Shahrukh Khan and Akshay met up on a flight to London and bonded like buddies

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Who said two superstars can’t bond! All the talk of the chill between Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar took a beating when the two stars met up on a flight to London and bonded like buddies. They joked and laughed and later tweeted about their mid-air experience.

Akshay wrote: “I flew back to London to join my wife and son for our summer holidays and I met Shah Rukh Khan on my flight! It was nice to know Shah Rukh feels as grateful as I am for being a part of our industry and how lucky we are.”

Shahrukh, too, enjoyed bonding with Akshay. He tweeted: “I had Akshay Kumar for company on flight. Was wonderful to be with him after so long. Laughed for hours. We always do whenever we meet. Happiness to him.”

Shahrukh was flying to London to shoot for his home production Ra.One and also attend the premiere of Raavan on June 16.

Akshay obviously ended up chatting a lot with Shahrukh on the flight.

“It’s amazing I managed to chat more with my work mates on a flight than I do in the entire year” he wrote.

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Shah Rukh has been taking more than a passing interest in the music

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Shah Rukh has been taking more than a passing interest in the music for the films he produces. And Priyanka Chopra would vouch for that.

If she declares from rooftops that she is Shah Rukh Khan’s biggest fan then it with reason. The man just floors his ladies, without trying to be be charming.

What he did for Priyanka Chopra in Billu Barbar would certify as pure magnanimity and generosity, both as a considerate co-star and producer.

Shah Rukh decided to give away a large portion of his duet in Billu Barbar to Priyanka.

Says the film’s excited music composer Pritam Chakraborty, "Shah Rukh took very close interest in each one of the songs. He isn’t a musician. But he has an instinctive ear for music. It takes him just a few seconds to approve or cut down a track."

With the songs meant for Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone , Pritam faced no problems. "Shah Rukh loved his songs with Kareena Marjana and Deepika Love mera hit hit. They were straightforward dance songs with shared grooves between Shah Rukh and Kareena/Deepika."

The Priyanka song needed special treatment. And Shah Rukh made Pritam re-work and re-record the song.

Divulges Pritam, "Shah Rukh’s song with Priyanka Khuda-ae-kher is not an item song. It’s a love ballad that the pair playing Bollywood superstars, emote to in front of the camera.

Being a love song Shah Rukh felt there wasn’t enough of the female presemce in the vocals. He made me re-record the song with more for the female vocalist (Dominique) to do since he wanted Priyanka to have an equal number of lines."

Irrfan Khan and Lara Dutta who play a rustic couple will later be seen enacting the same Shah Rukh-Priyanka ballad exactly the way the village couple had seen the stars do the song.

From sharing Akshay Kumar on screen in Andaaz to sharing the same love song, the Priyanka-Lara Dutta rivalry sure has come a long way.

Laughs Pritam, "It was entirely Shah Rukh’s idea to give Priyanka more lines in the song. He’s a very generous entertainer. If you see him on screen he never tries to steal the limelight from his heroines. Even Khai ke paan banaras wala had a lot of Priyanka in Don although it was entirely Shah Rukh’s song."

When told about Shah Rukh’s gesture, Priyanka stays silent for a while. She then sighs and says, "What do I say? Now do you know why he’s my favourite?"

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Shahrukh Spoken like a true workaholic

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Bollywood’s leading Khan has broken his silence and unequivocally condemned the deadly terrorist attacks that rocked Mumbai last week.

Film celebs have been venting out their shock, anguish and wrath through blogging and community sites, openly condemning the gory and heinous attacks that kept the ‘maximum city’ under siege for three days. While Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan took the lead in voicing their anger, Shahrukh Khan has been silent. But now he has spoken up.

While talking on Raj and Pablo’s ‘Love Bollywood’ radio show on the BBC Asian Network, SRK said he was at loss of words to say anything about this situation.

“I’ve tried to keep away from commenting on this as there are no words to express a situation like this because our feelings are mixed with anger, disbelief and sadness,” the superstar said.

Shahrukh also commented on misrepresentation of Islam by extremists.

"Being Muslim myself, I believe youngsters need to understand Islam and respect the religion in the right way. It’s such a huge waste and my appeal to all in these times and in recent years is that please can we run what we want in terms of politics, government, jobs and teaching our children with the prime motive of taking communalism out of it,” SRK stressed.

The superstar concluded with a very important remark: “The religion our children are born with should be something they practice as a discipline and work should be developed as the new religion. I think no agenda should be attached to any kind of religion.”

Spoken like a true workaholic.

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‘My Name Is Khan’ is not a biopic of SRK

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In Karan Johar’s next film My Name Is Khan , Shahrukh Khan will play a character who suffers from an Autistic disorder.

Despite what the movie’s title suggests, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is not a biopic of SRK. But it’s a movie based on a man who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome.

Scriptwriter Shibani Bhatija, who has to her credit films like Fanaa and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna , has penned script for this movie. Both Karan Johar and Shibani have worked diligently to come up with an evocative script which depicts the condition of Asperger’s patients who are fighting hard to be a part of the society.

While writing the script Shibani reportedly conducted thorough research and also interviewed many people under the influence of this physical disorder.

Asperger’s Syndrome is characterized by physical clumsiness and lack of proper communication skills in people who suffer from it.

According to sources, Karan Johar wants to convey a social message through his film which will be a sort of eye-opener for many, just like Aamir Khan enlightened many people about dyslexia through his lovely film Taare Zameen Par .

What’s even more interesting is that ‘My Name Is Khan’ brings back the jodi of SRK and Kajol to the silver screen again.

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Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has run into trouble

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Sources has it that the much anticipated Temptations concert, featuring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has run into trouble.

The shows in Germany and Spain have been cancelled because of the promoter breaching the contract, and now only the Dubai one will be staged. The source says, “It is a big disappointment for SRK. In fact, industry insiders had labelled this tour as SRK’s answer to Amitabh Bachchan’s Unforgettable Tour. But now, SRK will have to be content with only one show in Dubai.”

The official statement from Karim Morani (director of the Temptation Reloaded 2008 tour) is, “Red Chillies Entertainment Limited (SRK’s production house) announces with great regret that they will be unable to facilitate the three city tour of Temptations Reloaded 2008 in Germany (in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt). This is due to the breach of contract by the promoter of the shows Sensasian Media Limited. They did not fulfil their obligation in due time which makes it impossible for the shows to take place in Germany.”

Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal are part of this tour which was being termed as bigger than the recently held Bachchan’s World Tour.

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Nikita was actually given the brief to ape SRK’s laughter of DARR for the role

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Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘K-K-K-K-Kiran’ dialogue in Yash Chopra’s ‘Darr’ became a milestone in the actor’s career. Now, there emerges a female competition to this spine chilling utterance of SRK.

Nikita Anand (Dil, Dosti, etc. fame) is going to show her greyer sides with a typical scary and wicked laughter in her forthcoming ?Ek Second- Jo Zindagi Badal De” where her co-stars include Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff and Pakistani star Moamar Rana.?

“Nikita was actually given the brief to ape SRK’s laughter of DARR for the role. She was also told that her laughter throughout the film has to be as kameena as possible. And surprisingly, contrary to the normally chirpy girl that she is, Nikita has carried this off pretty well,” says her publicist Dale.

Besides Ek Second., Nikita will also be seen in ‘Monopoly - The Game of Money’ directed by Nilesh Malhotra with co-stars Zeenat Aman, Amrita Arora, Hrishita Bhatt, Karan Khanna and Chunky Pandey.

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Several complaints have been filed against Shahrukh Khan bungalow

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The Bombay High Court today issued a notice to Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan over the alleged illegal construction in the backyard of his palatial bungalow ‘Mannat’ at suburban Bandra.

A division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Sawtantra Kumar and Justice A P Deshpande also asked the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to explain on what grounds did they allow the construction.

This is not the first time that the actor’s house is in trouble.

In the past too, Several complaints have been filed against Khan’s bungalow.

The direction was given in response to a petition alleging that 32 norms were violated while constructing the bungalow.

This time around, however, the house is facing the heat over the construction of a seven-storeyed building in the backyard. A Mumbai- based social worker Amit Maro filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) last month before the High Court against the alleged illegal construction.

The PIL also alleged that the actor has further violated the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991, by getting his land classified in the relatively liberal CRZ-I, when it was in the highly restrictive CRZ-II classification.

The work on the bungalow is also said to be in violation of the statutory Heritage Regulations, which regulate that the new building should be of the same height as the old structure, which stood there before, and that it should have architectural attributes in harmony with the old structure.

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SRK is the third Khan from Bollywood to have visited Golden Temple

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Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan offered prayer at the most sacred shrine of the Sikhs.

SRK was shooting for Yashraj’s film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in Amritsar. The superstar and the film’s crew, including the leading lady Anushka Sharma , took out time from work on Tuesday to visit the Golden Temple.

SRK and Anushka were modestly dressed and had their heads covered.

SRK is the third Khan from Bollywood to have visited the holy shrine in the last few years. Aamir Khan was the first to not just visit the Golden Temple he also shot for a few sequences of Rang De Basanti at the Gurudwara’s sarovar.

Then, Salman Khan visited the Golden Temple in the first quarter of 2006, when he shot a scene for Rajkumar Santoshi ’s film London Dreams which has now been taken over by Vipul Amrutlal Shah .

‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ marks the comeback of Aditya Chopra to direction after Mohabattein . The film is being made under the Yashraj Films banner.

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SRK in hunt of treasures a la Indiana Jones through mystic lands and jungles

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If things go as planned, we might see Shahrukh Khan digging into the past and hunting for treasure in a film inspired from the famous Indiana Jones series from Hollywood.

Acclaimed director Santosh Sivan is set to make a fantasy film on the lines of Indiana Jones. Earlier, in an interview, he mentioned his desire to make an adventure-cum-fantasy film.

In the movie, we will see SRK in hunt of treasures a la Indiana Jones through mystic lands and jungles. According to a source, this film is going to be a big-budget movie with a touch of romance and comedy. Moreover, it might also star John Abraham .

The movie details are not yet out, but Sivan has clearly said about his interest to direct a fantasy film. Locales are yet to be finalized.

This is the second time Shahrukh would team up with Sivan after a long gap of seven years. Previously, they worked together in Asoka . Sources said that Shahrukh will start shooting once he has finished working for other projects.

In the meantime, Sivan’s movie Tahaan is releasing next week which boasts of a bunch of talented actors like Sarika Rahul Bose and newcomer Purab.

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SRK had to turn her down as he was not in the best of shape

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Much has been written about the Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan fight on the night of Katrina Kaif’s birthday party. While Salman has gone about town talking about their differences, SRK has strangely maintained a silence on the issue. It was said that SRK chose to remain quiet because he was deeply hurt by Salman’s outbursts. However, the truth is that he has been nursing a back injury that he suffered during the shooting of his home production Billoo Barber.

A few years back (2003), SRK had suffered from major back problems and had to go through a life threatening operation for the same. Reportedly, had he not undergone the surgery, there would have been chances of his left hand getting paralysed. During the surgery there was also a possibility of irreparable nerve damage. Thankfully, the operation was successful. But he was asked not to indulge in any kind of exercise.

So when Farah Khan wanted him to do a topless item song for Main Hoon Na, SRK had to turn her down as he was not in the best of shape. But later, he made up for it by flaunting his six-packs in the song, Dard-e-Disco in their next film Om Shanti Om. SRK says, “Yes, I have a bit of an injury in the back.” About his recent misunderstanding with Salman, he says, “I’ve nothing much to say on the issue than what has already been written. I have too much work to finish-Billoo Barber and Yash Raj Films’ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.”

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Manoj Kumar’s advocate said that the said the court has restrained the satellite telecasting of the film

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They say that strange are the ways of and in Bollywood. This couldn’t have been truer than in the case of the recent Manoj Kumar and Farah Khan episode over the latter’s blockbuster hit film Om Shanti Om. We said its ’strange’ because when the film was released, Manoj Kumar was really upset over a particular scene which showed a spoof of him and his mannerisms.

Immediately, SRK and Farah Khan extended the olive branch to the patriotic superstar and the film went on to create history in terms of B-O collections. But, as things were looking well everywhere, OSO got its release dates for satellite viewing which had retained Manoj Kumar’s scene, reacting to which Manoj filed a case against the makers of OSO , seeking either a stay on the satellite screening or the deletion of the objectionable scenes in the Mumbai Sessions Court. The news is that the court has announced its verdict in favour of Manoj Kumar.

Manoj Kumar’s advocate said that the said the court has restrained the satellite telecasting of the film on 10/08/08 till further orders. He also added that the film cannot be shown on any satellite channel without the deletion of the objectionable scenes.

Om Shanti Om released in November last year and was one of the biggest hits of 2007.

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Laloo today on the big screen and what did they think of the rumbustious and colourful leader

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In Parliament, he may not be politically correct most of the time but not a single MP would deny that RJD leader and Union Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is a funhouse. With his rustic humour, ready wit and earthy charm, he would, it must be admitted, make a delightful character for Bollywood. And it took the Bollywood Badshah himself to jokingly offer Laloo a role when the mantriji appeared on Shah Rukh Khan’s game show this week. Happy to steal the limelight, Laloo agreed to play ‘Don’ with SRK by wearing cool spy glasses! Bollywood has called the Bihari babu before, and he did make a brief appearance as himself in the film Padmashri Laloo Prasad Yadav. The point is, BT wanted to know if filmmakers would cast Laloo today on the big screen and what did they think of the rumbustious and colourful leader?

DAVID DHAWAN:

With his sheron-shayari adayaaein, he is just fabulous. He’s extremely real, lively and full of emotion, which the common people would relate to. I would cast him as the central head in a family drama. He’s got a strong screen presence. Laloo is total paisa vasool, not just in films, but even on television.

VIKRAM BHATT:

Laloo is amusing, for sure, but he also comes with a lot of power. He has the ability to be witty, but also commands silence from his detractors where it’s required. I would like to cast him in a Jack Nicolson kind of role like in Witches of Eastwick or About Schmidt. The witty bad guy!

RITUPORNO GHOSH:

There’s a naive, rustic charm about this man who can easily crush all comic characters. He comes across as a sulking, petulant child. There’s also a lot of innocence in his theatrics. He can play a bad character in a good folklore like Panchtantra or Twinkle, the comic book. Those bad persons aren’t really bad or villianish. There’s sweetness to them. He can preach without being preachy because there’s an inherent positivity about him.

IMTIAZ ALI:

I see him as an unconventional philosopher, standing barefeet on the road and talking merrily to people about the stress in their lives. I think he is very deep to allow himself to look funny.

MADHUR BHANDARKAR:

Laloo is an unique hero who the masses and the classes would love alike. Everyone know he can lift up their low spirits and that’s a great quality. I would want to play up his vibrant personality as a narrator who will unfold a socio-political drama in his inimitable style.

MAHESH BHATT:

Laloo’s charisma and rustic magnetism is matchless. It’s not a bad idea to bring him to films. I would cast him as a mentor to the hero. A sage, wise man who’ll guide his prodigy with his wit, humour and realism.

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Two of the most heavyweight names in their respective industries

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Hip Hop legend records title track for forthcoming blockbuster, ‘Singh Is Kinng’

Two of the most heavyweight names in their respective industries - American hip hop superstar Snoop Dogg and king of Bollywood Akshay Kumar - have come together in a collaboration that heralds the first of its kind, as Snoop Dogg records hip hop music video for forthcoming blockbuster release, Singh is Kinng.

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Shah Rukh also stars in ‘Billo Barber’, but not opposite Lara.

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Director Priyadarshan admits he had written the female lead of his forthcoming ‘Billo Barber’ with favourite actress Tabu in mind but had to settle for Lara Dutta instead due to date problems.Priyadarshan and Tabu have done great work together in films like ‘Viraasat’ and ‘Kala Pani’. The versatile actress even agreed to do an inconsequential role in ‘Hera Pheri’ only for Priyadarshan’s sake.

‘Billo Barber’ is being produced by superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Priyadarshan wanted Tabu to star in it. But after she opted out, Lara bagged the role.

Said Priyadarshan: ‘It’s a role of a full-on firebrand village girl. And it’s patterned on Tabu’s role in my ‘Viraasat’. I’ve to admit I think of Tabu for every female lead. But Lara is sensitive and strong enough to carry this role off with elan.’

He said that Lara plays the wife of a barber, portrayed by Irrfan Khan.

‘Though the character belongs to a higher caste, she defies social norms and the diktats of the village to marry a barber. Lara’s sophisticated image hasn’t come in the way of her performance at all. She’ll shock you, ‘ said Priyadarshan.

Shah Rukh also stars in ‘Billo Barber’, but not opposite Lara.

Said a source close to the project: ‘There was a certain amount of reservation about the part when Lara heard it was opposite Irrfan. Lara is extremely conscious of her co-stars’ status. Earlier she had refused Anil Kapoor’s ‘Short Cut’ with Arshad Warsi.

‘But the temptation of being in the same film with Shah Rukh prevailed. She had never been in any film with him and he’s producing ‘Billo Barbar’. She sees this as stepping stone to a film with Shah Rukh.’

Earlier Lara had done a walk-on part in ‘Fanaa’ and admitted she had done it to work with Aamir Khan and to gain an entry into Yash Raj Films. And very soon she got a full-fledged role in ‘Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom’ with the illustrious banner.

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Professor Shah Rukh Khan would be seen at his naughtiest best doing his famous ‘Quick- Gun -Murugan’

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Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned to boost the viewer ship of his game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? While he managed to rope in celebs like Kareena Kapoor with beau Saif Ali Khan, Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra and even good friends Karan Johar and Rani Mukherjee in some of the special episodes, this weekend, Khan himself takes on the mantle of doing something out of the ordinary.

Professor Shah Rukh Khan would be seen at his naughtiest best doing his famous ‘Quick- Gun -Murugan’ take from Om Shanti Om on this Sunday’s episode of Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? He would be seen in his complete get up a-la South superstar Rajinikanth sporting bright red clothes, an atrocious moustache and a raucous accent.

Needless to say the contestants on this show didn’t ‘Mind It’ and had a blast with ‘Quick-Gun-Murugan’ oops… SRK. To catch all the fun and action of this special episode, don’t miss Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on this Sunday 22nd June at 8 pm IST

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Shahrukh officially plays the role of the knowledgeable teacher and Rani and Karan are summoned as classmates.

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It’s fun-galore on Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez hain as the biggest stars of Bollywood descend on the small screen; Karan Johar, Rani Mukherjee and Shahrukh Khan. No, it is NOT Kuch Kuch Hota Hain? again; this time the trio have assumed different avatars and come together on India’s biggest quiz game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain in which Shahrukh officially plays the role of the knowledgeable teacher and Rani and Karan are summoned as classmates.

This Saturday, June 7th at 8 pm, viewers will witness India’s finest actor, Rani Mukherjee, and ace-director, Karan Johar, stumble into Shahrukh’s classroom quite unaware of what trouble awaits them in the form of eleven fifth grade questions, as they try to prove that they are smarter than a fifth grader on Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain
While the warmth, the funny repartees and camaraderie between the guests and host is the over-powering flavour of this celebrity special episode, it really does not help Karan and Rani win brownie points and impress the strict and intelligent teacher-Shahrukh Khan who flummoxes them with his very first question.

As India’s most celebrated actor and director struggle to get their facts right with the help of five 10-year-olds, Shahrukh has a great time pulling their leg and making them beg for answers. Karan even gets down to his knees to beg for answers. "Hamari bahot beizzati hui hai yahaan par", Karan jokingly kept saying. When Karan and Rani tried to cheat from the audience, SRK gave them a fitting punishment by making them stand on the chair in the classroom.

There are many hilarious and emotional moments intertwined in the show. The most funny being where Karan reveals that, as a kid, he wanted to be a barber and cut people’s hair when he grew up. This had the audience in split’s thinking India’s leading film director wanted to become a hairstylist at one point. He was refused admission when this question was asked in the schools. On a serious note, Rani reveals that she always wanted to make it big but did not know which direction to go. She speaks of wanting to return plenty of happiness to her parents for all the hardship she has seen them face in her growing years.

Karan and Rani played in true-sportsmanlike-spirit giving everybody their share of laughter, entertainment and fun. They won a handsome amount which they intend to donate partly to Nanavati Hospital and partly to another medical facility in the country of Rani’s choice.

To catch this teacher-student scuffle, tune in to Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on Saturday, June 7 only on Star Plus.

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Shah Rukh Khan wants the entertainment industry to be put on the concurrent list so it can enjoy tax concessions under central regulations.

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Shah Rukh Khan wants the entertainment industry to be put on the concurrent list so it can enjoy tax concessions under central regulations.

“It has become necessary to bring in the entertainment industry under the concurrent list so that it can be governed by central rules and enjoy tax concessions announced by the latter from time to time,” he said in a statement, before releasing a study on entertainment and media by Assocham.

The industry now comes under the state government.

Shah Rukh (in picture) also called for the removal of value-added tax (VAT) and service tax on the entertainment industry.

Assocham president Venugopal Dhoot is known to be close to Shah Rukh, who is brand ambassador for his company Videocon.

According to the Finance Act, 2007, the central excise department has issued notices for recovery of service tax from the film and entertainment industry in cases of renting, leasing and letting out immovable properties.

“The film industry is burdened with various types of taxes and fees imposed by the state government. The Centre should exempt transactions between producers and distributors,” the study said.

Shah Rukh and Assocham are being backed by several producers’ bodies. “There is a need for a uniform entertainment tax across the country,” said Anil Nagrath of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association. “Retaining the industry on the state list deprives the tax concession given by the Centre,” said the study.

The study said the 12 per cent VAT was too high. “Producers are put under heavy burden and if waiving of VAT is not possible, it should be brought down to four per cent,” said Dhoot.

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Shah Rukh Khan, makes more money from television than from films Rs 75 crores

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In the mid-80s Shah Rukh Khan started on the small screen before graduating to Bollywood to become a big star. Now with the advent of satellite television, top stars are cashing in, making a lot more here than in movies and for much less effort.

BELIEVE it or not, India’s number one star, Shah Rukh Khan, makes more money from television than from films. He reportedly earned Rs 75 crores (RM57mil) last year from endorsements of various products and services in television ads.

This was more than what he made in fees as a Bollywood hero. From endorsing cellular phones to cellular phone service providers, King Khan can be seen marketing cars and cola drinks. And in between those ads, he appears on the small screen anchoring a much-hyped show for which he is paid a humungous amount.

The actor who began his career on the small screen back in the mid-80s and successfully graduated to Bollywood to become a household name is now seen more in television commercials than on the big screen.

The advent of satellite television and the almost parallel spurt in economic growth has opened new opportunities for India’s film industry. Both English and Hindi-language channels as also a slew of regional language channels aggressively compete for a share in the annual Rs9,000-crore (RM7bil) advertising pie. And in popular movie stars, advertisers have found the best way to market their products.

For several decades a well-known Anglo-Dutch multi-national company advertised its popular brand of bathing soap by using the reigning Bollywood heroine as its brand ambassador in print ads.

Over the years the choice of heroines would change with the change in professional fortunes of individual actresses but the tag line of the soap in all advertisements remained constant.

Which was: ’Film stars’ favourite bathing soap.’ The same company now relies on the same formula but not as much in print as in television commercials.

Now, if the makers of soaps and automobiles could hire famous stars to sell their wares it was only natural that the fiercely competitive television entertainment industry would grab iconic Bollywood stars to anchor its programmes.

After all, in the fight for nation’s eyeballs there could be no better way than to hire the services of a widely known face as your mascot to sell a television programme.

That would explain why more and more film stars are now appearing on the small screen in pivotal roles. It earns them big bucks up front free from the vagaries of the box-office. Besides, it further enhances their popular appeal, especially if the programme succeeds in attracting television audiences.

For sure, the first to make a successful transition to television was the tallest-ever Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan. The ageing actor saw his career revived after his television show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, became a super-duper hit.

Bachchan reportedly charged Rs50-odd lakhs (RM379,233) per episode. And the channel that produced the show made more money selling commercial time on the show to classy advertisers.

After Bachchan pulled out of the KBC due to an illness, Shah Rukh Khan stepped in as the host of the show. He brought his own typical energy and pizzazz to the show and raked in big bucks for his weekly appearance.

Now, SRK, as the numero uno Bollywood star is called, is hosting a much-hyped show, Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, based on the popular American TV show, “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” Khan has reportedly been paid Rs36 crores (RM27mil) for 30-odd episodes.

The channel had conceived Shah Rukh Khan-hosted show to compete for the nation’s eyeballs during the telecast of the on-going Twenty:20 IPL cricket matches at prime time by a rival television channel.

Ironically, SRK’s television show has attracted lower audiences than the nightly IPL matches, though he can console himself that he too owns an IPL team in Kolkata Knight Riders.

Another big name doing a television show for big bucks is yet another Bollywood Khan. Salman can be seen in a promo during the telecast of IPL matches advertising his coming television game show, Dus Ka Dum, a quiz show with a top prize of Rs10 crores (RM7mil) for the winner. Salman stands to earn a cool Rs24 crore (RM18mil) for the 30-episode television show.

For someone who makes three to four films per year, charging up to Rs six crores (RM4mil) per film, hosting a television show makes immense business sense. Invariably, completing a film takes up to a year or more with shootings conducted in studios in Mumbai or on outdoor location anywhere in the country or abroad.

On the other hand, canning each television episode is a matter of a couple of hours in a prefixed studio in Mumbai.

Yet another super-duper hero, Akshay Kumar, is all set to host Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi on a soon-to-be-launched television channel named Colors.

The 16-episode show will see Akshay test the mental and physical strength of celebrity guests who are mostly B-grade Bollywood starlets.

Meanwhile, action hero Ajay Devgan and his actor wife Kajol are appearing nightly on a television channel judging a popular singing contest called Rock and Roll Family.

For the 26 one-hour episodes the husband and wife team would together pocket a cool Rs10 crores (RM7mil), a tidy sum considering that it involves much less effort and exertion working in a film which pays him about Rs5 crores (RM3mil) and her Rs2-3 crores (RM1mil - RM2mil) per film.

Given the large number of television channels, there are other lesser-known Bollywood actors regularly doing shows on various channels.

Why, even ‘the-saas-bahu’ serial dramas are dominated by various failed or retired Bollywood actors. Which only goes to prove that television in India is now fast becoming an extension of its film industry.

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SRK in their next mega venture ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’

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Yash Raj films had created much mystery and speculations about the girl who would be cast opposite SRK in their next mega venture ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. The suspense now comes to an end with the announcement of Anushka Sharma’s name as the female lead for the film.

Anushka, 19 year old teenager, is a small time model from Bangalore. During the last Fashion Week, Anushka was one of the models picked for Wendell Roderick’s finale. Since then she has been doing product endorsements.

Talking about the choice, Yash Chopra said, “We were looking first and foremost for someone who could truly embody the spirit of small town Punjab and we know we have found her in Anushka Sharma. And while she has no previous acting experience, we have seen that unique spark in her that makes us confident that she will be a standout even opposite Shah Rukh.”

The film will go on floors on 16th May and will hit theatres worldwide on 12th December.

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Shah rukh Khan shows his maturity as a King of Business

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New Delhi, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khanhas no equals in the Hindi film industry and now his business acumen seems set to overshadow that of India’s tycoons.

Shah Rukh has already got the biggest bang out of each penny that he has so far sunk into Indian Premier League (IPL), the richest domestic cricket tournament in the world.

To begin with, he bagged Kolkata Knight Riders for only $75.09 million as against the $111.9 million that industrialist Mukesh Ambani paid for Mumbai and the $111.6 million that liquor baron Vijay Mallya spent for Bangalore team. And in the bargain he also got the country’s best stadium and the most fanatical fans.

Then when the players went up for auctions, it was Shah Rukh who ended up paying less for the entire team than all the business magnates and their army of advisors.

Advised by Kolkata Knight Riders’ team captain Saurav Ganguly, who himself hails from a business family, Shah Rukh built up a team, which comprised Ishant Sharma, Chris Gayle, Shoaib Akhtar, Ricky Pointing and world’s fastest scorer Brendon McCullum, without going overboard on the finances front.

While Delhi spent $675,000 for youngster Manoj Tewari who has played only one international one-day, Australian captain Ricky Ponting went to Kolkata for only $400,000.

Not one to take things easy, the actor who is often described as a powerhouse of energy by his co-workers, set out to promote his Knight Riders in all earnestness. Known as the King Khan, he was the first to unleash a media blitzkrieg to build the hype around his team.

This included recording a song in his own voice and in Kolkata’s native language titled “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo” (Do, Fight, Win) and filming a typical Bollywood-style video to go with it. Replete with a zillion decked-up extras swarming Shah Rukh and a little bit of cricket thrown-in, the music and its video were both well received.

Shah Rukh’s team then brought a range of sponsors on board that included the sizable basket of brands that he endorses - Nokia, Tag Heuer watches and Belmonte - in addition to a brick and mortar company and even a jewellery brand.

These were - Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL), The Telegraph, Reebok, T-Series and Getanjali Group, the latter has created gold and diamond studded helmets, which will go to the best player in matches involving the actor’s team.

For adding value to his long-term association with Nokia, he even launched a music album called “Nokia 2 Hot 2 Cool” along with music distributor and co-sponsor T-Series.

The noise that Knight Riders was making even before the games began had not gone uncommented upon.

Vijaya Mallya, whose team was the first to go up against Shah Rukh’s, said: “Shah Rukh Khan is a superstar and I am not. But his stardom will not count on the cricket field. It will all depend on which team plays a better game.”

But increasing the visibility and recall value of Kolkata Knight Riders, seems to have gone in Khan’s favour. Moreover, with his team triumphing over Mallya’s Bangalore Royal Challenge in the opening match of the IPL, he has silenced all his critics who were sceptical about making a song and dance about a game.

All media is now abuzz with details of how grand the upcoming matches in Eden Garden are going to be and the list of top Bollywood beauties, who will fly down to Kolkata to show solidarity with the actor, is growing by the day.

Shah Rukh sure knows how to put up a good show. Though he comes from a middle-class family that had no connection to either the film world or business, Khan sure can teach a lesson or two to India’s richest businessmen.

Actors turning entrepreneurs is an emerging trend. Stung by the penniless end of some of Bollywood’s former giants, the new generation of Indian movie stars is turning entrepreneurial must before the limelight dims.

While opening production houses is common among most actors and directors, there are many who are into retail, fashion and hotel industry and now into the world of cricket as exemplified by Shah Rukh and Preity Zinta, who have heavily invested in the Indian Premier League.

Apart from this, Shah Rukh’s production house - Red Chilies - is striving to emerge as the best in animation and special effects. He is, perhaps, cautious after India’s biggest star Amitabh Bachchan’s production house folded with losses of Rs.900 million.

One of the first few actors who began investing in business apart from the film industry was Mithun Chakraborty who started his own hotel business in south India. Since Mithun, many have followed including actors like Suniel Shetty and Bobby Deol.

Among the ladies, former Miss World and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen has also launched her own company with plans to make movies and enter the hotel and health spa industry.

Politics, off course, is another post retirement career option that is open to actors. But there too the lifespan seems to be limited and the likes of Govinda, Vinod Khanna and Hema Malini cannot be blamed for coming back to face the camera while dabbling as people’s representatives.

But not all actors are business-savvy.

Saif Ali Khan, the current heartthrob of Bollywood, says: “I am not good at business or anything else in life. The only thing I know is acting.” Fortunately for him, he seems set to become a rocker as well but for others hope they are watching Khan carefully.

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