ShahRukh Khan

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare Awards

Filmfare 2008 After Party

Filmfare 2008 After Party

Filmfare 2008 After Party

Filmfare 2008 After Party

DNA India

Cricket is commercially viable: Shahrukh Khan

Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, who owns the Kolkata team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), today said he opted for cricket because it was commercially viable for him and not because he favoured the popular sport over other disaplines.

"Commerce and business are very important in today's world. Cricket is commercially viable and we need to make money from this sport," said Khan here.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President and MP Suresh Kalmadi appealed to the superstar to share his celeb status with other sports also.

"I am very happy with `Chak de India' and the work you did for hockey. But I'm disappointed you went back to cricket. I want you to be made the ambassador of the Commonweath Games and Olympic sports in India," said Kalmadi at the inauguration of the Abhijit Kadam Memorial Football Cup.

"There are around 10 nations playing cricket at the moment and over 200 countries competing in Olympic sports. Cricket has many fathers and I would love to have you as the brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games," he added.

However, the comments did not go well with the actor, who took a jibe at the IOA President.

"Please don't feel bad that I am backing only one sport. Sports should be part of our second nature and I am a sportsperson by heart."

"I have played hockey and a bit of cricket. I have something to clarify to Kalmadi also ... Please don't feel bad that I am backing the cricket team. I need to make money from this sport and then move to other sports," added Khan.

Khan said he believed that the next step for sports- loving persons like him was to take the money he earns from IPL to other sports.

"(My) next step would be to take it (money earned in IPL) to hockey, football, kho kho, also kabaddi and gulli danda," he remarked.

The film star said one should not look down upon any sport and added he wanted to see the football team playing in the World Cup.

"We should not look down upon any sport. We need to use this sport (cricket) to uplift other sports."

"SRK is both intelligent and practical"

Says Australian actor Simon Hewitt.

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, I caught up with one of the stars of the film: Simon Hewitt. Simon who? Shah Rukh Khan's bodyguard. That's who.

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 6' 3" Australian born actor cuts an imposing figure on celluloid. At the scheduled interview location, a Mahim coffee shop, on the edge of Bombay's filmi society; the patrons excited whispers of OM SHANTI OM rebounds as Hewitt enters.

So how does a thirty 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".

Hewitt, who swapped Melbourne for Mumbai 4 years ago, states, "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 4 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 Hewitt 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 out 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 that 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 with no dialogue. "25 days shooting and not a word spoken that's got to be some kind of 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 laughing and saying 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".

(Steven Baker is a UK writer who divides his time between London, Delhi, and Mumbai. Best known for his writing on the Hindi film industry, his work regularly appears in a range of Indian, NRI, and international publications. Steven Baker is presently the Co-ordinator of the British Council's Creative Writing course in New Delhi. He has also appeared in 15 Bollywood films.)

At Football Tourney, SRK bowls Fans Over

Chak De football likely to be Shah Rukh's new slogan.

He came, he saw and he won, hands down. Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan was in his element today as he enthralled fans with his presence. The actor was in the city for the inaugural function of Abhijeet Kadam football Tournament at the Bharati Vidyapeeth campus at Dhankawadi.

This was the first time that Khan was in the city for any kind of inaugural function. Well before his scheduled arrival at 5.30 pm, a sea of fans waited for the actor with excitement. It was at 7 pm that King Khan arrived, dressed in a black T shirt and blue jeans. Amidst bursting of crackers, he went straight to the football ground and wasted no time in sending the ball into the goal. The shutterbugs just could not stop clicking as they struggled to get a glimpse of the superstar. The crowd went into a frenzy as Khan went up on stage.

Also present on the occasion were Suresh Kalmadi, MP, Cooperatives Minister Patangrao Kadam, son Vishwajeet Kadam and ace football player Sunil Chettri. After a clutch of speeches by the dignitaries who spoke about the tournament and the position of Pune on the global sports map, it was time for the king Khan to speak. “I am here not because I am an actor or a sports fan. I am here because this is for a good cause. We are putting a lot of money in cricket. All we need to make sure is that we utilise that money for various other sports in the country,” he said. “There is nothing impossible in this world. For all the youngsters out there I would just like to say one thing, never neglect your education. If you have the will and the confidence, you can achieve anything in this world.” A cheque of Rs 10,00,000 was presented for HIV-affected children. The crowd was yelling and shouting everytime Khan looked at the audience.

The hightlight of the event was Khan coming back on the field and taking a round at the ground, with security personnel and the media finding it tough to match his pace. Khan left the stadium amidst scenes of jubilation.

The 3 Winners in SRK's Family

When we caught up with the Badshah Khan, post his win, he shared with us a little secret:

SRK was all smiling as he won the Black Lady for his performance in Chak De India.

"You know both my kids brought home a gold from school today. They did well in Taekwondo. And I wanted to take home an award too, just for them," says Shah Rukh.

So there are three celebrations at home tonight. That’s ‘chweet’ alright! But it looks like the Khan children prefer going the Akshay Kumar way.

Never mind the light and camera, but ‘action’ seems to be on-going in the Mannat home that night!