Shahrukh’s success makes Salman conscious?

Salman Khan might have hugged Shahrukh Khan, but it seems that the arch-rivals are not ready to give away the cold war and the box office. SRK might have claimed that he doesn’t keep a track of other stars, but the superstar blocked Eid for his film Chennai Express as Salman’s Mental couldn’t hit the theatres this Eid. Salman’s action drama Wanted directed by Prabhudheva which released on Eid became the biggest hit of 2009. In 2010, the actor’s blockbuster Dabangg hit the theatre during Eid, while his Bodyguard too served a good Eid treat for his fans in 2011. In 2012, it was Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger which showcased an amazing chemistry between Salman and Katrina and created history during Eid. It’s after three years that SRK got a chance to release his film during Eid and the flick became the fastest entry to 100 crore club. SRK’s Chennai Express has crossed 181 cr at the box office and also became the highest week 1 (7 day week) collection surpassing EK Th Tiger’s 140 cr from 9 days. It seems that the success of SRK’s Chennai Express has made the Dabangg Khan take some conscious steps and the actor, who is known for his spontaneous career decisions, is planning 2014 very consciously. People from different fields and celebs from glam world gathered at SRK’s Mannat for Iftar Party soon after the release of Chennai Express. However, one of the most expected stars on the venue, Salman Khan gave a miss to the event. Now, according to reports, Salman has blocked all major dates in 2014 to release his films. One of the most awaited films Kick staring Salman and Deepika Padukone is all set to hit the theatres during Eid. His next with Prabhudheva might grab a Christmas or Diwali opening and Sohail Khan’s Mental on Republic Day. We don’t know about the box office, but next year undoubtedly seems to be a joy ride for all Salman Khan fans.

King Khan in surrogacy controversy

Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri, who are reportedly expecting a third child through surrogacy, have landed into trouble. As the radiologists’ association has asked the state health department to inquire into news reports claiming that actor’s child through surrogacy is a boy. Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan was in the midst of a controversy following reports that he has gone for a pre-birth sex determination test for a third child through surrogacy, Zee News reports. When contacted, an aide of the actor refused to respond on the issue. “We are not commenting,” the aide said when asked about reports that SRK was expecting a baby boy through surrogacy. A senior Maharashtra government official said that they had asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to verify reports following a demand for an inquiry by an NGO and Indian Radiological and Imaging Association. “The civic body officials are the appropriate authority for implementation of the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in the municipal corporation areas,” the official said. Meanwhile, doctors from the health department of the BMC visited the actor`s residence Mannat in suburban Bandra to inquire but had to return as SRK was not at home. “Our officials went to his residence. They were told by Shahrukh`s business manager that the actor has not made any statement on expecting a baby boy through surrogacy,” said the civic body`s health department executive health officer Dr Arun Bamne. The PCPNDT Act provides for the prohibition of sex selection in the country before or after conception. Though the report has not been confirmed by the actor or by his spokesperson but it suggested that it was Gauri’s idea to go for the child through surrogacy. However, recent report published by a leading publication suggests Indian Radiological and Imaging Associations has demanded clarity on the issue. “We have written to the state health department to find out how the actor came to know about the unborn child’s sex when sex determination is illegal in India,” leading publication quoted Dr Jignesh Thakkar, coordinator for the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, IRIA, as saying. In the email sent to the top state health department officials, including state health minister Suresh Shetty, IRIA has asked for an investigation and action against those concerned. Doctors say there is a breach of law on the part of celebrities. “If news reports are true then it is a clear that the celebrities can get away with breaking the law,” said Thakker. Shah Rukh and Gauri have been married for the past 22 years and have two kids Aryan (15) and Suhana (13).

Movies that might break Shah Rukh’s Chennai Express record

They say records are made to be broken. All eyes are on big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan to surpass the new success parameter set by Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chennai Express – which has earned a whopping Rs 156.70 crore ($25 million) in its first week. Directed by Rohit Shetty, Chennai Express, an approximately Rs 75 crore joint production venture of UTV Motion Pictures and Red Chillies Entertainment, released on the auspicious occasion of Eid, raced its way to success and has become the film to score Rs 100 crore fastest. In fact, SRK, 47, who is relishing the success, believes that the no records matter, as they will be “equalled or bettered” in a few months. If Satyagraha is coming out on August 30, the last quarter of the year will see the release of Ranbir’s Besharam, Hrithik’s Krrish 3 and Aamir’s Dhoom 3 – all much-awaited and much-talked about projects. Although the budgets of the four films have not been revealed, an insider said that estimated expenditure on Prakash Jha’s political thriller would be Rs 40 crore, while the budget of Abhinav Kashyap’s funny drama could be over Rs.50 crore. Rakesh Roshan’s high-on-special effects spectacle must have cost around Rs 90 crore. The insider, however, refused to talk about the budget of Vijay Krishna Acharya’s film, saying it is still in the making. Many expected Akshay Kumar, known for giving maximum Rs 100 crore films, to break SRK’s record with his gangster drama Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, which released close on the heels of Chennai Express. But it neither dismantled SRK’s film from the box office nor matched its success. Amitabh leads the cast of Satyagraha, which has Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Rao. The movie has a lot of pre-release buzz, thanks to the storyline, apparently inspired by social activist Anna Hazare. Besharam is scheduled for an October 2 release, while Krrish 3, which is set to release on November 4, is expected to cash in on the Diwali festival frenzy. And Dhoom 3 will cap the year when it hits theatres on Christmas, a period that has always proven lucky for the Ghajini star. Distributors, who are not allowed to watch the content before release, are playing blind and banking on these films to earn profit. Anant Verma, director and business head of DT Cinemas, has high expectations from “Krrish 3″ and “Dhoom 3″ – both fresh instalments of two of Bollywood’s most successful franchises. “I am expecting Dhoom 3 and Krrish 3 to do very well as they can be watched by all kinds of people and age groups,” Verma told IANS. Other distributors are too hoping that these films make the festive season profitable. “Hrithik’s Krrish 3 should do well. Satyagraha is also coming up with big stars; so I am expecting it to be a hit too,” said Puneet Sahay of Spice Cinemas. This is so because apart from being part of big banners, these films boast some of the biggest names in Bollywood Boulevard, which helps lure audience to the theatre. Also, promotions play a vital catalyst in augmenting footfalls at the cinema halls. “A combination of script and star power helps to pull audience to halls. As well as the promo-attractiveness during the campaign, which plays a huge part in the opening of the film. These make a significant contribution to a must-see versus a maybe-seen,” said Rafiq Gangjee, Vice President (marketing and communications) of Yash Raj Films, which is producing Dhoom 3. In terms of response, there is already a lot of buzz around Dhoom 3 mainly because it has Aamir and also because he is playing a villain in the action thriller. On the other hand, the highlight of Krrish 3 is Hrithik’s donning the superhero costume again and its trailer has reportedly broken the record of Hollywood films Avengers (almost six million) and “Thor” (almost four million) by gathering 12 million views in just 10 days on YouTube! Besharam, which will see Ranbir teaming up with his actor-parents Neetu and Rishi Kapoor for the first time on the big screen, too is making waves on the digital platform. The official trailer of Besharam shared by Reliance Entertainment on YouTube has received 8,652 likes and 6,914 dislikes so far, while another promo shared by T-Series on the same site has got 1,289 likes and 740 dislikes. This shows a positive trend and if the film works, it will be a double bonanza for Ranbir, who is basking in the success of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Munish Sharma of Satyam Cinemas agrees that banners, actors and promotions help in the opening week collections, but feels ultimately, content rules. And this was true in the case of Chennai Express. “Banner, actors and how they are promoting the film help initial box office collections, but to sustain it, content is very important. Word of mouth is also important for any film post-release. If friends or relatives say good things about a film, people tend to watch it,” he said. “There have been films in the past that had newcomers, but managed to do well. For instance, Vicky Donor had a fresh cast, but so was the subject,” he added.

Ekta Kapoor blames Shah Rukh Khan for OUATIMD failure

With her biggest release of the year, ‘Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara’ opening to a tepid box office response, Ekta Kapoor is not in a good mood these days. And the Balaji head honcho holds SRK responsible for the debacle. It was reported that Ekta had refused SRK’s request for a screening of her film at Mannat and TOI has the details of the fallout. Trouble started when SRK announced that Chennai Express will release on August 8 despite the fact that Ekta had already called dibs on Eid for the release of her ambitious project OUATIMD. Ekta tried her best to outwit SRK in this battle, even calling in a favour from MNS (TOI report dated August 2) to make the star tow the line. Then began a long series of negotiations between her and Chennai Express’s producers, UTV Motion Pictures and Red Chillies Entertainment. Ekta finally agreed on the other big public holiday, August 15. According to a source close to Ekta, she was assured by the production houses that they will withdraw their film on August 15 to make way for OUATIMD in at least 2000 halls across the country. “Ekta relented because she was promised something in return. And the bait was the promise that Chennai Express wouldn’t come in the way of the big release she had planned for OUATIMD on Independence Day,” said the source. But given that Chennai Express set the cash registers ringing, the film’s producers decided that making way for OUATIMD will not be profitable. When Ekta learnt about it early last week, she was left fuming. TOI has it that Shobha Kapoor called up UTV to enquire about the apparent volte face and was told that “it was SRK’s decision”. Things got worse when Jeetendra stepped in. He tried to reach SRK, who did not answer the calls, alleged a source close to Ekta. “While most of his calls went unanswered, finally an unrecognisable person picked up to say, ‘Shah Rukh sir is busy with interviews’,” added the source. The end result was that OUATIMD ended up opening on just 1600 screens; a limited release for a movie which was reportedly made at a budget of Rs 85 crore. “If UTV had lived up to its promise, OUATIMD could have raked in about Rs 10 crore more on its opening day which in turn might have had a Domino effect on its subsequent collections. To add to Balaji’s woes the halls they were given were small ones which in turn must have had an adverse effect on their opening day collection,” said a source from the industry. When contacted, Ekta said, “Whatever has happened is extremely disgusting. I am very angry.” Though SRK’s production house did not provide a statement, a source from the organisation told us, “Chennai Express released on August 9 and it is illogical to expect that the film will be voluntarily pulled out from theatres in its first crucial week.”This was corroborated by a source close to Siddharth Roy Kapur, the other producer of the film. An official from a leading multiplex in Andheri West, on request of anonymity said, “It’s a producer’s prerogative to withdraw a film to aid the release of the next one. But we did not receive any such requests from the producers of Chennai Express because it was doing very well. But please note that a producer can only ask for withdrawal, the number of shows we gave to OUATIMD on the first day were decided as per our discretion.” Another multiplex from Juhu told TOI that the producers of Chennai Express had “pressurised” theatres not to withdraw the film.

First Look: Dhoom 3 (2013)

The first look and motion poster of DHOOM: 3, third installment of DHOOM, is out. The poster features Aamir Khan flaunting his chiseled bare back.However, Aamir’s pose, especially, his super physique give us a sense of deja vu. The way it introduces the actor quite reminds us of his film GHAJINI.If you recollect, the first poster of GHAJINI had the perfectionist exposing his bare-back and brawny body.Aamir Khan plays a baddie in DHOOM: 3, while Katrina Kaif will be his love interest in the film. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will be once again seen in the cop role.

Why Chennai Express Is A Blockbuster

Having broken every box-office record in less than a week since it released, Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express is the new gold standard when it comes to blockbusters. Despite average reviews, Chennai Express did not derail and continues to enjoy good word of mouth among masses. A simple, mainstream comedy that ticks all the boxes of a commercial entertainer, Chennai Express has benefited from a lead pair that does not take itself too seriously, and a director who believes in giving the audience exactly what they want. Doses Of Clean Family Humor Top rated TV shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Comedy Nights With Kapil, give a fair idea of the kind of comedies Indian audiences relate to. And Rohit Shetty is one filmmaker who gets this style bang on. His comedy may not be the LOL kind that an in-form David Dhawan can execute, but he manages to mix a bit of everything that makes Indians laugh. So be it doing Bollywood spoofs or playing on different regional accents or rehashing SMS jokes, Shetty and his writers serve a thali that appeals to everyone from the age of 8 to 80 in the great Indian family. And like Golmaal 3 and Bol Bachchan, his Chennai Express too has something for everyone. Shah Rukh Khan's Star Power He may not be the 20-something Rahul of Dil To Pagal Hai, but SRK proves that when it comes to shear screen presence and dialog delivery, he still packs in a solid punch. So when he carries his girl and climbs the steps of a temple, or takes-on her father with a fiery speech in the end, you can't help but surrender in front of his persona. Deepika Padukone, The Hero Of Chennai Express The debate over the authenticity of her Tamil accent is irrelevant. What matters now is the acknowledgment of this 'once-wooden' actress' evolution into a bona-fide star, who can hold her own in the presence of any superstar. A transformation that began with Cocktail, and evolved with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is now complete with Chennai Express. And the fact that her acting chops have peaked at a time when she is looking her best, is a double bonanza for all filmmakers who are queuing up outside her van to make most of the Deepika Padukone phenomena. Deepika drives this train in a way Sridevi and Madhuri used to dominate their films in the early 90s. Positivity Towards SRK Be the birth of AbRam or the Salman Khan hug; SRK's happyness quotient is up again. Suddenly all the negativity that had crept into SRK's image post RaOne, seems to be a thing of the past. Staying away from any sort of ugly controversy, SRK has allowed Chennai Express to do all the talking in the promotion of the film. And that has translated into a positive vibe towards the film in the eyes of the paying public, who have welcomed the film with open arms. So much so that despite being constantly compared to Ek Tha Tiger in its box office performance, the film has managed to escape the Khan war and has the nod of the entire trade and fraternity.

I will surrender: Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt, who has been ordered by the Supreme Court to return to jail to complete a five-year sentence in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, on Thursday said he has not sought any pardon and will surrender in time.Amid a growing clamour for his clemency, the 53-year-old Bollywood actor said, “All I can tell you is I have not applied for pardon.“There are many other people who deserve pardon. I want to tell with folded hands to the media, the honourable citizens of the country that when I am not going for pardon then there can be no debate about it,” said Dutt, who broke down during his interaction with the press here.The actor, who has been handed down five years imprisonment by the Supreme Court in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, said he had the highest respect for the apex court and will abide by all terms and conditions put forth by it.