud. But at the bottom of it all, there are very simple desires — all the hero of a Hindi film really wants is a house for his family, a happy marriage, children who will listen to him. We are not interested in making Armageddon movies."
Nor, it seems in making movies that will successfully cross over to a Western audience. While his peers like the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai are busy making films with foreign filmmakers, Khan has no intention of shifting his focus away from Bollywood.
In an interview with ABC News, leading Bollywood director and frequent collaborator with Khan, Karan Johar pointed out that "unless they are going to give Shah Rukh a parallel role to Tom Cruise's in a Hollywood film, why should he bother working there?"
Latest News:-ShahRukh Khan goes to London with Chak De team
London is all for Bollywood with ShahRukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty around. So Yash Raj Films have planned to utilize this fame and cash on it. YRF’s Chak De featuring SRK as an ageing coach will be premiered on August at Somerset House in London. SRK with his whole team will be present for the screening.
‘The premiere of Chak De India is part of the Film 4 Summer Screen programme and is also one of the highlights of India Now, a three-month season starting July 17, which celebrates London’s growing relationship with India and exploration of India’s culture and its contribution to London life.’ So lets see how UK like the film!
Shahrukh Khan gets a French Honor 13th June 2007
Shah Rukh Khan gets the coveted French honor Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature), an award of the French government for his “exceptional career”. This brings our King Khan among the highly acclaimed circle of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford! Indians, who were conferred this award for excellence, were Tamil superstar Sivaji Ganesan, film-maker Mrinal Sen and Carnatic musician M Balamurali Krishna. The awarding ceremony will be held in this summer. After the honor of having a wax statue in Madame Tussaud’s this comes as a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
The Superhero Trimurthy- Hrithik, Abhishek and Shahrukh Khan 8th June
Superheroes are common for Hollywood but for Bollywood it was Hrithik who started the phenomenon and won hearts. Looks like this monopoly is soon going to be shaken with Abhishek doing his daredevil acts as a Superhero in Goldie Behl’s ‘Drona’. And now the rumors are that the ball is not just between Hrithik and Abhishek’s court but also in Shah Rukh Khan’s court too.
He is busy in talk with Farah Khan’s hubby Shirish Kunder’s new sci-fic concept for which he will produce and star. So who do you think is going to be better – our very first super-duper hero Hrithik or the naughty bluffmaster Abhishek or rather the real life Bollywood superhero SRK? What say guys?
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