Shahrukh's bakbak

There are promotions and there are promotions dearies, but when it comes to promoting their own movies, no one does it better than the dosts Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan.

After Karan’s coffee-style grilling of his Dostana stars, now Shah Rukh has done the same for his forthcoming Billu. He has sat down Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta and Priyadarshan and made them go Bak Bak Bak for a very special TV episode to be aired on Zoom.

The episode is so hilarious — in keeping with SRK’s razor sharp humour — that it had everyone in splits. So much so that when King Khan requested everyone to get up and dance, Lara and Irrfan burst into a jig but the only ‘spoil sport’ was Priyan who refused to get coaxed.

Don’t miss this exciting encounter on Zoom as an SRK special called ‘Billu Ke Bak Bak’. Wonder what hair dressers’ association will have to say about this one.

Priyanka is a sexy mover

It took Shah Rukh Khan to push aside the curtain and reveal the shower singer in Bollywood hottie Priyanka Chopra! That the actress can, well, act, dance with hot moves, is undeniably sexy... is known.

What SRK reveals with his Friday release Billu is that Priyanka can sing as well... and not ordinary love songs with simple lyrics, but she can belt out hip-hop numbers that would impress any West Coast rapper. She’s a rap music lover and can do any number on the US charts with ease... the ‘Yos’ and ‘Aaahaans’ included. Add to that her sexy moves... and what you have is somebody who could give Rihanna reason to worry.

SRK, being SRK, noticed all this when he filmed Don with Priyanka and when it came to picking someone who would gyrate to Pritam’s English hip-hop number Rockin’ & Reeling in his home production Billu... the Bollywood Badshah knew Priyanka was the girl. Anahita Shroff dressed the hot actress in hotter shorts and a snug top. And Shah Rukh got into the frame himself to do a bit of grooving on this heavy duty number.

He, of course, is not very musically inclined and admitted that he doesn’t know whether this is a pure rap song “or what is loosely called a bit loungy and hip-hop mixed with reggae”. But when he heard the track, he knew Priyanka should do it.

“I have been out with her, at home, and danced with her... and she is a natural mover to this kind of music,” he said. “This kind of music resides in her heart, her body and her iPod. I am like, wow, when I see her just move to the groove... she looks really sexy in it. She’s quite a rock star, actually.”

Slumdog debate: Shah Rukh slams critics on poverty jibe

Slamming the critics of Oscar nominated 'Slumdog Millionaire', Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said that the poverty highlighted in the
movie is a "reality" and wondered why people in India tend to become cynical when something good is happening.

"Isn't that (poverty and slums) a reality? If you (critics) have a problem with the word slumdog, why don't you look positively and see that there is a word millionaire or crorepati also," Shah Rukh, who returned from Los Angeles yesterday after a month-long schedule of Karan Johar's 'My name is Khan' told reporters.

Critics felt that the movie sells India's poverty to West and some others had raised objections to the word's ‘slumdog' on grounds that people living in Indian slums were being referred to as 'dogs'.

"I have just returned from the US and people there have become crazy about the film and its music. The film's sound is also too good apart from a good story and screenplay. The film deserves all awards," Khan, who has read the original book as well as the script said.

Also, the actor said that he does not regret declining Anil Kapoor's role in the film.

"I can’t regret something which I could not have done. I don't think I would have done justice to the role of a game show host like Anil Kapoor, he said at the launch of his company's foray into television content last night with 'Ghar Ki Baat hai' on NDTV Imagine.

SRK said that during the period which Danny Boyle shot the film, he was already hosting 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC) and later 'Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai'.

"I am still contracted for a new season of these shows," he said.

SRK said Oscars and Golden Globe awards are a symbol of international recognition.

"I love awards and I hope to feature in a film comprising Indian cast and crew some day which will go to win these awards," he said adding "the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' worldwide is an incentive to all Indian filmmakers."

SRK goes under the knife

Shah Rukh Khan, the actor, who underwent a difficult and painful back surgery some years ago, is now destined to go under the scalpel again for a tear in the shoulder muscle. He suffered the injury in Mumbai when shooting a stunt scene for Mudassar Aziz’s Dulha Mil Gaya. But, as if keeping in mind the old adage ‘no pain, no gain’, SRK continued shooting with occasional physiotherapy from his old friend Dr Ali Irani. Then, instead of resting, he flew to LA where he had a month-long schedule slated for Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. The LA winter did him in. He was taken to a hospital in pain where an MRI showed up the tear in his left shoulder. Now the actor is back and looking at undergoing a shoulder arthroscopy to repair the tear in his supraspinatus muscle.

Talking to this paper, SRK who dragged on in LA through the pain just so that Karan Johar’s shooting schedule might not get disrupted, admitted, “I was advised surgery, but pulled through on temporary medical assistance until I could not bear the pain any longer. I have to now go in for surgery in the next few days.”

He has no choice because the next schedule of My Name Is Khan requires the Bollywood Badshah to be fighting fit and performing all kinds of stunts. His doctors, of course, have advised him otherwise. “Inshallah, I’ll be fine,” smiled the hero.

Meanwhile, the Bollywood Badshah remains undaunted at the prospect of surgery. At the Asia West Pacific Regional Physiotherapy Conference organised by Dr Ali Irani of the Indian Association of Physiotherapy, he kept medicos, some 800 physiotherapists, delegates from 23 countries and students in splits by referring to all the injuries he has faced.

Said Shah Rukh, “Thanks to my injuries, I know every part of my body, all the muscles, the tendons. My body has pieces of metal in it.” His interaction with physios began from the age of 15. “I was playing soccer at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium and developed a lower back problem. That was the end of my professional sporting career. I would have preferred it to the one in showbiz,” he said. “Indias are used to medicines of hakims and vaids. Invasive therapy is not the order of the day. Physiotherapy for most means massage. I love massage though,” he said smiling.

Billo Barber song Jaaon Kahan

Billo Barber Song - Mar Jani

What luck! Aamir & SRK in a film

This is a coup for any director in Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan in one film! Take a bow, Zoya Akhtar — you’ve managed to do that in your debut film.

The long wait for cinema audiences everywhere is now over with Zoya’s Luck By Chance (produced by Excel Entertainment and Reliance Big Pictures) hitting the screens on January 30.

Interestingly, the Khans play themselves in the film, but regretfully don’t share screen space and appear at different times individually. SRK interacts with Farhan and Aamir with Konkona. Both superstars have excellent relationships with Farhan and Zoya and both wanted to support this film.

Even though Aamir doesn’t do cameos, he readily agreed because he is familiar with the set-up having worked with producer Ritesh Sidhwani and director-actor Farhan in Dil Chahta Hai. Also, Aamir who works on bound scripts only, had already read Luck By Chance’s script when Zoya took it to him for feedback some years ago. So that was also okay.

“Initially, we were in a fix wondering how to talk to him, knowing his stance on cameos, till dad called me up to say he had spoken to Aamir,” explained the petite Zoya. Once dad Javed Akhtar succeeded with Aamir, SRK was easy to approach. “I personally spoke to Shah Rukh. But I won’t like to take the credit alone, because both actors did it out of friendship for Farhan and Ritesh. There is a lot of respect between all of us,” she added.

The film has Bollywood as its backdrop with Farhan playing a struggling actor opposite Koknona. “This is the first original story that gives you an insider’s journey of the film industry. A struggler’s experience,” said Ritesh. And here’s another little secret: Aamir shot for the film when he was in the midst of Ghajini and had the tonsured look; so, the consummate actor agreed to wear a wig for Zoya!