Friday, February 29, 2008
Shah Rukh is intelligent, practical: Australian bodyguard in OSO
As Farah Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' releases on DVD, complete with a 16-page booklet that gives an insight into the cast and crew of the movie that has come to be known as 'OSO', I caught up with one of the stars of the film: Simon Hewitt.
Simon who? Shah Rukh Khan's Australian bodyguard. That's he.
Movie buffs will recall Simon as the foreign bodyguard who appeared constantly by the side of Shah Rukh's Om Kapoor character in the blockbuster. Clad in a black suit, with ever-present dark glasses, the tall Australian-born actor (measuring 6.3 feet) cuts an imposing figure on celluloid.
At the scheduled interview location, a Mahim coffee shop, on the edge of Mumbai's 'filmi' society, the patrons' excited whispers of 'Om Shanti Om' rebounds as Simon enters.
So how does a 30 something Australian end up in the biggest Bollywood film of all time? 'I got the part through an audition,' Simon narrates, 'In fact, I got a couple of films for SRK's production house Red Chillies in that one audition; the other being 'My Name is Anthony Gonsalves' '.
Simon, who swapped Melbourne for Mumbai four years ago, says, 'I knew it was a big film. The hype was huge before we had even finished it. But who could have foreseen the circus that was to come following the release.'
Looking back on the experience, Simon reflects, 'I shot for 25 days over about four months. I had no idea what the film was about while I was shooting. In fact, it seemed a bit silly, but of course at that stage I didn't know that it was deliberately tongue-in-cheek.'
But of the superstar himself, Simon says: 'Shah Rukh seemed like a nice guy, a good mix of being both intelligent and practical. In one of the shots, he fixed my sunglasses when they kept falling off my face.'
Along with many other fans of Khan, Simon shares the view that the star is approachable. 'I felt him to be busy but not stressed.' Hailing from a foreign background, Simon accepts: 'I didn't have the same awe of Shah Rukh as the other members of the film and would often sit next to him to watch the monitors.'
'Farah, on the other hand, used to stress me with her microphone.' The actor remembers a time when he was suddenly needed at the last minute to shoot on the 'Deewangi Deewangi' sequence.
For those of you who came in late, the song was picturised on 31 of the industry's hottest stars. However, Simon was out of town and could not be contacted. Fortunately, Farah was forgiving when she found out that Simon's date problems were the result of an outdoor shoot in Bangalore with none other than Aamir Khan.
It is not everyday that an actor gets to shoot every single one of his scenes with screen idol Shah Rukh and that too with no dialogue. 'Twenty five days' shooting and not a word spoken. That's got to be some kind of a film record,' joked Simon.
'Actually, the script said I was to say one word. I remember when it was time to shoot that section, Shah Rukh laughed and said live it up, knowing it was the only word I would get to say.'
And Simon's last word on SRK? 'The guy is pretty mellow'.
By Steven Baker (Staff Writer, © IANS)
Simon who? Shah Rukh Khan's Australian bodyguard. That's he.
Movie buffs will recall Simon as the foreign bodyguard who appeared constantly by the side of Shah Rukh's Om Kapoor character in the blockbuster. Clad in a black suit, with ever-present dark glasses, the tall Australian-born actor (measuring 6.3 feet) cuts an imposing figure on celluloid.
At the scheduled interview location, a Mahim coffee shop, on the edge of Mumbai's 'filmi' society, the patrons' excited whispers of 'Om Shanti Om' rebounds as Simon enters.
So how does a 30 something Australian end up in the biggest Bollywood film of all time? 'I got the part through an audition,' Simon narrates, 'In fact, I got a couple of films for SRK's production house Red Chillies in that one audition; the other being 'My Name is Anthony Gonsalves' '.
Simon, who swapped Melbourne for Mumbai four years ago, says, 'I knew it was a big film. The hype was huge before we had even finished it. But who could have foreseen the circus that was to come following the release.'
Looking back on the experience, Simon reflects, 'I shot for 25 days over about four months. I had no idea what the film was about while I was shooting. In fact, it seemed a bit silly, but of course at that stage I didn't know that it was deliberately tongue-in-cheek.'
But of the superstar himself, Simon says: 'Shah Rukh seemed like a nice guy, a good mix of being both intelligent and practical. In one of the shots, he fixed my sunglasses when they kept falling off my face.'
Along with many other fans of Khan, Simon shares the view that the star is approachable. 'I felt him to be busy but not stressed.' Hailing from a foreign background, Simon accepts: 'I didn't have the same awe of Shah Rukh as the other members of the film and would often sit next to him to watch the monitors.'
'Farah, on the other hand, used to stress me with her microphone.' The actor remembers a time when he was suddenly needed at the last minute to shoot on the 'Deewangi Deewangi' sequence.
For those of you who came in late, the song was picturised on 31 of the industry's hottest stars. However, Simon was out of town and could not be contacted. Fortunately, Farah was forgiving when she found out that Simon's date problems were the result of an outdoor shoot in Bangalore with none other than Aamir Khan.
It is not everyday that an actor gets to shoot every single one of his scenes with screen idol Shah Rukh and that too with no dialogue. 'Twenty five days' shooting and not a word spoken. That's got to be some kind of a film record,' joked Simon.
'Actually, the script said I was to say one word. I remember when it was time to shoot that section, Shah Rukh laughed and said live it up, knowing it was the only word I would get to say.'
And Simon's last word on SRK? 'The guy is pretty mellow'.
By Steven Baker (Staff Writer, © IANS)
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:29 PM
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
'I wish OSO was shorter' - Farah Khan
Farah Khan is in a confession mood. Though her second film OM SHANTI OM has broken all box office records and has already accumulated more than 85 crores just from India, she regrets that her film spanned almost 3 hours.
She says in a humorous tone, 'The moment I started recording 'Director's commentary' for the film's DVD, I started wondering if it was a good idea to make a movie as lengthy as this. Imagine, I was lying on my bed in my bedroom while recording for the commentary where I was required to give a frame by frame account of the film.'
'Within a few minutes I was extremely breathless. I was around 7 months pregnant when I had to work on the DVD of OM SHANTI OM. I wanted my audience to know what went into the making of the film and the kind of goofs that happened. I also wanted to use this medium as an opportunity to let the world know about the kind of support I got from not just my crew but even the industry while I was making OM SHANTI OM', she adds.
'It was a nice experience to be recording my commentary but quite a tedious exercise. I was left exhausted after every few minutes and this was the time when I felt if only the film could have been a bit shorter', jokes Farah Khan currently looking after her triplets.
Special editions DVDs of OM SHANTI OM were released to a bumper response last week. If the film had taken a stupendous opening at theaters, the DVD sales are not far behind either as they are said to be recoding great sales all over.
The film comes in a twin DVD pack with the film's duration being 162 minutes. The second DVD has special features lasting another 150 minutes. Apart from Director's Commentary, special features also include:
Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network
She says in a humorous tone, 'The moment I started recording 'Director's commentary' for the film's DVD, I started wondering if it was a good idea to make a movie as lengthy as this. Imagine, I was lying on my bed in my bedroom while recording for the commentary where I was required to give a frame by frame account of the film.'
'Within a few minutes I was extremely breathless. I was around 7 months pregnant when I had to work on the DVD of OM SHANTI OM. I wanted my audience to know what went into the making of the film and the kind of goofs that happened. I also wanted to use this medium as an opportunity to let the world know about the kind of support I got from not just my crew but even the industry while I was making OM SHANTI OM', she adds.
'It was a nice experience to be recording my commentary but quite a tedious exercise. I was left exhausted after every few minutes and this was the time when I felt if only the film could have been a bit shorter', jokes Farah Khan currently looking after her triplets.
Special editions DVDs of OM SHANTI OM were released to a bumper response last week. If the film had taken a stupendous opening at theaters, the DVD sales are not far behind either as they are said to be recoding great sales all over.
The film comes in a twin DVD pack with the film's duration being 162 minutes. The second DVD has special features lasting another 150 minutes. Apart from Director's Commentary, special features also include:
- Making of OSO
- Making of the songs
- SRK & Farah interviews
- Deleted scenes and bloopers
- Promos and Trailers
- Visual Effects
- OSO events (Music launch, Fashion show, London premier, Book launch)
- OSO Trivia Game
Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 3:08 PM
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Highest Bollywood Box Office grosser arrives on DVD
DVD Review: Om Shanti Om
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher
Director: Farah Khan
Producer: Gauri Khan
Music : Vishal Shekhar
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
THE FILM
The film would be remembered for many reasons apart from it's high entertainment value:
a) The promotional overdrive that Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan went on for weeks in advance of the release of the film. Truly, one can't remember when was the last time such vigor was seen for a movie which anyways was a guaranteed success in the making!
b) The so-called clash with Saawariya, which turned out to be such a no-show. The stage was set for a battle royale but Shah Rukh Khan's mere declaration of "I will destroy 'Saawariya'" spoke of great confidence that he had in the film and Farah's capabilities. Result was an anti-climax that saw Om Shanti Om marching ahead from show one with no competition/challenge whatsoever from Saawariya.
c) An amalgamation of one item sequence after another in the three-hour affair. Truly, Om Shanti OmM was a circus that had a dozen odd item sequences tying the script together and resulting in an amusing/entertaining watch.
d) Filmfare awards sequence. Truly the most innovative where no star/actor complained of the spoof at their expense.
e) 31 stars making an appearance for one single song and dance sequence - 'Deewangee Deewangee'. All of this added so much 'masala' to the entire sequence that one wonders how would Farah Khan get something better in her next project?
f) The Manoj Kumar episode where the veteran actor was offended by the joke around his mannerisms. The incident threatened to dilute the thunder created by the film at the stands but some timely intervention by Khan and a few industry seniors saved the situation from turning out rightly ugly.
g) Last but not the least, Shah Rukh Khan's six pack abs that have given business to many a body builders, instructors, dieticians and gym owners!
PACKAGING
The DVD currently on stands belongs to limited edition as it comes in a special cardboard case, which resembles a book. Inside the box is a two DVD case along with an autographed poster of Shah Rukh Khan in his now famous six-pack abs - straight from 'Dard E Disco'. In addition, there is a 16-page booklet, which takes a viewer through a colorful-n-eye catchy professional journey of cast and crew of the film.
DURATION
The film comes in a twin DVD pack with the film's duration being 162 minutes. The second DVD has special features lasting another 150 minutes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Director's Commentary
- Making of OSO
- Making of the songs
- SRK & Farah interviews
- Deleted scenes and bloopers
- Promos and Trailers
- Visual Effects
- OSO events (Music launch, Fashion show, London premier, Book launch)
- OSO Trivia Game
Om Shanti Om is one of the most fulfilling, or rather THE most fulfilling DVD, when it comes to special features. Reasons are aplenty with the most exciting being 'Director's Commentary'. For films coming out of India, there are hardly many where directors do take a special effort in coming up with a commentary talking about each and every scene. Heyy Babyy and Johnny Gaddaar are the only recent examples one can recollect. In addition, coming up with a commentary is challenging too since special consideration is required to retain viewer's attention.
In this context, Farah deserves full marks as she not thoroughly entertains a listener while not mincing words when it comes to making fun/light of most of the situations and actors in the film. She talks about number of things that either had gone wrong or could have gone wrong during filming of a particular scene. And she does all of it from her bedroom as she speaks while taking rest as she was 7 months pregnant when her commentary was recorded. Here are some of the highlights of the commentary:
a) She doesn't refrain from announcing once again that her is a filmy-filmy film and the intent was to go all out in making a commercial film rather than trying to be arty or pseudo.
b) How Shah Rukh Khan was challenged to utter his dialogues from DDLJ and Don while being in the same get up and hair as that of Rishi Kapoor from Karz (the opening scene of the film).
c) How Manoj Kumar's episode had threatened to turn ugly.
d) There is an obvious dig at Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) when Farah announces that all protests against Shah Rukh Khan coming out of water with just his jeans on was hardly justified as those few seconds were far more entertaining than the other film makers' entire film.
e) How Arjun Rampal's wig gave her sleep less nights.
f) Introduction/references of close to 50 odd crew members who were in front of the camera acting at some point or other in Om Shanti Om
g) There is a word of appreciation for newcomer Uvika Chaudhary too as Farah believes that she has some way to go if she chooses her projects carefully. She goes to the extent of calling her a mix of Dia Mirza and Amisha Patel
h) How the main hall in the studio indoors, which was later burnt in the film, was inspired by Phantom Of The Opera
i) She clears the air around inspiration of famous Akshay Kumar 'Return of Khiladi' sequence which was reportedly plagiarized
j) Shirish Kunder's idea around showing Shah Rukh Khan walking back into his own memory in the second half of the film
....and many more!
The 'Making of OSO' intelligently refrains from back-patting and instead takes a viewer through the actual behind the scenes footage and what went into getting the right sets, costumes, make up, lighting dance moves etc. in place. The prime cast of the movie along with cinematographer Manikanandan, art director Sabu Cyril, costume designers Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra & Sanjiv Mulchandani take a viewer through their journey of making Om Shanti Om a complete 70's and today's package.
'Making of the songs' is an extensive view as well as Vishal & Shekhar along with Farah Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and others explain majority of songs from the film. One interesting factor, which is highlighted, is around the placement of film's most romantic number 'Aankhon Mein Teri'. It is revealed that originally, the song wasn't in the film at all but later Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan were so impressed by this new tune which Vishal & Shekhar created that they decided to incorporate the song as a part of the film's background score.
'Deleted scenes' are always the most awaited section of a DVD and here too there are many in abundance. Though a couple of them seem quite justified to be chopped off the final cut (the ones featuring Shah Rukh and Shreyas and later Shah Rukh and Kirron), there are at least two sequences that deserved to be a part of the footage. The funniest of the lot is the one where Shah Rukh in his superstar avatar is shown throwing starry tantrums by first coming late on the sets and then refusing to begin shooting on time.
Also the pre-Filmfare awards sequence had many other actors and technicians talking about super star 'Om'. Wish each of these were refrained, especially the one where Vidhu Vinod Chopra turned really catty. What did he say? See it on DVD!
There is a chapter on VFX too where good detailing is given around how Deepika's portions were interspersed with Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra for the 'Dhoom Taana' sequence. Interesting.
Though there are number of major events covered in the DVD - Music launch, Fashion show, London premier, Book launch - the one, which impresses most, is the London premier. If one has heard and read about mass hysteria for Shah Rukh Khan, this is the opportunity to see how it actually happens when he interacts with his fans. It is unbelievable to see the way crowds literally going berserk in their attempt to be with the star. What touches most is the way Khan not just waves and blows kisses with them but also breaks barrier to kiss and hug them.
For those who wish to check their 'Om Shanti Om' gyan, there is also an online trivia game comprising of 21 questions. And mind it, they are not one of those basic - 'What was the name of Arjun Rampal's character in OSO' kind of questions? Instead they get on really challenging. Sample this - "What was the name of Shah Rukh's on-screen character which was 'Mohabbat Man' for the rest of the world?"
However, we are yet to come to the best. And that segment is the one where Cyrus Broacha interviews Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Deepika Padukone. Instead of a routine Q&A session, this one is a holds-no-bar fun conversation where Cyrus turns out to be the butt of everyone's joke. Watch Shah Rukh and the rest dressing him up in 70's costumes and coming up with one liners and numerous below the belt jokes, all at his expense!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen format
- Subtitles In English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
- Mastered from High Definition (HD)
PRICE
Rs. 499
CONCLUSION
Everyone knows what Om Shanti Om is all about. It is an unabashed take on entertainment, which is on your face, at places over-the-top and doesn't shy away from taking a dig on itself, Bollywood films and industry in general - all in good humor of course. It is this spoofy treatment to the film, which truly made 'Om Shanti Om' the 'Highest Bollywood Box Office Grosser Ever'. Of course, this pretty much mandates that the film finds an entry pronto in one's DVD collection.
Rating: ****
Bollywood Hungama
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Eros International, Farah Khan, Javed Akthar, Kirron Kher, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan, Shirish Kunder, Shreyas Talpade, Vishal-Shekar
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 1:33 PM
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Black lady for Deepika Padukone
Deepika is nominated for two awards. The first one is already in her kitty. No surprises for guessing who won the FairOne Fresh Face of the Year
Looking regal in a black off-shoulder Gauri and Nainika gown, the leggy beauty was unperturbed with all the attention coming her way. Deepika confesses, “Its hardly any attention”.
When we probed her for more, Deepika continues, "I am looking for more. It always feels nice to see people recognizing you on the streets. And my head is planted firmly on the ground because of the upbringing that I have got”. She reveals, "Tonight I will party with my family."
Now with Papa and Mama Padukone in Bangalore, does family mean Ranbir and his family?
Chuman Das, Indiatimes Movies
Looking regal in a black off-shoulder Gauri and Nainika gown, the leggy beauty was unperturbed with all the attention coming her way. Deepika confesses, “Its hardly any attention”.
When we probed her for more, Deepika continues, "I am looking for more. It always feels nice to see people recognizing you on the streets. And my head is planted firmly on the ground because of the upbringing that I have got”. She reveals, "Tonight I will party with my family."
Now with Papa and Mama Padukone in Bangalore, does family mean Ranbir and his family?
Chuman Das, Indiatimes Movies
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 3:21 PM
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Friday, February 22, 2008
OM SHANTI OM on VCDs and DVDs
Eros Entertainment has released the 2 Disc DVD of Om Shanti Om on the 18th of February.
As is already well known, the film has had an unparalleled opening and run in the history of Indian cinema and is therefore, a established a milestone.
A word of caution, however, is that there are several unauthorised versions of the film available on discs as well as on the internet which are ILLEGAL to acquire.
An earnest request from vluvshahrukh.com to those who truly value the contribution of the entertainment industry and also to those petty thieves who indulge in piracy... PLEASE buy only legal versions of 'Om Shanti Om' and help preserve the fabric of the Indian Film Industry that supports the livelihood of many
artistes and technicians, as well as their families.
PIRACY IS THEFT...THINK ABOUT IT!
BE COOL...DON'T INDULGE IN PIRACY
Please buy your copy of Om Shanti Om only from authorised sources.
It is available in its physical and online version from the following :
http://dvdstore.erosentertainment.com
Kitni Shiddat se Tumhe Paane ki Koshish ki hai..
Ki har Zarre ne Mujhe Tumse Milane ki Saazish ki hai..
Kehte hain
agar kisi cheez ko agar dil se chaho
toh saari kayanath
tumhe usse milane ki koshish me
lag jaati hai..
Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost…
Now & Forever
As is already well known, the film has had an unparalleled opening and run in the history of Indian cinema and is therefore, a established a milestone.
A word of caution, however, is that there are several unauthorised versions of the film available on discs as well as on the internet which are ILLEGAL to acquire.
An earnest request from vluvshahrukh.com to those who truly value the contribution of the entertainment industry and also to those petty thieves who indulge in piracy... PLEASE buy only legal versions of 'Om Shanti Om' and help preserve the fabric of the Indian Film Industry that supports the livelihood of many
artistes and technicians, as well as their families.
PIRACY IS THEFT...THINK ABOUT IT!
BE COOL...DON'T INDULGE IN PIRACY
Please buy your copy of Om Shanti Om only from authorised sources.
It is available in its physical and online version from the following :
http://dvdstore.erosentertainment.com
Kitni Shiddat se Tumhe Paane ki Koshish ki hai..
Ki har Zarre ne Mujhe Tumse Milane ki Saazish ki hai..
Kehte hain
agar kisi cheez ko agar dil se chaho
toh saari kayanath
tumhe usse milane ki koshish me
lag jaati hai..
Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost…
Now & Forever
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Eros International, Kirron Kher, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan, Shreyas Talpade
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:21 PM
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Shah Rukh-Farah Accused of Plagiarism
Farah Khan has delivered three healthy babies but we hear that it wasn't the easiest pregnancy. She couldn't put her head on the pillow for the last trimester of her pregnancy. Fashion writer Ajay Monga has been knocking her doors and demanding Rs 1.25 crores for alleged copyright violation. According to Monga, Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan (producers of Om Shanti Om) have copied the first half of OSO from a script which he handed over to King Khan's office.
Monga is hell bent on getting his due and is even taking his battle to court. Monga tells us, “Yes, I demanded Rs 1.25 crore from Red Chillies but nothing moved ahead. So, I went to Cine Writers' Association, but that too to no avail. The Cine Writers' Association agreed that the first half of OSO was similar to my script. However, they did not take any action against Farah and SRK. I am not giving up and am taking this complaint to a legal level.”
Raj Joshi (of Cine Writers Association) says that he saw OSO and compared Monga's script. “There are similarities but it's not a straight lift. That does not tantamount to copying. Hence, we did not entertain the complaint further.”
However Monga says, “The similarities are not few but many. The second half is a mixture of Karz and Madhumati. But people don't know that Mushtaq has not conceived (OSO writer) the first half either. It's lifted from the script, which I wanted to cast SRK for. Not only many instances in the first half, but the plot too revolves around a male wannabe and a female superstar.”
What did he want to cast SRK for? Monga replies, “I wrote a story for which I appointed a director and we decided to cast Vikram. But that did not happen. Then I thought of making the same film with SRK. That is when I gave my script to Sushma, the then secretary of SRK. This was much before OSO went on the floors.”
Monga adds, “I was shocked when I saw OSO. I called up Farah, but she did not talk much at that point since she was pregnant. Red Chillies heard me out and said that they would solve the matter. However, they kept dilly-dallying and sent me to Juhi Chawla's brother Bobby Chawla. Bobby did not take me seriously.”
When contacted, Farah said that she was aware that Monga had demanded Rs 1.25 crore. She added irritatedly, “However, we are not fools to pay him any money. I don't even know when he gave a script to Red Chillies and what it contained. Yes, he did meet Bobby Chawla, but his claims are all false. And why blame Mushtaq? Mushtaq was brought in much later after I had conceived the entire story.”
Well let's hope Monga does not have to wait for re-incarnation to sort this out!
Vickey Lalwani, Mumbai Mirror
Monga is hell bent on getting his due and is even taking his battle to court. Monga tells us, “Yes, I demanded Rs 1.25 crore from Red Chillies but nothing moved ahead. So, I went to Cine Writers' Association, but that too to no avail. The Cine Writers' Association agreed that the first half of OSO was similar to my script. However, they did not take any action against Farah and SRK. I am not giving up and am taking this complaint to a legal level.”
Raj Joshi (of Cine Writers Association) says that he saw OSO and compared Monga's script. “There are similarities but it's not a straight lift. That does not tantamount to copying. Hence, we did not entertain the complaint further.”
However Monga says, “The similarities are not few but many. The second half is a mixture of Karz and Madhumati. But people don't know that Mushtaq has not conceived (OSO writer) the first half either. It's lifted from the script, which I wanted to cast SRK for. Not only many instances in the first half, but the plot too revolves around a male wannabe and a female superstar.”
What did he want to cast SRK for? Monga replies, “I wrote a story for which I appointed a director and we decided to cast Vikram. But that did not happen. Then I thought of making the same film with SRK. That is when I gave my script to Sushma, the then secretary of SRK. This was much before OSO went on the floors.”
Monga adds, “I was shocked when I saw OSO. I called up Farah, but she did not talk much at that point since she was pregnant. Red Chillies heard me out and said that they would solve the matter. However, they kept dilly-dallying and sent me to Juhi Chawla's brother Bobby Chawla. Bobby did not take me seriously.”
When contacted, Farah said that she was aware that Monga had demanded Rs 1.25 crore. She added irritatedly, “However, we are not fools to pay him any money. I don't even know when he gave a script to Red Chillies and what it contained. Yes, he did meet Bobby Chawla, but his claims are all false. And why blame Mushtaq? Mushtaq was brought in much later after I had conceived the entire story.”
Well let's hope Monga does not have to wait for re-incarnation to sort this out!
Vickey Lalwani, Mumbai Mirror
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:02 PM
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Om Deepika Om!
OM Shanti Om has put Bollywood hottie on a high pedestal. It’s rumoured that offers have been pouring in for the last few weeks and the actress has signed quite a few films and endorsements!
The latest buzz is that Deepika has been roped in by ITC to promote its Fiama Di Wills brand of soap. The print advertisement of the same was recently unveiled.
Apparently, Deepika has been selected to endorse the soap as the brand personality of Fiama Di Wills matches her own of a confident, intelligent and aware woman. Well babe, that’s something you can be really proud of!
Newindpress
The latest buzz is that Deepika has been roped in by ITC to promote its Fiama Di Wills brand of soap. The print advertisement of the same was recently unveiled.
Apparently, Deepika has been selected to endorse the soap as the brand personality of Fiama Di Wills matches her own of a confident, intelligent and aware woman. Well babe, that’s something you can be really proud of!
Newindpress
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:01 PM
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
OSO-Saawariya War to Continue
It seems the embers of the fireworks of last Diwali have not died down, just yet. Even as one thought enough newsprint had been dedicated to the coverage of the ‘clash’ between Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, it seems the next round of the duel is about to begin.
The makers of both mega-budget movies have decided to release the home video versions of the two films around the same time.
Slated to hit the shelves this week, the DVDs and VCDs of both these films will relive the hype and hoopla that reverberated beyond Tinseltown.
So although there isn’t any real need to bring on the story about the eventual winner, all this while it seemed that the dust had settled on it.
And like SRK’s character says in Om Shanti Om, “picture abhi baaqi hai dost”.
Vluvshahrukh
The makers of both mega-budget movies have decided to release the home video versions of the two films around the same time.
Slated to hit the shelves this week, the DVDs and VCDs of both these films will relive the hype and hoopla that reverberated beyond Tinseltown.
So although there isn’t any real need to bring on the story about the eventual winner, all this while it seemed that the dust had settled on it.
And like SRK’s character says in Om Shanti Om, “picture abhi baaqi hai dost”.
Vluvshahrukh
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 3:59 PM
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Sunday, February 17, 2008
'OSO' a 'box-office hit' in Berlin Film Fest
The premiere of Hindi blockbuster "Om Shanti Om" was one of the most popular events of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, which concludes here tonight with the awarding of the golden and silver bears for the best films in the competition section.
Berlinale sources told reporters that in terms of ticket sales, "Om Shanti Om" featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the leading role was the 'box-office hit' of the 11-day festival.
No other films in the festival's 13 main sections had generated so much public interest as the premiere of the Farah Khan-directed film, they said.
Tickets for the four screenings it had in the Berlinale Special Programme were sold out within minutes after their sales were opened on the internet and many film fans spent overnight at the ticket counters to be the first to snatch the most sought-after tickets of the festival.
Some tickets were later offered for sales on the internet for prices exceeding ten to 12 times the original price.
Shah Rukh drew larger crowds than Hollywood celebrities like pop diva Madonna, director Martin Scorsese, film stars Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz or the Rolling Stones band when he visited Berlin to attend the German premiere, participants and festival organisers said.
Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment produced the movie for Indian film financing and distribution firm Eros Entertainment.
Sahara Samay
Berlinale sources told reporters that in terms of ticket sales, "Om Shanti Om" featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the leading role was the 'box-office hit' of the 11-day festival.
No other films in the festival's 13 main sections had generated so much public interest as the premiere of the Farah Khan-directed film, they said.
Tickets for the four screenings it had in the Berlinale Special Programme were sold out within minutes after their sales were opened on the internet and many film fans spent overnight at the ticket counters to be the first to snatch the most sought-after tickets of the festival.
Some tickets were later offered for sales on the internet for prices exceeding ten to 12 times the original price.
Shah Rukh drew larger crowds than Hollywood celebrities like pop diva Madonna, director Martin Scorsese, film stars Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz or the Rolling Stones band when he visited Berlin to attend the German premiere, participants and festival organisers said.
Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment produced the movie for Indian film financing and distribution firm Eros Entertainment.
Sahara Samay
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan, Shreyas Talpade
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 9:48 PM
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Farah delivers 2008’s big hit!
After great expectation comes the big news. Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan, who delivered 2007’s biggest hit with Om Shanti Om, yesterday morning delivered triplets amidst family and friends at Jaslok Hospital.
Farah and husband Shirish Kunder, a director himself, became proud parents when she delivered two girls and a boy around 9.15 am. Within minutes, news channels got wind of the delivery and Peddar Road was jammed with traffic as OB vans took up positions outside the hospital’s gates.
The young mother was still under sedation when BT called to congratulate her. Husband Shirish was too delirious to step outside the delivery room and take the call. But Farah’s brother, the rumbustious Bollywood comedian and director Saajid Khan, engaged us in conversation. “We are mighty thrilled... can’t explain our happiness. I have become a mama,” he said proudly.
TNN
Farah and husband Shirish Kunder, a director himself, became proud parents when she delivered two girls and a boy around 9.15 am. Within minutes, news channels got wind of the delivery and Peddar Road was jammed with traffic as OB vans took up positions outside the hospital’s gates.
The young mother was still under sedation when BT called to congratulate her. Husband Shirish was too delirious to step outside the delivery room and take the call. But Farah’s brother, the rumbustious Bollywood comedian and director Saajid Khan, engaged us in conversation. “We are mighty thrilled... can’t explain our happiness. I have become a mama,” he said proudly.
TNN
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 8:33 PM
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In Berlin, fans queued up to meet Shahrukh Khan
BERLIN: The King was inside while his subordinates waited patiently outside. They were young and old, fat and thin, men and women. But, for this King, there were more women than men and more young than old. They love him because “he is so flirtatious”. As one of them said: “He can even flirt with a pillar”.
They waited for hours to catch a glimpse of their new King, one who has begun to rule their hearts from several thousand miles away. Many of them carried his photograph, DVDs of his latest blockbuster, and a few carried books - the story from his film or his biography. A woman had even carried a small stool with her, to get a better view. At regular intervals they all shouted - in unison - Shah... Rukh, Shah... Rukh. It could have been at any place in India.
But, in fact, this was Berlin. A quiet Sunday, a theatre on Stresemannstrasse, about a kilometre from Potsdamer Platz, venue for the Berlin Film Festival. Shahrukh was here to address Berlinale Talent Campus, part of the festival. Inside, he was speaking about the ‘love’ film genre along with Nigeria’s Kate Henshaw Nuttall and Germany’s Maria Schrader. But, the crowd was there only for SRK. Most of them were Germans.
There were some Turkish men with dark hair, and women with scarves covering their heads, and about twenty South Asians. To passers by, it would appear as if Berliners have gone crazy. As a matter of fact, they have. German media reported that there were 20,000 enquiries for tickets for Om Shanti Om (screened as a part of the international film festival) and they were all sold out in seven minutes. Some waited outside the venue the entire night to get in.
Take for example, Alexandra Venetikidiz, a high school girl, who was there to catch a glimpse of SRK. She has seen Om Shanti Om over 20 times. Two years ago she hit upon a Shahrukh movie when she was looking for an Amitabh Bacchan film recommended by a friend. Now, she is a committed Shahrukh fan. She says she has seen all his movies. “I get DVDs from local shops or order it over the internet,” she said.
She was at Stresseman Strasse with about half-a-dozen friends, who seemed as excited as her about the Bollywood hero. “There is a huge internet forum for Shahrukh and th-at’s how we connect,” she said. She is relying on the internet to learn Hindi. “Indian movies are not good in the German language,” she said. But learning Hindi is not that difficult. “I have seen his movies so many times, and am familiar with many Hindi words,” she said. As if to prove the point, her friends - all Germans - hummed a bollywood song.
“This started about two years ago, and has been picking up since,” says Renu Gautam, a film maker born in Germany, who is shooting a documentary on Berlinale and the Shahrukh phenomenon. She and two others were ready to capture it during Germany’s biggest film festival: “You would be wondering what’s going on here.”
Gautam has spoken to a number of Germans to understand what’s behind the craze. “Many think he is exotic. He is so flirtatious, he can flirt with a pillar. They like it. In Germany, movies have no space for romance - they meet, kiss, go to bed and get married. In Bollywood, it’s different, and Germans love it. Many of them also like Bollywood movies as they are optimistic,” Gautam said.
That should not be surprising. Germany’s predominant mood appears to be pessimism - about the economy, about world affairs, about almost everything. Indian movies, with their colour, dance, music and eternal optmism, bring a whiff of fresh air. Obviously, not everyone is raving about Shahrukh Khan in Berlin, but his popularity is rising. Many would recognise his name. Media coverage is increasing.
Earlier, for Germans, for those who knew something about India, movies were about Satyajit Ray. Today, it’s Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh’s popularity started with the Turkish population in Berlin - there are over 800,000 of them here. They have a liking for Indian movies and one could get dubbed versions in Turkish shops. Soon, a couple of theatres started showing these movies occasionally. Last year, a German TV channel, RNF, showed Bollywood movies, mostly Shahrukh Khan’s.
Hours had gone by and the crowd was still waiting. Whenever the door to the building opened, the decibel levels went up. Finally, at around quarter after twelve, the King appeared, dressed in a blue jeans and a long black jacket. The decibel level reached a new high. The crowd went wild jumping, swooning and craning their necks.
N.S. Ramnath, TNN
They waited for hours to catch a glimpse of their new King, one who has begun to rule their hearts from several thousand miles away. Many of them carried his photograph, DVDs of his latest blockbuster, and a few carried books - the story from his film or his biography. A woman had even carried a small stool with her, to get a better view. At regular intervals they all shouted - in unison - Shah... Rukh, Shah... Rukh. It could have been at any place in India.
But, in fact, this was Berlin. A quiet Sunday, a theatre on Stresemannstrasse, about a kilometre from Potsdamer Platz, venue for the Berlin Film Festival. Shahrukh was here to address Berlinale Talent Campus, part of the festival. Inside, he was speaking about the ‘love’ film genre along with Nigeria’s Kate Henshaw Nuttall and Germany’s Maria Schrader. But, the crowd was there only for SRK. Most of them were Germans.
There were some Turkish men with dark hair, and women with scarves covering their heads, and about twenty South Asians. To passers by, it would appear as if Berliners have gone crazy. As a matter of fact, they have. German media reported that there were 20,000 enquiries for tickets for Om Shanti Om (screened as a part of the international film festival) and they were all sold out in seven minutes. Some waited outside the venue the entire night to get in.
Take for example, Alexandra Venetikidiz, a high school girl, who was there to catch a glimpse of SRK. She has seen Om Shanti Om over 20 times. Two years ago she hit upon a Shahrukh movie when she was looking for an Amitabh Bacchan film recommended by a friend. Now, she is a committed Shahrukh fan. She says she has seen all his movies. “I get DVDs from local shops or order it over the internet,” she said.
She was at Stresseman Strasse with about half-a-dozen friends, who seemed as excited as her about the Bollywood hero. “There is a huge internet forum for Shahrukh and th-at’s how we connect,” she said. She is relying on the internet to learn Hindi. “Indian movies are not good in the German language,” she said. But learning Hindi is not that difficult. “I have seen his movies so many times, and am familiar with many Hindi words,” she said. As if to prove the point, her friends - all Germans - hummed a bollywood song.
“This started about two years ago, and has been picking up since,” says Renu Gautam, a film maker born in Germany, who is shooting a documentary on Berlinale and the Shahrukh phenomenon. She and two others were ready to capture it during Germany’s biggest film festival: “You would be wondering what’s going on here.”
Gautam has spoken to a number of Germans to understand what’s behind the craze. “Many think he is exotic. He is so flirtatious, he can flirt with a pillar. They like it. In Germany, movies have no space for romance - they meet, kiss, go to bed and get married. In Bollywood, it’s different, and Germans love it. Many of them also like Bollywood movies as they are optimistic,” Gautam said.
That should not be surprising. Germany’s predominant mood appears to be pessimism - about the economy, about world affairs, about almost everything. Indian movies, with their colour, dance, music and eternal optmism, bring a whiff of fresh air. Obviously, not everyone is raving about Shahrukh Khan in Berlin, but his popularity is rising. Many would recognise his name. Media coverage is increasing.
Earlier, for Germans, for those who knew something about India, movies were about Satyajit Ray. Today, it’s Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh’s popularity started with the Turkish population in Berlin - there are over 800,000 of them here. They have a liking for Indian movies and one could get dubbed versions in Turkish shops. Soon, a couple of theatres started showing these movies occasionally. Last year, a German TV channel, RNF, showed Bollywood movies, mostly Shahrukh Khan’s.
Hours had gone by and the crowd was still waiting. Whenever the door to the building opened, the decibel levels went up. Finally, at around quarter after twelve, the King appeared, dressed in a blue jeans and a long black jacket. The decibel level reached a new high. The crowd went wild jumping, swooning and craning their necks.
N.S. Ramnath, TNN
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:22 PM
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SRK = Tom Cruise + Brad Pitt x 10
"Maybe I'm German since the people here like me so much. I can't explain it any other way," India megastar Shah Rukh Khan quipped about the Bollywood and King Khan frenzy sweeping not just Berlin but also Germany.
"You don't need to sit down and understand a film, you have to make cinema that is felt," he said. "I think the Germans are feeling it."
Police vans and security guards flanked the International Theater on Friday when Khan walked the red carpet as the premiere of his film, "Om Shanti Om," screened as a Berlinale Special selection. Fans who had lined up for hours broke into the film's song and dance numbers not only along the red carpet but also during the screening.
The star wattage of the Indian actor also known as "SRK" to his loyal admirers equals that of Tom Cruise + Brad Pitt x 10 to these fans.
"It's a very humbling experience for me," Khan told The Hollywood Reporter. "I never imagined that, not knowing the language or the culture of our country, the audience would react to a movie that is a take-off on the Indian movie industry and like it so much."
Typically, when a star-studded Hindi-language film premieres in major cities around the world, Bollywood-mania strikes enthusiastic fans who mostly are NRI's (non-resident Indians.) But what is unusual in Germany is that this fan base is not just Indian but German. The growing popularity of Hindi-language films shown on local TV channels here has created a newfound interest in all things Bollywood.
Khan, whose fan base in India could well reach hundreds of millions, is himself amazed at the Bollywood craze in Germany. "I can't intellectualize and say that love and art crosses all boundaries and binds us together in globalization of cinema, but people have suddenly started realizing India is in the time of celebration."
The melodramatic tone of a typical Bollywood film spiced up with song and dance is what draws the German audience, says Stephan Holl, whose Cologne-based company Rapid Eye Movies is a market leader in distributing Indian and Asian films in Germany.
In 2003, the company began distributing Bollywood films theatrically and on TV channels like RTL2. The television exposure further helped the DVD sales, Holl said. The company's DVD catalog now includes more than 200 titles.
"It's a cult phenomenon -- the audiences can connect to the emotional films," Holl said. "It's a relief for the German audience to cry once in a while, me included."
He added: "Lets forget about the Bollywood name. In Germany, it's a Shah Rukh Khan market. He is a guarantee for boxoffice."
Holl cautioned that because of the heightened interest, the German market is flooded with Bollywood films, some of them mediocre. Therefore, the market has dropped.
Khan is keen to build on the growing popularity of the Indian cinema in Europe. "The novelty that has allowed us to enter the hearts of European people in Germany, France or Poland, we should not let go of this opportunity," he said.
But changes are needed to sustain this interest, like trimming films' length from their usual three hours.
"We shouldn't make movies that require an interval," Khan said. (In India, the interval or intermission is generally the time for a chai and samosa break.)
Still, the Indian way of storytelling should be maintained, the actor-producer said.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Khan said. "Unabashedly, without being ashamed of the fact, I say that our cinema is kitsch, it's got a lot of songs and its loud, but that's who we are."
Khan, who has produced six films, including "Om Shanti Om," under his Red Chilies Entertainment banner, does not want to direct.
"Direction is a lonely job, and I'm not cut out for being lonely," he said, smiling. "You've seen the crowds. I love the people."
Hollywood Reporter
"You don't need to sit down and understand a film, you have to make cinema that is felt," he said. "I think the Germans are feeling it."
Police vans and security guards flanked the International Theater on Friday when Khan walked the red carpet as the premiere of his film, "Om Shanti Om," screened as a Berlinale Special selection. Fans who had lined up for hours broke into the film's song and dance numbers not only along the red carpet but also during the screening.
The star wattage of the Indian actor also known as "SRK" to his loyal admirers equals that of Tom Cruise + Brad Pitt x 10 to these fans.
"It's a very humbling experience for me," Khan told The Hollywood Reporter. "I never imagined that, not knowing the language or the culture of our country, the audience would react to a movie that is a take-off on the Indian movie industry and like it so much."
Typically, when a star-studded Hindi-language film premieres in major cities around the world, Bollywood-mania strikes enthusiastic fans who mostly are NRI's (non-resident Indians.) But what is unusual in Germany is that this fan base is not just Indian but German. The growing popularity of Hindi-language films shown on local TV channels here has created a newfound interest in all things Bollywood.
Khan, whose fan base in India could well reach hundreds of millions, is himself amazed at the Bollywood craze in Germany. "I can't intellectualize and say that love and art crosses all boundaries and binds us together in globalization of cinema, but people have suddenly started realizing India is in the time of celebration."
The melodramatic tone of a typical Bollywood film spiced up with song and dance is what draws the German audience, says Stephan Holl, whose Cologne-based company Rapid Eye Movies is a market leader in distributing Indian and Asian films in Germany.
In 2003, the company began distributing Bollywood films theatrically and on TV channels like RTL2. The television exposure further helped the DVD sales, Holl said. The company's DVD catalog now includes more than 200 titles.
"It's a cult phenomenon -- the audiences can connect to the emotional films," Holl said. "It's a relief for the German audience to cry once in a while, me included."
He added: "Lets forget about the Bollywood name. In Germany, it's a Shah Rukh Khan market. He is a guarantee for boxoffice."
Holl cautioned that because of the heightened interest, the German market is flooded with Bollywood films, some of them mediocre. Therefore, the market has dropped.
Khan is keen to build on the growing popularity of the Indian cinema in Europe. "The novelty that has allowed us to enter the hearts of European people in Germany, France or Poland, we should not let go of this opportunity," he said.
But changes are needed to sustain this interest, like trimming films' length from their usual three hours.
"We shouldn't make movies that require an interval," Khan said. (In India, the interval or intermission is generally the time for a chai and samosa break.)
Still, the Indian way of storytelling should be maintained, the actor-producer said.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Khan said. "Unabashedly, without being ashamed of the fact, I say that our cinema is kitsch, it's got a lot of songs and its loud, but that's who we are."
Khan, who has produced six films, including "Om Shanti Om," under his Red Chilies Entertainment banner, does not want to direct.
"Direction is a lonely job, and I'm not cut out for being lonely," he said, smiling. "You've seen the crowds. I love the people."
Hollywood Reporter
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:13 PM
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Farah Khan's Shanti Om Shanti Are Here!
We at SRK-OMSHANTIOM would like to congratulate Farah on this auspicious occasion.Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan gave birth to two bonny girls and one baby boy late Sunday night at Mumbai’s Jaslok hospital.
Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder and her brother Sajid Khan were beside her at the time of the delivery. Sajid Khan told Zee News that both Farah and the babies were in the pink of health and doing well.
The ace director’s close friends which include Shahrukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala are expected to arrive at the hospital soon.
Earlier last month, producer-director Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan`s wife Gauri Khan had organized a baby shower for Farah with a lavish function held at SRK`s palatial Bandra bungalow `Mannat` in Mumbai. The function was attended by stars like Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu and wives of Farhan Akhtar, Suneil Shetty, Atul Agnihotri and many others.
Hope these bundles of joy will multiply Farah’s happiness!
Zee News
Labels: Farah Khan, Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, Om Shanti Om, Sajid Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Shirish Kunder
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:24 PM
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Shah Rukh Khan as Popular as Pope
As German fans drooled over Shah Rukh Khan, the national media shed its perceptions of "bullock cart India " and trained its attention on the Bollywood superstar when he landed here, with one journalist even saying "he is as popular as the Pope".
Shah Rukh was here for the screening of "Om Shanti Om" at the Berlin Film Festival. Some German television channels suddenly turned their cameras from the Hollywood glitterati to Khan as excited fans let out loud shrieks to greet him at the Berlinale Friday night.
Some channels narrated details of Khan's personal life, his wife Gauri and their two children.
The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was highly critical about India and Indians until the mid-1990s, when the world began to notice the South Asian country's economic and technological prowess, said that many people from all over Europe had descended on Berlin to see their favourite star.
"He is as popular as the Pope, but he (Khan) has more sex appeal," wrote Ekkehard Knoerer in the Berlin tabloid Die Tageszeitung, while trying to capture the mood at the Berlinale.
Many Germany-based Indians and their German friends agree that two factors have gradually changed perceptions about "bullock cart India ", as it was contemptuously referred to in the past by the German media which often resorted to clichés of beggars with maimed bodies on the streets, the sacred cows, the corrupt politicians and the catastrophes.
"The IT revolution and Bollywood have together contributed to a vastly improved image of India 's prowess," said Rudolf Schweizer, a German businessman who frequently visits Bangalore and Hyderabad to oversee work contracted to Indian companies.
" India , along with China , is seen as an economic powerhouse and one of the two fastest growing economies of the world," he added.
Shah Rukh Friday also announced that he had plans to direct a film in Berlin , but admitted that he had no concrete dates for the shooting.
A spokesman of Eros Entertainment, a film distribution company which has handled many Bollywood blockbusters in Germany, said that 50 prints of "Om Shanti Om" or OSO, as it is popularly known, would be distributed all over Germany.
"We hope this film will also open the entire European market for us," he added.
Aside from the film's star-studded cast, particularly Shah Rukh, the theme of reincarnation as depicted in OSO fascinates Germans, many of whom are drawn to Hindu philosophy and the teachings of Indian gurus.
"It's a different and very interesting perspective for many Germans. We may not entirely understand the nuances of Indian culture, but rebirth and reincarnation appeal to many of us," Ursula Roth, who works as a teacher near Berlin , told IANS.
Perhaps it is the "illogical and supernatural aspect of the subject which appeals to an otherwise logical-minded people", Roth tried to explain the phenomenal German interest in OSO.
Bollywood has also created a greater interest in Indian cuisine and it is not uncommon to find many Germans frequently shopping for spices in Indian grocery stores that are sprouting in many German cities.
In capital Berlin alone, the number of Indian restaurants has risen sharply from 150 in 2001 to 250 now, according to the Berlin Economic Development Agency.
"This increase augurs well for our business," says an employee of Choudry Food Traders, which supplies all kinds of products to Indian restaurants and also sells them in its own store.
Kalinga Times
Shah Rukh was here for the screening of "Om Shanti Om" at the Berlin Film Festival. Some German television channels suddenly turned their cameras from the Hollywood glitterati to Khan as excited fans let out loud shrieks to greet him at the Berlinale Friday night.
Some channels narrated details of Khan's personal life, his wife Gauri and their two children.
The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was highly critical about India and Indians until the mid-1990s, when the world began to notice the South Asian country's economic and technological prowess, said that many people from all over Europe had descended on Berlin to see their favourite star.
"He is as popular as the Pope, but he (Khan) has more sex appeal," wrote Ekkehard Knoerer in the Berlin tabloid Die Tageszeitung, while trying to capture the mood at the Berlinale.
Many Germany-based Indians and their German friends agree that two factors have gradually changed perceptions about "bullock cart India ", as it was contemptuously referred to in the past by the German media which often resorted to clichés of beggars with maimed bodies on the streets, the sacred cows, the corrupt politicians and the catastrophes.
"The IT revolution and Bollywood have together contributed to a vastly improved image of India 's prowess," said Rudolf Schweizer, a German businessman who frequently visits Bangalore and Hyderabad to oversee work contracted to Indian companies.
" India , along with China , is seen as an economic powerhouse and one of the two fastest growing economies of the world," he added.
Shah Rukh Friday also announced that he had plans to direct a film in Berlin , but admitted that he had no concrete dates for the shooting.
A spokesman of Eros Entertainment, a film distribution company which has handled many Bollywood blockbusters in Germany, said that 50 prints of "Om Shanti Om" or OSO, as it is popularly known, would be distributed all over Germany.
"We hope this film will also open the entire European market for us," he added.
Aside from the film's star-studded cast, particularly Shah Rukh, the theme of reincarnation as depicted in OSO fascinates Germans, many of whom are drawn to Hindu philosophy and the teachings of Indian gurus.
"It's a different and very interesting perspective for many Germans. We may not entirely understand the nuances of Indian culture, but rebirth and reincarnation appeal to many of us," Ursula Roth, who works as a teacher near Berlin , told IANS.
Perhaps it is the "illogical and supernatural aspect of the subject which appeals to an otherwise logical-minded people", Roth tried to explain the phenomenal German interest in OSO.
Bollywood has also created a greater interest in Indian cuisine and it is not uncommon to find many Germans frequently shopping for spices in Indian grocery stores that are sprouting in many German cities.
In capital Berlin alone, the number of Indian restaurants has risen sharply from 150 in 2001 to 250 now, according to the Berlin Economic Development Agency.
"This increase augurs well for our business," says an employee of Choudry Food Traders, which supplies all kinds of products to Indian restaurants and also sells them in its own store.
Kalinga Times
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:23 PM
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SRK fans go hysterical!
Shah Rukh Khan isn't King Khan back home alone. The 58th Berlin film festival saw some mass fan hysteria as Shah Rukh walked the red carpet ahead of the screening of his film Om Shanti Om.
As Shah Rukh walked down the red carpet at the Berlinale, besotted girls and star-struck fans were seen shouting and crying out the superstar’s name. It wasn't a reincarnation of Elvis or the Beatles walking the red carpet. Shah Rukh Khan, who arrived at the festival for a screening of his home production, was welcomed by girls screaming out high-pitched love messages.
“I don't want to sound pompous, but I am here, so Bollywood is here already,” Shah Rukh was quoted as saying.
So the star got busy signing autographs and interacting with fans. But soon the level of hysteria spiraled out of control. Some of the fans had to be taken off the venue.
“It is very humbling and it is so sweet that there are so many people here in Germany. To be really honest, I have never done anything that is so special. It makes me feel very special and much loved. It seems like a blessing from Allah,” Shah Rukh said.
Watch the hysteria here : Click Here
IBNlive
As Shah Rukh walked down the red carpet at the Berlinale, besotted girls and star-struck fans were seen shouting and crying out the superstar’s name. It wasn't a reincarnation of Elvis or the Beatles walking the red carpet. Shah Rukh Khan, who arrived at the festival for a screening of his home production, was welcomed by girls screaming out high-pitched love messages.
“I don't want to sound pompous, but I am here, so Bollywood is here already,” Shah Rukh was quoted as saying.
So the star got busy signing autographs and interacting with fans. But soon the level of hysteria spiraled out of control. Some of the fans had to be taken off the venue.
“It is very humbling and it is so sweet that there are so many people here in Germany. To be really honest, I have never done anything that is so special. It makes me feel very special and much loved. It seems like a blessing from Allah,” Shah Rukh said.
Watch the hysteria here : Click Here
IBNlive
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 2:18 PM
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Saturday, February 9, 2008
Deepika to promote Fiama Di Wills brand of soap
Bollywood hottie Deepika Padukone's dream run post Om Shanti Om continues. The actress, who has signed quite a few films and endorsement deals post her successful debut, has now been roped in by ITC to promote its Fiama Di Wills brand of soap.
The print advertisement of the same was recently unveiled. Apparently, Deepika has been selected to endorse the soap as the brand personality of Fiama Di Wills matches her own, of a confident, intelligent and aware woman.
Well, with such deals already in her kitty, what else can we say except that the Padukone babe is here to stay.
Sify.com
The print advertisement of the same was recently unveiled. Apparently, Deepika has been selected to endorse the soap as the brand personality of Fiama Di Wills matches her own, of a confident, intelligent and aware woman.
Well, with such deals already in her kitty, what else can we say except that the Padukone babe is here to stay.
Sify.com
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:41 PM
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SRK at German premiere of OSO, show sells out in minutes
Shah Rukh Khan was the centre of attraction in Berlin yesterday as scores of fans gathered to have a dekko of the Bollywood star. The actor was at Berlin's International cinema for the premiere of his blockbuster film Om Shanti Om.
Tickets for Friday night's premiere were sold out in minutes after the booking opened and some tickets were even being sold on German eBay website (for a much higher price). The organisers even had to arrange an additional screening to meet the demand.
What's more, SRK even seemed excited at the Berlinale Special Title- 'Om' given to his home production film. The Berlinale has been programming occasional Bollywood titles in the forum sidebar for about a decade. Apparently, this is the highest profile slot yet given to a Bollywood title here.
There is more good news for SRK fans as Eros International plans a mega release for 'Om' in Germany next month.
One thing is for sure, no matter which part of the world King Khan goes to, there are scores of fans waiting with bated breath to see their favorite Bollywood matinee idol.
Bollywood Hungama
Tickets for Friday night's premiere were sold out in minutes after the booking opened and some tickets were even being sold on German eBay website (for a much higher price). The organisers even had to arrange an additional screening to meet the demand.
What's more, SRK even seemed excited at the Berlinale Special Title- 'Om' given to his home production film. The Berlinale has been programming occasional Bollywood titles in the forum sidebar for about a decade. Apparently, this is the highest profile slot yet given to a Bollywood title here.
There is more good news for SRK fans as Eros International plans a mega release for 'Om' in Germany next month.
One thing is for sure, no matter which part of the world King Khan goes to, there are scores of fans waiting with bated breath to see their favorite Bollywood matinee idol.
Bollywood Hungama
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:13 PM
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Shah Rukh Khan is rated as the biggest Bollywood film star in Germany
Screaming fans and high-pitched media coverage greeted Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan when he arrived here for the screening of his blockbuster film "Om Shanti Om" - or OSO, as locals call it - at the ongoing Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival.
The huge and almost uncontrollable turnout at the Berlinale of both German and non-German fans Friday night also goes to prove that Germany is shedding its negative perception of what Germans once described, not without contempt, as "exotic films", the "dance-and-song musicals" produced by "Mumbai's dream factories".
Indeed, ever since German television started showing Bollywood films a few years ago, the rise in Bollywood's popularity in Germany has been quite phenomenal. German-language Bollywood websites have started to appear, and hundreds of bloggers routinely discuss in German not only Bollywood films but also the personal lives of their favourite stars.
"Shah Rukh Khan is rated as the biggest Bollywood film star in Germany, even surpassing the Big B (Amitabh Bachhan)," says Ramesh Sinha, an Indian businessman who does outsourcing for Germans and who is himself a Bollywood buff.
"Shah Rukh's two superhits 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' were well received in Germany, with fans thronging to video shops to lay their hands on audio and video cassettes and DVDs of Shah Rukh's films," Sinha said.
Shah Rukh, whose "Om Shanti Om" is being screened in a section called Berlinale Special, acknowledged that he may be a "big movie star" in India but he definitely was "humbled" by the atmosphere at the Berlinale.
The Bollywood superstar was, ostensibly, touched by the spontaneous and emotional welcome given to him by the German fans.
Film experts and the entire German media - from the sensational Boulevard tabloid Bild to the conservative broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - described it as unprecedented that tickets for OSO were sold out in less than seven minutes.
A surprised Shah Rukh quipped: "I thought they (the audiences) must have mistaken the movie title!"
Indeed, the tickets were completely sold out after only seven minutes. According to one employee at the Berlinale ticket office, there had been at least 20,000 queries for tickets through the Internet.
Mudassir Rizwan & Manik Mehta, IANS
The huge and almost uncontrollable turnout at the Berlinale of both German and non-German fans Friday night also goes to prove that Germany is shedding its negative perception of what Germans once described, not without contempt, as "exotic films", the "dance-and-song musicals" produced by "Mumbai's dream factories".
Indeed, ever since German television started showing Bollywood films a few years ago, the rise in Bollywood's popularity in Germany has been quite phenomenal. German-language Bollywood websites have started to appear, and hundreds of bloggers routinely discuss in German not only Bollywood films but also the personal lives of their favourite stars.
"Shah Rukh Khan is rated as the biggest Bollywood film star in Germany, even surpassing the Big B (Amitabh Bachhan)," says Ramesh Sinha, an Indian businessman who does outsourcing for Germans and who is himself a Bollywood buff.
"Shah Rukh's two superhits 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' were well received in Germany, with fans thronging to video shops to lay their hands on audio and video cassettes and DVDs of Shah Rukh's films," Sinha said.
Shah Rukh, whose "Om Shanti Om" is being screened in a section called Berlinale Special, acknowledged that he may be a "big movie star" in India but he definitely was "humbled" by the atmosphere at the Berlinale.
The Bollywood superstar was, ostensibly, touched by the spontaneous and emotional welcome given to him by the German fans.
Film experts and the entire German media - from the sensational Boulevard tabloid Bild to the conservative broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - described it as unprecedented that tickets for OSO were sold out in less than seven minutes.
A surprised Shah Rukh quipped: "I thought they (the audiences) must have mistaken the movie title!"
Indeed, the tickets were completely sold out after only seven minutes. According to one employee at the Berlinale ticket office, there had been at least 20,000 queries for tickets through the Internet.
Mudassir Rizwan & Manik Mehta, IANS
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:00 PM
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"I've been working for 17 years, and it's the first time I feel like a big movie star," - SRK
Bollywood burst into Berlin on Friday when Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan arrived to present his latest film, "Om Shanti Om."
A crowd of about 100 fans queued outside the Grand Hyatt hotel ahead of Khan's afternoon news conference, and the actor obliged by signing autographs under the camera flashes.
Khan -- a mega-star in his native India -- seemed genuinely thrilled to present "Om" as a Berlinale Special title, the highest profile slot yet given to a Bollywood title here. "I've been working for 17 years, and it's the first time I feel like a big movie star," he said.
Tickets for the film's Friday night premiere screening at the International Cinema sold out in seven minutes and were being offered on German eBay for several times their face value ahead of the event. Organizers added an extra screening to meet demand.
"Om" will be released theatrically in Germany next month by Eros International, which is also handling world sales duties on it. The movie will come out on 20 to 30 prints, the biggest release yet for a Bollywood film here. "This gives us the perfect launch for 'Om Shanti Om' in Germany, and I think it will help open up the market in Europe," said Eros CEO and chairman Kishore Lulla.
The Berlinale has been programming occasional Bollywood titles in the Forum sidebar for about a decade. "This is the first time a Bollywood movie has had a gala slot and it's the first time an Indian superstar has come here. I think it's really an uplift," said Stephan Holl, managing director of Rapid Eye Movies, the distributor which spearheaded the Bollywood trend in Germany and which has ancillary rights to "Om."
Khan said he has no plans to go after Hollywood roles. "I'm 42 years old, I'm a little brown. I don't have any (unique selling point) as an actor, there is no place for me (in Hollywood)," he said. "I would like to continue to work in Bollywood and take Indian cinema to the world."
But Khan, who also produced "Om," said he will make a Bollywood-style movie in Germany. "We plan to shoot a film here. We've been designing a film specifically to shoot a lot in Berlin and Germany," he said.
Charles Masters, Hollywood Reporter
A crowd of about 100 fans queued outside the Grand Hyatt hotel ahead of Khan's afternoon news conference, and the actor obliged by signing autographs under the camera flashes.
Khan -- a mega-star in his native India -- seemed genuinely thrilled to present "Om" as a Berlinale Special title, the highest profile slot yet given to a Bollywood title here. "I've been working for 17 years, and it's the first time I feel like a big movie star," he said.
Tickets for the film's Friday night premiere screening at the International Cinema sold out in seven minutes and were being offered on German eBay for several times their face value ahead of the event. Organizers added an extra screening to meet demand.
"Om" will be released theatrically in Germany next month by Eros International, which is also handling world sales duties on it. The movie will come out on 20 to 30 prints, the biggest release yet for a Bollywood film here. "This gives us the perfect launch for 'Om Shanti Om' in Germany, and I think it will help open up the market in Europe," said Eros CEO and chairman Kishore Lulla.
The Berlinale has been programming occasional Bollywood titles in the Forum sidebar for about a decade. "This is the first time a Bollywood movie has had a gala slot and it's the first time an Indian superstar has come here. I think it's really an uplift," said Stephan Holl, managing director of Rapid Eye Movies, the distributor which spearheaded the Bollywood trend in Germany and which has ancillary rights to "Om."
Khan said he has no plans to go after Hollywood roles. "I'm 42 years old, I'm a little brown. I don't have any (unique selling point) as an actor, there is no place for me (in Hollywood)," he said. "I would like to continue to work in Bollywood and take Indian cinema to the world."
But Khan, who also produced "Om," said he will make a Bollywood-style movie in Germany. "We plan to shoot a film here. We've been designing a film specifically to shoot a lot in Berlin and Germany," he said.
Charles Masters, Hollywood Reporter
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 6:59 PM
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Shah Rukh Khan on Berlinale's red carpet
Hundreds of mostly female fans had waited for hours at the red carpet to wait for the moment when they could be close to their idol as never before and probably never after.
Shah Rukh Khan, the “Bollywood” superstar from India who has at least 1 billion fans worldwide plays in Farah Khans “Om Shanti Om” which is like several Mandala movies in one.
The film is produced by Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and directed by Priyadarshan. It has references to the 70’s, it contains love, dancing and singing of course and it even has some autobiographic elements taken out of Shah Rukh Khan’s or short SRK life. The man who lost his parents quite early managed to become the biggest superstars of the genre.
At tonight’s red carpet you could see the fans holding up picutures of Shah Rukh Khan’s moviescenes, they cried, they sang along, they danced and they started to scream whenever one of the numerous film teams showed up to do a report about this memorable event.
The Fans had travelled from all over Europe to attend this special event and as the Berlinale organizers announced, the demand for tickets had been as strong as with no other movie of the festival. Of course, all of the screenings are already sold out.
At around 8pm he was suddenly there and spent loads of time talking to the fans, giving autographs and having his pictures taken.
Shah Rukh Khan who appears to be some very polite and friendly man answered all the questions of the waiting tv and press reporters before he finally went inside the Kino International at Karl-Marx-Alle in Berlin for the screening of “Om Shanti Om”.
Berlinista
Shah Rukh Khan, the “Bollywood” superstar from India who has at least 1 billion fans worldwide plays in Farah Khans “Om Shanti Om” which is like several Mandala movies in one.
The film is produced by Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and directed by Priyadarshan. It has references to the 70’s, it contains love, dancing and singing of course and it even has some autobiographic elements taken out of Shah Rukh Khan’s or short SRK life. The man who lost his parents quite early managed to become the biggest superstars of the genre.
At tonight’s red carpet you could see the fans holding up picutures of Shah Rukh Khan’s moviescenes, they cried, they sang along, they danced and they started to scream whenever one of the numerous film teams showed up to do a report about this memorable event.
The Fans had travelled from all over Europe to attend this special event and as the Berlinale organizers announced, the demand for tickets had been as strong as with no other movie of the festival. Of course, all of the screenings are already sold out.
At around 8pm he was suddenly there and spent loads of time talking to the fans, giving autographs and having his pictures taken.
Shah Rukh Khan who appears to be some very polite and friendly man answered all the questions of the waiting tv and press reporters before he finally went inside the Kino International at Karl-Marx-Alle in Berlin for the screening of “Om Shanti Om”.
Berlinista
Labels: Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 6:57 PM
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Friday, February 8, 2008
Farah's sequel to Om Shanti Om
No no! It's not as if the sequel fever has bitten Farah Khan too.
She’s too busy (and lazy) basking in the glory of the biggest hit ever; and taking up the megaphone is furthest from her mind at the moment.
The ‘sequel’ we’re referring to is the imminent delivery of her triplets — due any day now. Farah is planning to check into Jaslok Hospital in town soon.
And ‘genders permitting’, we suggest that Om, Shanti and Om will make the best names for these babies. Of course, hubby Shirish Kunder has been reading up on plenty of possible names already.
Otherwise, in case of a dearth of names, buddy Shah Rukh would say ‘Main Hoon Na’ ! That means naming the triplets SRK, huh!
TNN
She’s too busy (and lazy) basking in the glory of the biggest hit ever; and taking up the megaphone is furthest from her mind at the moment.
The ‘sequel’ we’re referring to is the imminent delivery of her triplets — due any day now. Farah is planning to check into Jaslok Hospital in town soon.
And ‘genders permitting’, we suggest that Om, Shanti and Om will make the best names for these babies. Of course, hubby Shirish Kunder has been reading up on plenty of possible names already.
Otherwise, in case of a dearth of names, buddy Shah Rukh would say ‘Main Hoon Na’ ! That means naming the triplets SRK, huh!
TNN
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 9:11 PM
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Om Shanti Om get ten nomination for 53 Filmfare awards
Nomination of 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards
* Best Film
* Best Director - Farah Khan
* Best Actor - Shahrukh Khan
* Best Actress - Deepika Padukone
* Best Actor in a Supporting Role(Male) - Shreyas Talpade
* Best Music - Vishal-Shekhar
* Best Lyrics - Javed Akhtar…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Lyrics - Vishal Dadlani…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Playback Singer (Male) - K K…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Playback Singer (Male) - Sonu Nigam…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
See full Details of Nomination of 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards
* Best Film
* Best Director - Farah Khan
* Best Actor - Shahrukh Khan
* Best Actress - Deepika Padukone
* Best Actor in a Supporting Role(Male) - Shreyas Talpade
* Best Music - Vishal-Shekhar
* Best Lyrics - Javed Akhtar…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Lyrics - Vishal Dadlani…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Playback Singer (Male) - K K…Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
* Best Playback Singer (Male) - Sonu Nigam…Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
See full Details of Nomination of 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan, Javed Akthar, K.K, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Sonu Nigam, Vishal Dadlani, Vishal-Shekar
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 10:00 PM
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Shah Rukh to walk the red carpet at Berlin film fest
BERLIN: The Berlin Film Festival will start with a bang on Thursday, kicking off 11 days of star turns, live music and a race for the Golden Bear top prize, including the international premiere of Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Om Shanti Om".
The event will begin with the premiere of a Rolling Stones documentary by Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese.
Madonna, Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis and Indian scion Shah Rukh Khan are among the stars who will follow Scorsese and the self-proclaimed "world's greatest rock'n'roll band" down the red carpet.
The 58th edition will feature around 400 pictures from around the world. "Shine A Light", the Rolling Stones film, will screen out of competition.
And Khan will be on hand for the international premiere of "Om Shanti Om", which is already a smash in India.
Twenty-one films will vie for awards including the latest from Britain's Mike Leigh, Iranian director Majid Majidi, Yoji Yamada of Japan, Hong Kong's Johnnie To and US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.
A jury led by Greek-French director Costa-Gavras ("Missing") will hand out the prizes at a gala ceremony February 16 before the Berlinale wraps up the next day.
Festival director Dieter Kosslick said the usual gritty fare that is Berlin's trademark would be leavened by a clutch of music-driven films.
"This year the Berlinale will not be excessively political, at least less than usual," Kosslick said. "It will certainly be more musical."
Madonna will unveil her directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom", a romp starring a Roma punk band.
AFP
The event will begin with the premiere of a Rolling Stones documentary by Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese.
Madonna, Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis and Indian scion Shah Rukh Khan are among the stars who will follow Scorsese and the self-proclaimed "world's greatest rock'n'roll band" down the red carpet.
The 58th edition will feature around 400 pictures from around the world. "Shine A Light", the Rolling Stones film, will screen out of competition.
And Khan will be on hand for the international premiere of "Om Shanti Om", which is already a smash in India.
Twenty-one films will vie for awards including the latest from Britain's Mike Leigh, Iranian director Majid Majidi, Yoji Yamada of Japan, Hong Kong's Johnnie To and US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.
A jury led by Greek-French director Costa-Gavras ("Missing") will hand out the prizes at a gala ceremony February 16 before the Berlinale wraps up the next day.
Festival director Dieter Kosslick said the usual gritty fare that is Berlin's trademark would be leavened by a clutch of music-driven films.
"This year the Berlinale will not be excessively political, at least less than usual," Kosslick said. "It will certainly be more musical."
Madonna will unveil her directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom", a romp starring a Roma punk band.
AFP
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:54 PM
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Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Now it's Rajini Vs SRK!
Now that Kuselan, Rajinikanth's quickie before his Robot, is all set to take off, the gossip mongers are working overtime. Each day some new incredible rumour starts making the rounds.
The latest buzz is that director P Vasu plans to include a song that will have some of Tamil cinema's biggest stars sharing screen space together for the first time ever. And yes, in all probability the creative inspiration behind this idea is Shah Rukh's film Om Shanti Om. One of the most popular songs from this film was All Hot Girls, which featured 31 major stars from Bollywood.
In OSO, Shah Rukh Khan plays a superstar who throws a party after winning an award. Since Kuselan is also about a superstar, Vasu is eager to include a similar sequence in the film.
Although sequences similar to the one in Om Shanti Om have been shot many a time in Bollywood, one has never seen similar sequences in Tamil cinema. But Vasu, who has good rapport with all the stars, hopes to achieve the impossible with Rajini's help.
According to sources, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Vijay Vikram Trisha, Nayantara and Namitha, are some of the popular actors who Vasu hopes will feature in this song.
The official confirmation is expected soon.
Buzz18
The latest buzz is that director P Vasu plans to include a song that will have some of Tamil cinema's biggest stars sharing screen space together for the first time ever. And yes, in all probability the creative inspiration behind this idea is Shah Rukh's film Om Shanti Om. One of the most popular songs from this film was All Hot Girls, which featured 31 major stars from Bollywood.
In OSO, Shah Rukh Khan plays a superstar who throws a party after winning an award. Since Kuselan is also about a superstar, Vasu is eager to include a similar sequence in the film.
Although sequences similar to the one in Om Shanti Om have been shot many a time in Bollywood, one has never seen similar sequences in Tamil cinema. But Vasu, who has good rapport with all the stars, hopes to achieve the impossible with Rajini's help.
According to sources, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Vijay Vikram Trisha, Nayantara and Namitha, are some of the popular actors who Vasu hopes will feature in this song.
The official confirmation is expected soon.
Buzz18
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:37 PM
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
Shah Rukh Khan To Attend The Berlin Premiere of OSO
Germany, get ready to swoon...
It is old news that Farah Khan's Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer, 'Om Shanti Om', has been selected for the Berlinale Special at the Berlin Film Festival 2008. The film will be premiered in Germany at Kino Internazionale on 8th February 2008.
It has now come to light that Shah Rukh Khan will be attending the premiere. As per sources, EROS International, which holds the world rights of the film, will release it theatrically in Germany soon after the Berlin Film Festival.
PlanetBollywood
It is old news that Farah Khan's Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer, 'Om Shanti Om', has been selected for the Berlinale Special at the Berlin Film Festival 2008. The film will be premiered in Germany at Kino Internazionale on 8th February 2008.
It has now come to light that Shah Rukh Khan will be attending the premiere. As per sources, EROS International, which holds the world rights of the film, will release it theatrically in Germany soon after the Berlin Film Festival.
PlanetBollywood
Labels: Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Shahrukh Khan
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 7:12 PM
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Friday, February 1, 2008
Deepika is not in touch with Farah
An amused Farah Khan says 'zindagi ki yehi reet hai. Deepika Padukone has all the time in the world for Yuvraj Singh but she doesn't have any time for Farah Khan, who gave the newbie her big break in films.
According to an insider from the Om Shanti Om camp, "Farah is irked with Deepika's ungrateful attitude. She has not kept in touch after the release of the film. The OSO girl hasn't spoken to Farah for a couple of months except sending a SMS on her birthday (January 9)."
Farah Khan refuses to admit that she is angry or hurt, "I'm not upset or hurt at all.
This is the way of the world. If Shah Rukh was ignoring me, I would have felt very hurt. It's true that Deepika has not kept in touch since OSO's release. Her parents, Prakash Padukone and wife sent me a thank-you letter after watching the film. I was very touched. I last met Deepika during the OSO book launch on November 14. I guess she's been busy with shooting and travelling all over the world.
I read she was in Australia watching the cricket match, and shooting for Yash Raj's film. She's busy enjoying life, I guess, and basking in the glory. In any case, I am faltu right now (Farah's expecting triplets next week). I won't be directing any film for at least a year."
Amongst the OSO cast, apparently only Deepika hasn't kept in touch. Farah says, "Arjun (Rampal) and Shreyas (Talpade) regularly keep in touch. Fortunately, most of the stars I've worked with Zayed (Khan), Amrita (Rao), and Sunil (Shetty) still come and visit me years after Main Hoon Naa.
I find it amusing that Deepika hasn't kept in touch. I have seen it happening so many times in the film industry you give a break to a newbie and she/he forgets you when they become big."
Apart from Deepika, the only actress who hasn't been in contact is Sushmita Sen. The mommy-to-be adds, "Sush doesn't keep in touch with anybody so it's not just me. Right now she's busy with her home production, but Sush is a darling so warm and gracious.
Deepika was unavailable for comment but a friend of the actress clarifies, "There is no problem between them. Deepika has been in touch with Farah over SMS."
According to an insider from the Om Shanti Om camp, "Farah is irked with Deepika's ungrateful attitude. She has not kept in touch after the release of the film. The OSO girl hasn't spoken to Farah for a couple of months except sending a SMS on her birthday (January 9)."
Farah Khan refuses to admit that she is angry or hurt, "I'm not upset or hurt at all.
This is the way of the world. If Shah Rukh was ignoring me, I would have felt very hurt. It's true that Deepika has not kept in touch since OSO's release. Her parents, Prakash Padukone and wife sent me a thank-you letter after watching the film. I was very touched. I last met Deepika during the OSO book launch on November 14. I guess she's been busy with shooting and travelling all over the world.
I read she was in Australia watching the cricket match, and shooting for Yash Raj's film. She's busy enjoying life, I guess, and basking in the glory. In any case, I am faltu right now (Farah's expecting triplets next week). I won't be directing any film for at least a year."
Amongst the OSO cast, apparently only Deepika hasn't kept in touch. Farah says, "Arjun (Rampal) and Shreyas (Talpade) regularly keep in touch. Fortunately, most of the stars I've worked with Zayed (Khan), Amrita (Rao), and Sunil (Shetty) still come and visit me years after Main Hoon Naa.
I find it amusing that Deepika hasn't kept in touch. I have seen it happening so many times in the film industry you give a break to a newbie and she/he forgets you when they become big."
Apart from Deepika, the only actress who hasn't been in contact is Sushmita Sen. The mommy-to-be adds, "Sush doesn't keep in touch with anybody so it's not just me. Right now she's busy with her home production, but Sush is a darling so warm and gracious.
Deepika was unavailable for comment but a friend of the actress clarifies, "There is no problem between them. Deepika has been in touch with Farah over SMS."
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om
Posted By Ivan Me ... at 8:14 PM
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