If we ask y’all when did your love affair with the superstar Shah Rukh Khan begin, we’d get a lot of different responses but mostly it is the cult classic ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum’ that struck the hearts of fans. It is remembered as one of Karan Johar’s most iconic rom-com’s of all time, and the pairing of SRK with Kajol to be one that can outshine all the Hollywood romcoms ever created.
But looking back at the song from the film ‘Shava Shava’ a scene continues to find its way back on Twitter once again, when Rahul dreams up Anjali dancing at his father’s party and then re-calls how he fell in love with her at first sight. You know which scene we’re talking about, and yes it completely set the bar for how superior the SRK-Kajol chemistry is.
No matter how many rom-coms Bollywood will keep churning out, the beauty and simplicity of this heartfelt confession within 25 seconds will never ever be matched by any Bollywood films. Once more Twitter users began falling back in love with the film.
Indians all over the world are rejoicing as space shuttle Chandrayaan-3 lands on the south pole of the moon on Wednesday evening, becoming the first country to do so and the fourth country to fly to the moon. This was India’s third lunar exploration mission, launched on July 14 amidst much fanfare.
Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan took to social media to celebrate the historical achievement, lauding the scientists who helped put India on the moon.
Bollywood Badshah SRK shared a picture of the Indian flag on the moon on his Instagram account, congratulating the team behind the mission.
It turns out Shah Rukh Khan was fated to become an entertainer because even when he wasn’t famous, he could move people with his wit and charm. An X (formerly Twitter) user posted an essay written by the Bollywood Badshah when he was in college.
The “Badshah” actor began the essay by hilariously writing that without going into details about his “bed-pan habits” or other interesting facts about his “urinating styles”, he could safely say he had a happy childhood.
The actor reminiscences about how cheeky he was as a child: “My actions at the age of 5 years were of those of any other kid down the block-winking at girls of the Manavsthali School, throwing flying kisses at aunts 6-7 times my age, and dancing to the tune of Chakke pe Chakka.”
The essay also talks about the actor’s interest in sports, including football, hockey and cricket. The ‘Pathaan’ actor wrote about how he was chosen to be a wicket keeper for cricket matches, played centre, forward for hockey and also received the ‘Best Player Award’ at the All Delhi Schools Hockey Competition. In football, Shah Rukh says he was the captain of the school team for the Youth Review Soccer Tournament.
The essay went viral on Twitter, moving social media users with its wit and elegant prose
After the Jaranwala riots, where a Christian neighborhood was burned down by a violent mob because of blasphemy allegations, many Pakistani celebrities and public figures were quick to condemn the authorities that failed to control the violence , and called for swift action to be taken against the perpetuators. Ashok Swain, the chairperson of the UNESCO International Water Cooperation and professor at Uppsala University, pointed out how Pakistani celebrities were quick to condemn communal riots and ethnic violence against minorities, while in Bollywood the silence of public figures is deafening when it comes to speaking out against the rising hate crimes against minorities.
“Pakistani film stars have spine. Indian film stars only know how to count money,” Swain tweeted.
Pakistani film stars have spine. Indian film stars only know how to count money. https://t.co/yS09xGBLnK
Since Wednesday, prominent public figures like Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Mahira Khan and Azekah Daniels have all spoken against the brutal act of injustice against the Christian community in Pakistan. Taking to her Instagram stories, Chinoy, a two- time Oscar winner, slammed ‘hypocritical’ Pakistanis who are quick to react when the Holy Quran was burned but were silent when churches were demolished yesterday by a lynch mob.
“Two faced: That word best describes Pakistanis who are quick to point out the state of Muslims in India but who turn the other way when someone says look at the state of minorities within your own borders.”
‘Pasoori’ singer Shae Gill, who is a Christian, described how the incident made her completely speechless, and expressed hopes that the masses are educated so that these atrocities can come to an end.
Meanwhile, celebrities in Bollywood have been called out publicly in the past for promoting communal violence and Islamophobia through their films. Akshay Kumar was publicly criticised when his film ‘Sooryavashni’ promoted Islamophobia. During an interview when he was asked about the anti-Pakistani themes of his film ‘Bell Bottom’ to which the A-list actor had responded: “It’s just a film.”
Recently, Shah Rukh Khan was targeted by BJP politicians as a ‘terrorist’ and in January, the music video for his film ‘Besharam Rang’ was targeted because of the baseless ‘Love Jihad’ theory- that claims Hindu women are seduced by Muslim men and then converted into Islam- by conservatives who threatened to burn down the theaters where the movie would play.
This obviously doesn’t mean that cinema in Pakistan is more progressive and open to accepting minorities, but we cannot deny the power of public figures who use their platforms to educate masses about sensitive topics, is far more important in today’s troubling issues in order to help fight against the growing communal violence and hatred.
Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan knows how to make his fans cry a river with moving words. On Wednesday, his daughter Suhana, who is making her debut in the Netflix film ‘The Archies’, gave an interview to India Today, where she was applauded for her grace and poise. Gauri Khan shared a clip on her Twitter account, writing that it was emotional to witness life come full circle, first attending events with her husband, and now watching Suhana at events.
“The first event I ever attended with @iamsrk was a book launch… and now watching Suhana speak at another such event has made me feel like life has come full circle!”
The first event I ever attended with @iamsrk was a book launch… and now watching Suhana speak at another such event has made me feel like life has come full circle! pic.twitter.com/NlgCbYQ8j2
Shah Rukh shared the tweet, writing how proud he was of the way Gauri groomed their three children and raised them to become what they are. We aren’t crying, its the sweat.
“Yeah the circle of life is closing in for us with our babies helping us complete it. You’ve done so well with the three of them…educated them, taught them dignity & desire to share love…& Suhana is so articulate but the dimple is mine!!”
Yeah the circle of life is closing in for us with our babies helping us complete it. You’ve done so well with the three of them…educated them, taught them dignity & desire to share love…& Suhana is so articulate but the dimple is mine!! https://t.co/uazVfG2e6Z
Other than his witty remarks, the Bollywood Badshah had to commemorate some of his iconic films like ‘Chak De! India’ by praising the female actors who helped make the film so memorable
I remember how lovely the girls were. Aditya and Jaydeep and Sumit were so helpful to make this really beautiful film. One of my all time happy place…. https://t.co/ILFaqftN7d
On Wednesday, the internet was blown away when Excel Entertainment announced that the next actor to play the iconic villain ‘Don’ jis ko 11 mulkoon ki police dhoond rahi hai will be Ranveer Singh.
The thriller icon was previously played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan- leading to incredibly high expectations about who would be the next person to fill in such big shoes.
Taking to his Instagram account, Ranveer celebrated the announcement by sharing some throwback pictures of his childhood when he used to pretend to play the villain, calling this something he had been dreaming about for a long time:
“As a child I fell in love with the movies, and like the rest of us,” gushed the ‘Rocky and Rani ki prem kahani actor. “Watching and worshipping Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan – the two G.O.A.Ts of Hindi Cinema . I dreamed of growing up to be like them. They are the very reason I wanted to become an actor and a ‘hindi film hero’. Their impact and influence on my life cannot be overstated. They’ve shaped the person and actor that I am. Taking their legacy forward is a manifestation of my childhood dream ”
Addressing some of the critics who were aghast by the announcement, Singh went on to say:
“I understand what a great responsibility it is to be a part of the ‘Don’ dynasty. I hope the audience gives me a chance and showers me with love, the way they have for numerous characters over the past so many years. ”
Don ka intezar sirf gyaaran mulkon ki police nahi, balkay poori dunya kar rahi thi.
There was a lot of anticipation in the air when it was announced that the iconic thriller film ‘Don’ is going to be revamped for a third film. While rumors suggested that Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan will reprise his iconic performance in Don and Don 2, many were heart broken when SRK reportedly walked away from the project. At the time, sources revealed to media outlets that the superstar was not sure that this was the kind of cinema he wanted to support.
There was all kinds of suggestion about who would embrace the staple black jacket and say ‘Don ko pakarna mushkil nahi, namomkin hai” which had begun with the veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan.
But now, it has been revealed that the next Don is…Ranveer Singh.
A teaser released by Excel Movies yesterday has confirmed the casting.
Lollywood superstar Meera was recently a guest on the celebrity talk show ‘Hasna Mana Hai’. While speaking about her career and the challenges she faced, the ‘Baji’ actress revealed that not one, but two A-list actors had wanted to star her in their movies! It was Shah Rukh Khan, the actress claimed, who wanted to cast her in the film ‘Jab tak Hai Jaan’ before he eventually went with Katrina Kaif. However, the offer couldn’t work out because Meera wasn’t able to secure a visa to London.
Then the other A-lister was the ‘365 days’ Italian actor Michele Morrone, who had reached out to Meera to do a film together.She confirmed on the show that the two are planning to do a film together once his current projects finish:
“Yes, for work…He said, ‘Let’s work together.’ Once his current projects finish, we will work together professionally, God willing.”
Meera has been the butt of misogynist and elitist jokes in the past because of her limited English speaking skills, among other absurd reasons, but the actress revealed she doesn’t let this backlash shatter her self-confidence or her resilience:
“If you wish to be successful or live a peaceful life, you must forget about what people will say…If you love me, what does my age, personal life, or past have to do with it?” she declared.
However, the actress said after living a public life, she now prefers to remain out of the news, humorously answering a question from an audience member:
“When I was in the news, people had objections that I’m constantly in the news, always on television. Now that I’m not in the news, how do you feel now?” She continued, “Those in print media would write, ‘Learn the talent of staying in the news from Meera Jee.’”
Forget about Avengers Endgame or Barbie, the biggest movie ever….never got made. Two of the greatest actors this generation has seen, Shah Rukh Khan and Leonardo DiCaprio, were once about to come together to give us the most incredible thriller film of our lives.
Back in 2011, the Bollywood Badshah had signed on the film ‘Xtreme City’. A picture, purportedly a fan-made poster, broke the internet. Featuring Khan, DiCaprio, Karan Johar, the film was supposed to be produced by the legendary Martin Scorsese with Paul Schrader directing, and Mushtaq Sheikh writing. The film was suppose to pit Khan and DiCaprio against each other.
Sheikh gushed about the once-in-a-lifetime powerful collaboration with NDTV, calling it “the best news I’ve heard in a long time”.
“We are all elated. This is the best news I have heard in a long time. Martin loved the script and it meant the world to me as the writer of the film along with Paul Schrader. But when he comes in as the producer of the project, then I am thrilled as it takes the film to another level completely. Inshaallah, all goes well from here onwards. Fingers and all parts of the body crossed.”
In a 2011 interview with Press Trust of India, Sheikh described the plot of the film as one where “both Indian and American protagonists are balanced human beings”:
“It’s a different kind of film, one where both Indian and American protagonists are balanced human beings and the story treats them in their full complexity without either culture being diminished or taken for granted. It’s a cross-cultural thriller designed for both Bollywood and Hollywood. And if we get it right, this will be an attempt at true global entertainment.”
However the project couldnt take off because both actors weren’t as committed to the project to continue it, and in an interview with Open Magazine, Schrader revealed that Shah Rukh wasn’t comfortable with doing a film he couldn’t control:
“Well, in the end, I don’t think Shah Rukh wanted to make it. It was really up to him, and I just got the feeling that he was never going to be comfortable doing an international film that he didn’t control. You know that everything SRK does, he has total control over? So if he did something like this at an international level, he wouldn’t have that control.”
“I think in the end he wasn’t that comfortable not being a hundred per cent in control. We did have a script, which was a hundred per cent paid for. We also had a meeting with SRK and Leo in Berlin, but neither of them actually ever committed. There was a lot of waiting—maybe they were waiting for each other to commit, but it never quite happened.”
Shah Rukh Khan has also candidly discussed why he chose not to follow the path of other actors like Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, to star in a Hollywood movie, while speaking in 2008 at the Berlin Film Festival.
“My English is not good, if they give me a role of a dumb person who doesn’t speak, maybe then there’s a possibility. I am not trying to be modest, I am 42 years old. I am a little brown. I don’t have any USP as an actor, I don’t have any specialty. I don’t know Kung Fu, I don’t dance salsa, and I am not tall enough…I have seen the recent European films, there is no place for me there, no space for me. I don’t think am talented enough. Instead, I would like to continue working in India and take Indian cinema to the world.”
