'Don 2' to release in 41 countries

Shahrukh Khan's much-awaited film, 'Don 2: The King is Back' will release in 41 countries. 'Don 2' is directed by Farhan Akhtar, who also helmed the first installment 'Don: The Chase Begins Again' (2006), a box-office hit and a remake the 1978 Hindi cult classic 'Don', starring Amitabh Bachchan.

"Learnt yesterday that Don 2 will release in 41 countries worldwide. Wow!! I guess that's the number of countries now out to catch him!!," Farhan wrote on twitter. 'Don 2' will release in UK two days before its December 23 opening in India and the rest of the world.

"Feel so proud to see the extent to which interest in Hindi movies has grown.. Thanks to you.. the Fans (pat yourself on back moment)," Farhan said.

Shahrukh Khan to flag off IFFI 2011

Actor Shahrukh Khan will flag off the 42nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, a senior official said today.

IFFI Director Shankar Mohan said the actor would formally inaugurate the ten-day extravaganza on November 23 at Ravindra Bhavan auditorium in Margao, 40 kms away from here. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni will be the Guest of Honour for the inaugural function, Mohan said, adding the guest for the concluding ceremony is yet to be finalised.

SRK gets into motor racing

After not much success with his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, superstar Shahrukh Khan is now eyeing a stake in the Indian Racing League.

The motor racing league, called the i1 Super Series was launched in August this year. At its launch event, Machdar Motorsports, the promoters had announced that the series, based on the popular city based franchisee format, would have nine teams representing nine different cities in the country including Delhi, Chennai and other metros.

The first edition of the motor sports event is scheduled to hit the tracks in January next year. SRK's company is considering the prospects of investment in the Mumbai franchise but nothing is clear as yet.

From Darr to Baazigar via Ra One

Darr and Baazigar were among those movies that established Shahrukh Khan in Bollywood. In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.

In Khan's entry in Encyclopedia Britannica's "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" it was stated that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero."

Ra.One grosses Rs 170 cr in first five days

Ra.One, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's most ambitious project to date, has earned Rs 170 crore in the opening weekend, distributor said.

Produced by Red Chillies and Eros International, Ra.One (released on October 26), grossed Rs 170 crore in first five days. The movie earned Rs 18 crore in India on opening day. So far, it has raked in Rs 137.25 crore (net collection of Rs 96 crore) in India, and Rs 32.75 crore overseas.

"The film has created history by taking over the mantle of the biggest domestic earner so far. It has touched the highest individual collection in circuits such as Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. We see repeat viewings of the movie with the 3-D version being equally sought-after," Nandu Ahuja of Eros International Media Ltd said.

"With the Eid holiday also coming up next week and no other major film releases, we are anticipating the film to continue doing huge numbers."

The film opened at over 4,000 screens worldwide. It is scheduled for further theatrical release in the first quarter of 2012 across several other territories including South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Greece.

About the overseas market, Pranab Kapadia, President, Distribution, Eros International, said, "The film is enjoying a superb run across all major regions including UK, North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Overseas, the film has broken SRK's own previous first weekend record established by 'My Name is Khan'. Ra.One occupies the position of biggest Indian first weekend grosser overseas as well."

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film was made with budget of Rs 150 crore.Even before the release, the makers had sold television broadcasting rights, reportedly, for Rs 40 crore, distribution rights for Rs 77 crore, while music rights were bought by T-Series for Rs 15 crore.

SRK, Kareena to attend Dubai premiere of 'Ra.One'

Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor are all set to visit Dubai for the world premiere of their film'Ra.One'on October 24

Shah Rukh will walk the red carpet at Grand Cinemas, Wafi, along with co-stars Kareena and Arjun Rampal for the movie which has been touted as the most expensive film to come out of Bollywood.

Instead of limiting the film's premiere to sponsors, corporates and members of the media, tickets for the superhero flick's screenings will be on sale to the public, organizers said.

'RaOne'will be shown simultaneously across three screens, with the stars making an appearance in all the showings. Following the screenings, the stars will head to a charity dinner with the who's who of Dubai, where a special skit put together by the actors will be staged, followed by a charity auction.

Bombay HC asks SRK to deposit Rs 1 cr

Observing that prima facie there had been a copyright violation, Bombay High Court today directed Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan to deposit Rs one crore with the court before releasing his ambitious Diwali offering 'Ra.One'.

"The defendants (Sharukh, his production house Red Chillies Entertainment and Eros Entertainment) are directed to deposit a sum of Rs one crore as pay-order to the court and then release the movie," the division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Roshan Dalvi said.

The court was hearing the petition filed by television producer and writer Yash Patnaik, who contends that he is the original copyright owner of the concept and the content of 'Ra.One', produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.

The court added that if the defendants failed to deposit the money tomorrow, an injunction against the movie's release would become operational. "It is the most unfortunate part of the film industry that people use others' concepts and then don't want to pay or give them credit," the bench remarked.

The court has kept final decision on the issue of copyright violation pending, and would hear arguments in due course of time.'Ra.One', starring Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, is slated to release on October 26.

Patnaik had sought a stay to the film's release until he was given credit for the concept of the futuristic superhero that Shahrukh plays in 'Ra.One'. He had sought ten per cent of the profits, in case he was not given the credit.

His lawyer, senior advocate Ravi Kadam, had argued yesterday that the superhero character resembled the one in Patnaik's concept of 2006, in "attributes and appearance"."The super-villain of Patnaik's script was called 'One', which has been used by Shahrukh in the movie's title," Kadam said.

Shahrukh's lawyer, senior advocate Virendra Tulzapurkar, had said that his client's script was completely different. Also, "Patnaik cannot claim copyright as he had developed his concept with a team of experts he had engaged," Tulzapurkar argued.

Distributor Eros Entertainment's lawyer, senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, had said that Eros had acquired world distribution rights at Rs 150 crore and started transporting prints to theatres. No stay should be granted at the last moment, he said.

According to Patnaik, he had discussed the concept with 'Ra.One's script-writer, Mushtaq Sheikh, in 2006. The judges, while adjourning the hearing for a later date, however remarked that "prima facie there has been a copyright violation".

SRK goes all out to make Ra.One hit

The makers of 'Ra.One' are on a marketing blitzkrieg, innovatively promoting their upcoming film on all possible platforms besides collaborating with over 25 brands, popularising its superhero characters while pushing for its merchandise on a vast scale to grab eyeballs and recover the huge investment ahead of its release on Diwali.

Considering that Shahrukh Khan has ventured into an unfamiliar genre of super hero flicks, which has not received much appreciation from Indian public, the superstar is going all out to create awareness and interest in the genre. Shahrukh kicked off the promotions of 'Ra.One' by releasing the first look of the film on Twitter in January this year, this was followed by ten second trailer of the film during World Cup match in the month of March.

The first theatrical trailer of 'Ra.One' was released three months later during a five city tour and a 3600 ft long fan mail was collected with messages from audiences. In early September, SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment launched viral marketing campaign for promoting the film more effectively in the online arena.

"Overall marketing idea is of Shahrukh. Considering the movie is first of its kind being made in India, extraordinary promotions were required. The idea is to create buzz about the movie," Shailja Gupta, Digital & Merchandising head of Red Chillies, told PTI.

An official customised 'Ra.One' channel was launched on YouTube, a first for an Indian film, where audiences can see theatrical promos, songs, events, uncut footage, videos of 'Ra.One' premiere and red carpet events. Western Union, a leader in global payment services to launch a global campaign, joined hands with Red Chillies for international promotions. Through this, Shahrukh is looking to target Indian families settled abroad.

Case registered for stone pelting during SRK's Bhopal visit

City police has registered a case against unidentified persons for incidents of stone-pelting in front of a mall here during film star Shahrukh Khan's visit on Thursday.

Police said the case had been registered as the mob present at DB mall here indulged in stone pelting injuring a Sub-Divisional Magistrate and some policemen.

They said the case has been registered under sections 353, 332, 147 and 148 of the IPC for assault to prevent public servants from discharging their duties.

According to police, the stone pelting was done by those who did not have passes and hence were denied entry into the mall.Police expressed confidence that those involved in stone throwing would be identified during the investigation.

'Ra.One' gets Rs 52-crore promotional push

The producers of the upcoming flick 'Ra.One' - Eros International Media and Red Chillies Entertainment - today said that they have spent Rs 52-crore to promote the movie through brand tie-ups.

"The marketing spend on the movie has been 'subsidized' considerably through tie-ups with over 25 major brands," Eros said in a statement. The brands include Sony PlayStation, YouTube, Nerolac, McDonald's, Western Union Money Transfer, UTV Indiagames, Videocon, Nokia, Coke, ESPN Star Sports and Cinthol among others.

The Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer will be released on Diwali (October 26). "Eros International and Red Chillies have already recovered a major portion of their investments through in-film branding, media endorsements and pre-licensing cable and satellite rights, music and other rights," the statement said.

Red Chillies has planned a collection of merchandise, including comics, toys, games, back to school items to build the franchise of Khan's character G.One in the film. It has struck licensing deals with different companies for manufacturing products like jars, water bottles, frisbees, apparel, caps and electronic items like handycams, notebooks and tablets.

Eros is planning to release the film in 2D and 3D formats in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu besides over 3,500 screens worldwide, out of which around 500 screens are expected to be  in 3D in the country and over 50 in 3D screens overseas.

SRK to perform in Bhopal

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan will be arriving here tomorrow to perform at a mall in the city.
This will be his maiden visit to the city and also his first performance here, as a part of a promotional event. Only select people will be allowed to attend the star's performance.
Also, participants those who correctly answer questions for a programme on a popular radio channel today can also win a entry for the show.

Shah Rukh apologises for using word 'dumb'

A casual use of the word 'dumb' by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan landed him in a trouble here after a differently-abled girl took objection to it, prompting him to apologise and correct himself.
Khan, 45, who was speaking at a promotional event for his latest film 'Ra One', said he is keen to act in Tamil movies but only in a "dumb" character because he did not know the language and it would be difficult to deliver dialogues with perfection.This led to a sharp reaction from an audience who said the actor should avoid using the word 'dumb' while referring to people with speech impairment.

Promptly apologising, Khan asked Jayashree for the right word to be used to refer people with speech impairment and she suggested "you can use the word mute."The Bollywood Badshah was talking to the audience after launching the music for 'Ra One' promo here.Khan also expressed his thanks to superstar Rajinikanth for accepting his offer to play a cameo role in Ra One, which will be simultaneously released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on Diwali.

He also paid a return visit to Rajinikanth, who flew to Mumbai on October 2, putting his health issue aside to shoot for Khan's dream project Ra One.Khan spent about 15 minutes with Rajnikanth."He was well when I spoke to him.He is very keen to start work," Khan said, replying to a question on Superstar's health.Rajnkanth will be seen in the role of 'Chitti', the robot, in the science-fiction film 'Ra.One'.

Bachchan to lend his baritone to 'Ra.One'

After south superstar Rajnikanth agreed to do a special appearance in Shahrukh Khan's pet project 'Ra.One', it is now megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who will be heard in a voice over for the upcoming film. "Amitji will be lending his voice for 'Ra.One'. We are happy to have him.

 The voice over is for an important scene.  The dubbing will take place today," director Anubhav Sinha, told PTI.

Last weekend, Rajnikanth, despite his ill health, flew  down to Mumbai to do a cameo for 'Ra.One'. He will be seen playing the role of 'Chitti' the robot. Besides these two cinema stalwarts, actors Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra will also feature in the film for cameos. 'Ra.One', a superhero film, starring Shahrukh, Kareena  Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, releases on October 26.

SRK plans to quit smoking after 'Ra.One' release

Even as superstar Shahrukh Khan's  earlier attempts at giving up smoking did not fructify, the actor now intends to do away with cigarettes after the release of his ambitious film 'Ra.One'.

"I want to give up smoking and will soon do it. Even  my daughter keeps on asking me when I will quit it. I will give up the habit after 'Ra.One' releases," Shahrukh told reporters here at a promotional  event of his film.


'Ra.One' claims to show ten evils in the world and smoking is also an evil, which affects the health of an individual.

"There is one scene in 'Ra.One', which speaks about the ill-effects of cigarettes,which is in the form of conversation between father and son," the actor said. Even, on World 'No Tobacco Day', Shahrukh had said he would try to give up this dangerous habit.

Rajini plays Chitti - the robot in SRK's 'Ra.One'

Putting aside his health issues, south superstar Rajinjikanth, who shot for Shahrukh Khan's
ambitious project 'Ra.One' here recently, will be seen in the role of 'Chitti', the robot. Rajinikanth plays a cameo in the science-fiction film 'Ra.One', for which, he flew to Mumbai to shoot a scene on Sunday.

Accompanied by his daughter Soundarya, Rajini took one day break from his acting sabbatical, as he is recuperating. "Rajini sir will be seen in Chitti's avatar. He was here to shoot. It was heart-warming to see him. We were all overwhelmed," Shahrukh told reporters here, yesterday.

About the scene, Shahrukh said, "When we devised it, he was unfortunately unwell, so we couldn't do it that time. It is a funny scene where G.One tries to save Kareena and his son. He is fighting with the gundas and suddenly Chitti, the robot, comes. I ask Kareena who he is, but she does not respond. There is an interesting part here."

"When I dance on 'Chamak Challo', I wear a scarf, the movement...walk and all G.One learns, adapts from Rajnikanth's character Chitti. It is a tribute to Rajini sir," he said. Shahrukh thanked Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya for making the shoot possible. "I am marveled at her love and professionalism. She and her team of technicians would be here for two days for editing the scene," he said.

In Shankar's science-fiction film 'Endhiran', Rajinikanth had played dual roles - as a scientist and an android robot, with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

SRK wants to build public utilities for women

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose ambitious venture Ra.One releases next month, wants to build public utilities for women, through his own investment.

"My choice of investment would be in public utilities for women all around the country, in small towns and villages. That is what I want to do. I want to dedicate my life to the cause. I want dignity and respect to be brought to women," the actor said.

"I am going to earn enough money so that I don't have to ask an industrialist or a political party or anyone. I will do it on my own," Shah Rukh said, at the 'Express Adda', part of a series of conversations with newsmakers, hosted by the Indian Express, here last night.

The superstar said he would like to undertake the project as a social service cause. "I think I am trying to  follow it, it's a very small thing. But when I was young and I used to drive on the highways, I had this issue.

"This (public utilities for women) is a very small  issue really, so I don't think I need to be a prime minister for (accomplishing) that. I will be able to sort it out in the next five-six years. But I want to do it with my money. I want to do it through my films. I want to sell my soul if need be. I will get the money," he added.

SRK wants 'Ra.One' to surpass recent BO hits

Shah Rukh Khan whose dream project 'Ra.One' is up for Diwali release, wants his film to surpass all the box office records. Hinting at the success witnessed by the movies of his friend-turned-foe Salman Khan, SRK said although he is not competing with anyone he would still like for his movie to rise to those heights.

"Every film has its own space. I am happy that in the recent past there are three or four films which have done great business. When it comes to box office, I hope even my film is good enough. We hope we will be able to touch the success of those films," Shah Rukh told reporters.

'Ra.One' is superhero film directed by Anubhav Sinha, starring SRK, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in lead roles. It is the most expensive film till date and will be released in 3D format worldwide, along with its dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu and German.

"When I started making this film it was a very expensive proposition but I thank all our partners not for the money that they have put in but for the belief that they have shown towards this film. And to recover the money the film will have to do business that has never been done before. The business exists...the return exists," he said. The film releases on October 26.

SRK will not host party for Paris Hilton

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh, who is currently occupied with the promotions of his upcoming film  'Ra.one' will not be hosting any party for international celebrity Paris Hilton, who is on a four-day visit to India.

"I am busy with 'Ra.one'...so it is little difficult for me to do it (to host the party). Some friends were planning to host a party. But since I could not make for the  party then they said...let it be. So we are not hosting it now," Shahrukh told reporters here last evening. Paris, who arrived today, will be in the city till September 27 and is scheduled to meet several B-town celebrities during her stay after launching her collection.

There was a buzz that SRK would host a party for Paris. He has earlier organised welcome bashes for many international  celebrities like Akon, Hugh Jackman and Gerald Butler among others.

SRK dedicates 'Ra.One' music to Yash Johar

Shah Rukh Khan has dedicated the music of 'Ra.One' to late filmmaker Yash Johar and friend Bobby Chawla, brother of actress Juhi Chawla. Bobby, is the CEO of Shah Rukh's company Red Chillies Entertainment, and has been in coma since last year. "I want to dedicate this album to Yash Joharji and Bobby.

When we started our company 'Red Chillies Entertainment' the one who helped me start it was Bobby and the one who gave me so much love, was Yash Joharji. So this is for them," the actor told reporters here last night. The evening started with performances on various dance numbers from 'Ra.One' like 'Chamak Chalo', 'Dildaara' and others, by Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal and music-composers Vishal-Shekhar. The music launch event will be televised on Star network on September 18.

Filmmaker Karan Johar launched the music along with the cast of the film. "I am always overwhelmed when Shah Rrukh talks about my father. It is true that one person that my father loved and adored in this industry is Shahrukh. In his last days, my father had some great memories with Shahrukh. Wherever he is in this universe, he will bless Shahrukh and 'Ra.One' with love and success," Karan said. "I believe 'Ra.One' is the proudest Indian film ever made and there isn't a film like 'Ra.One' on the celluloid," he said.

"This is one of our best albums ever. It is built for the biggest film of all time. Everything has been grand in the film and so is the music and the collaboration of international personalities like Akon, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra," Vishal-Shekhar said. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, 'Ra.one' is slated for a release this Diwali.

SRK celebrates Ganpati with Rani

Superstar Shahrukh Khan, who respects all religions and celebrates every festival, attended the Ganpati puja at his friend, actress Rani Mukherji’s house, and says he enjoyed the love for the god there.

“Went to Rani’s Ganpati. First time I attended a Ganpati in a friend’s house. It was so nice to see faith being celebrated with so much love,” Khan posted on his Twitter page.

The actor, who is married to a Hindu, had recently hosted an Eid party at his residence. It was attended by friends like Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar and Sanjay Dutt.

Khan, who has been busy preparing for the release of his mega-budget production “RA.One”, says he is quite exhausted with the work.

“Overworked.overeaten.overunderslept.overquestioned….,” he added.