Tuesday, May 6, 2008
OM SHANTI OM Celebrates Silver Jubilee
In the times when a decent four week run of a film is good enough to take it to a success, OM SHANTI OM has completed 25 weeks at theaters.
On the Friday gone by, i.e. 2nd May, this Farah Khan directed film celebrated a 25 week run. Released across the globe on 9th November 2007, OM SHANTI OM went on to break records all over and turned out to be the biggest first week opener at the box office of all times with a 40 crores+ in collections. Till date the film has collected in excess of 85 crores just from India, hence turning out to be the biggest money spinner of all times.
Commenting on the film's continued success over the months, Farah Khan says, "In the times when it is rare to see a film going through a 50 day or a 100 day run, it gives me so much pleasure to see the film getting such a heartfelt response. It is running on a matinee show at Naaz in Mumbai and I am getting feelers that the theater is confident of the film completing Golden Jubilee there.
"My motto has been to make an entertaining film and going by audience response, I can say that I succeeded in doing that", concludes Farah.
Joginder Tuteja
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Eros International, Farah Khan, Kirron Kher, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan, Shirish Kunder, Shreyas Talpade
Post A Comment
Your comments are always welcome 0 Comments
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
Post A Comment
Your comments are always welcome 0 Comments
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
Post A Comment
Your comments are always welcome 0 Comments
Monday, September 17, 2007
An Exclusive Interview With SRK & Deepika in Dubai
'I'm an emotional chameleon,' Shah Rukh Khan
When Shah Rukh Khan came to Dubai 18 months ago as global brand ambassador of an Indian bank, he had looked tired. Good, but still tired — a superstar moving invariably towards middle age.
Now he seems to have turned the clock back.
Fresh-faced, long-haired, his white shirt open a few more buttons than usual, he looked relaxed and happy. And fit.
This new look — complete with a six-pack — he attributes to his next film, Om Shanti Om. A film where he says he plays "a young, brash, cool, dude-y superstar, the kind of man who has long hair and rides a Harley or a Ferrari".
In Dubai on Saturday night for the launch of the film's music album, the re-invented Khan spoke about his new film, new look and new, very young, heroine.
Excerpts from an interview:
What different things can we expect from Om Shanti Om, considering it's a Farah Khan and Red Chillies production?
I remember every time I did a movie — Don, Swades, Chak De — people said is this going to be different? I've heard a lot of young people say 'my film is off the beaten path, zara hathke'. But I'm not going to say that.
You will have the same six songs. You will have the same hero whom you've been watching, hopefully, for the last 16 years. But I have a six pack and never had that before [laughs]!
We will be telling a story that you may have heard before. My mother told me the same story for the last 15 years of her life. But I wanted to hear it every night because she'd say it differently.
That's what we do in films. I've done romances, revenge dramas, mean films, action films. But every time we've tried to tell it differently, do it differently. Shoot it differently.
It's not rocket science. The story [of Om Shanti Om] will not blow your mind. It's about reincarnation, one continuous story that moves from the Seventies to 2007.
Do you believe in reincarnation?
No I don't. But that's what we do — deal in the unreal. Films ARE larger than life. Even when I do a film based on real life like Asoka or Chak De, it's still exaggerated. I've heard people say, 'oh, that film's not real'. But which film is?
Where do you see people sing songs? When in life do you have background music that's perfectly in sync with your emotions?
Deepika, your heroine in the film, is half your age. How did it feel romancing her?
It did feel odd in the beginning. Even with Priyanka [Chopra, his co-star in Don], I'd felt a bit odd. I'd tried explaining to her a scene I had done earlier and then realised she was a child when she saw that movie!
In Dilwale [Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge], where I worked with Kajol, there's this scene where I'm concentrating hard as she walks away, saying she'll turn back if she loves me. There was this similar scene with Deepika. I talked about that scene in Dilwale with her. That's when I realised Deepika was only eight or nine when she saw that movie!
Of course, it feels a little odd to say I love you to someone so much younger. But then, she's taller than me [laughs], very educated, very confident. You get used to the role.
You've been experimenting with your looks in recent films. Do you enjoy doing so?
I do it only if the role demands it. But I'm an emotional chameleon. I don't need to LOOK different to BE different. I can talk differently, walk differently for the role.
A lot of people said I looked old in Kank (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna). That's how I wanted to look. I have these wrinkles around my eyes [points at them], I wanted them to look more prominent. I was this cynical, tired man with a 9-year-old son. Why should I look young? I grew a beard too but Karan [Johar, the director] wanted it off, so no beard.
For Chak De, I had another look altogether. I was quiet, I was strong. I walked differently. When I walked into a room, everyone knew that it was Kabir Khan, the man in control.
I'm a nuance-based actor. Sometimes I tend to do too much. This time I wanted to do a quiet role. Kabir Khan is an emotional yet strangely macho man. Some people asked me, 'Are you trying to be a Naseeruddin Shah or an Om Puri?'. Absolutely not!
I'm not insecure about anyone else. I enjoy life. I'm insecure about myself. I compete with my last film.
I've said this again and again, I'm like a race horse with blinkers on. With every film I try and cross a barrier — an emotional or physical barrier — that I have set myself.
Okay, so what about your new look in Om Shanti Om?
In Om Shanti Om I play this young, brash, cool, dude-y superstar. He's rich, spoilt. He expects everything to go his way. So I grew my hair, like John Abraham or Zayed Khan. I worked on a six-pack. I took off my shirt!
I play both this man in the Seventies and his reincarnation in 2007. And Farah kept laughing at me, saying the Seventies suited me just fine.
You have a birthday coming up [November 2]. Any fears about growing old?
No, none. I enjoy life. For my next film I want to do something totally demented. I want to jump down from 10 storeys.
Music to our ears
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, the two stars of Om Shanti Om, released the music album of the Farah Khan film at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel on Saturday, nearly two months ahead of the film's scheduled release.
It was a T-Series and Viva Entertainment event. For the first time, a Hindi film's music will be available for full download on mobile handsets, courtesy Hungama Mobile. In the UAE, ring back tones are available.
"Music is intrinsic to any film, whether as a soundtrack or songs," Khan said. "Our films are all musicals. The music album gives you the first taste of the film."
Vishal-Shekhar's music for Om Shanti Om has "a great modern sound," he said. "Their music is very right here, right now."
On another note, Khan dismissed all rumours of rivalry between him and the Bachchans. "I can't call Mr Bachchan a friend because he is so senior, but Abhishek is a friend," he said.
He also disclosed the secret of his energy. "I have no other big pleasures or distractions in life, except films. Everything else is peripheral to my core job of working 10-12 hours a day, hoping to get just one expression right. I'm still very excited about this," he said.
'Madhuri's always there'
Madhuri Dixit, once Hindi filmdom's number one heroine, returns to the screen later this year. This is what Shah Rukh Khan, her co-star in several films including the memorable Dil To Pagal Hai, said about the actress: "A superstar like Madhuri is always in our hearts, in our minds. Yes, she felt she needed time to get married, have children, lose weight. Now she's back.
"I met her about seven months ago when I was shooting Chak De, and we spent a long time together. I didn't even feel she'd gone anywhere."
'There is only one Shah Rukh,' Deepika Padukone
The first-floor corridor of Jumeirah Beach Hotel's conference centre is knee-deep in reporters, TV and radio crew.
Downstairs in the ballroom, the invited guests are beginning to gather for the music launch of Om Shanti Om. Upstairs, we are waiting for Shah Rukh Khan, who has to face us before he faces his crowd of fans.
Would we like to interview Deepika Padukone while we wait for King Khan, we're asked politely. Of course, we chorus.
I'm ushered into a smaller room. There sits Deepika, glorious in a scarlet Anarkali-style Tarun Tahiliani churidar-kurta. Her skin glows, dusky cheek bones blushing pink. Her hair is faultless, her smile dazzling. I can understand exactly why Farah Khan is reportedly gushing about her new find.
Deepika is not new to fame, although Om Shanti Om is her first Hindi film. The daughter of badminton ace Prakash Padukone has been a successful model for several years. Now she makes her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan, under the direction of Farah Khan.
Enviable, by any standards. But that doesn't seem to have turned her head. She speaks little — but is still refreshingly candid.
Excerpts from a quick chat:
You're being hailed as the freshest new face in Bollywood in years. How does that feel?
It's nice to get compliments. It means there's a lot of hard work to be done and plenty of living up to expectations.
How did Om Shanti Om happen?
Farah [Khan, the director] had seen a couple of my television commercials. She called me up and said she wants to meet me. When we met, she said she'd like to cast me in her film.
Your reaction?
I didn't react. I just smiled and said 'thank you'. But inside, my heart was dancing. Even now, when I sit down with my family, it's very difficult for me to explain exactly what I felt. It was so very special.
Were you in awe of Shah Rukh Khan?
Shah Rukh has been very, very supportive. We met before we started shooting and he was very humble. We spoke about our personal lives and we got to a great comfort level. He used to discuss the scenes before we shot them and give me ideas.
Farah called me home as well. They all looked after me very well. I didn't feel like a newcomer, they all made me so welcome.
What was your favourite moment during the shooting?
Actually, it wasn't even a scene. One day, I had fever but I went in for the shoot anyway. Shah Rukh was a couple of steps away during the scene and suddenly he put everyone on hold. 'One second, I think she has fever,' he said. He took me to my van and scolded me. 'How can you come to shoot with fever? This is your film, you decide when you want to shoot'.
He got me medicines, made me have them, and left only when the fever came down.
So, very good memories of SRK then…
I truly grew up watching Shah Rukh's films. Yes there's Mr Bachchan, Devsaab, Dilipsaab [Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar, all legendary actors]. But for our generation it's Shah Rukh. There's only one Shah Rukh.
Then acting with him is like a dream come true?
Absolutely. And I'm still living that dream. Haven't woken up yet.
Gulf News
Labels: Deepika Padukone, Eros International, Farah Khan, Javed Akthar, Madhuri Dixit, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan, Shirish Kunder, T-Series, Vishal-Shekar
Post A Comment
Your comments are always welcome 0 Comments
Monday, September 10, 2007
Red Chillies and Eros enjoy a special relationship going back many years : SRK
Om Shanti Om is a story of love, dreams, betrayal and destiny revolving around a film actor 'Om' (Shah Rukh Khan) and his love interest 'Shanti' (Deepika Padukone). The film also has over 30 Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan amongst others in a guest appearance.
Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla said, "Eros has always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Shah Rukh Khan and we are looking forward to releasing Om Shanti Om during the festive season of Diwali. It is one of the most awaited films of the year and we are excited to be leveraging Eros' global distribution in promoting the film."
Eros had distributed Main Hoon Na as well as Paheli, which are both Red Chillies Productions.
Adds Shah Rukh Khan, "Red Chillies and Eros enjoy a special relationship going back many years. Eros undisputedly has the best global marketing and distribution infrastructure. Om Shanti Om is a fun film and with the wide distribution strategy we hope to reach out to record number of audiences worldwide."
Source: BusinessOfCinema.com
Labels: Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Eros International, Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shahrukh Khan, Shirish Kunder, Shreyas Talpade, V. Manikandan, Vishal-Shekart
Post A Comment
Your comments are always welcome 0 Comments
