On the backdrop of Sharukh Khan's defending remarks on smoking on screens as 'creative liberty', Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said that creative liberty should be used to improve society and not kill mankind.
Hinting on Aamir Khan movie 'Taare Zameen Par', Health Minister said "That is what creative liberty should do". The film which deals on the learning disorder dyslexia, has helped teachers and parents realise and change the attitude with which we look at these issues.
The Bollywood star engaged in a war of words after the Minister made an appeal to Bollywood icons including Sharukh and Amitabh to refrain from smoking on screen as these could badly influence youngsters.
Bollywood's big star Sharukh Khan is all set to make a big budget children's film.
The film which is to be produced by his home production, Red Chillies will be made at an estimated budget of USD 25 million(Rs 1 billion). This will be perhaps the most expensive film in Bollywood's history.
The film is yet to be named will be made with much focus on computer generated special effects.
"We are dedicating the next eight or nine months to taking the best technicians from around the world and asking them to help us make the best VFX film India has ever made," said the actor.
Bollywood's superstar Sharukh Khan is returning to mini screen again with yet another game show.
After starring hit show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'in Star Plus the actor will be back with a new reality game show for the same channel.
The programme titled, Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? will be the Indian version of the popular US TV show, 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader'.
The show would feature adults contesting against 10 year old kids. The contestants will be asked questions picked directly from the textbooks of first standard till fifth graders.
The programme is being produced by Synergy Adlabs, who did KBC. --MP
Shah Rukh Khan is finally making it with director Priyadarshan in the latters forthcoming film which is yet to be titled.
Sharukh will be playing himself on screen however he wont be playing the lead character.
Also the film will be produced by Sharukh's home production Red Chillies Entertainment. "Yes, Shah Rukh and I are working together on a film. It will be a very different genre from what I've done in the past, or from what SRK has done in the past," confirms Priyadarshan.
The film will have lot of other actors apart from SRK and is scheduled to release second half of this year. --MP
SRK with Dont drink and drive campaign
4 Feb, 2008
Bollywood's King Khan is out there again with active campaign for a social cause. This time the mega star is promoting the message, 'Dont drink and drive' for his young adult fans.
The campaign aims to convey the moral message with the influence of the the superstar on young minds. As a part of it, Sharukh will be seen in TV commercials which will be aired shortly.
"I am proud that through this campaign I will be able to pass a social message to the youth of today. I don't believe in putting a blanket ban on such things but people should just keep a little bit of control. Overdoing anything, especially drinking, is not good. There should always be some restraint," said Shah Rukh during the campaign launch at New Delhi.
New Delhi, Jan.28 (ANI): Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan today said Indian cinema survives on creative freedom, and added that Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss's criticism of him and Amitabh Bachchan for portraying smoking on screen is great thought, but a little issue.
"I think there is a huge amount of creative freedom that should be allowed in cinema and arts, and one should not go around picking on little things - because that's just cinema, it's make believe and we should not have huge censorship on that," said Shah Rukh Khan at a ceremony where he was awarded the French title of 'Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters'.
"I saw it in the news that Mr Ramadoss feels that Mr Bachchan and I should not be smoking on screen. I truly agree with that, I think it's a great thought. More than that, I wish Mr Ramadoss prays that I stop smoking in real life. That's worse - in movies we just do it for make believe. Every time I am in front of a television channel I always say children don't smoke, it kills you. It is the worst habit and I want to give it up as soon as possible," he added.
Last week, Ramadoss had urged Bachchan and Khan to desist from smoking in their films. He was also critical of Khan for smoking at a cricket match. (ANI) --MP
Mumbai, Jan 28 (ANI): Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was conferred the prestigious 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' title by the French Government for his 15-year contribution to the Hindi film industry.
The title was conferred to Khan by French Ambassador in India Jerome Bonnafont at the inaugural ceremony of a four-day French film festival held at a suburban hotel here on Sunday.
"To me it is not about being me, being recognised anywhere anymore because it just feels. I don't want to sound arrogant or pompous. But its really nice that I can be considered someone who can in someway take Indian cinema to shores that have not experienced Indian cinema before," said Khan.
Speaking about his recent interest in cricket and foray into the territory through the bid that the film star won for the Kolkata side in the Indian Premier League, Khan said sports is a passion for him.
The 'Order of Arts et Lettres', created in 1957, is one of the four Ministerial Honours of the French republic and was established to reward artists who have gained fame for their works in the field of arts and literature and have promoted these fields.
Khan is now in the company of other recipients, which include Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, author Arundhati Roy, singer David Bowie and Bob Dylan, actors George Clooney, Leonardo Di Caprio and Clint Eastwood. (ANI) --MP
Ramadoss asks Amitabh, Shah Rukh to avoid smoking scenes
27 Jan, 2008
New Delhi, Jan 27 (ANI): Concerned over a large number of children taking to smoking after seeing celebrities doing so on the big screen, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has appealed Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to avoid smoking in their films.
"The movies are most responsible (for encouraging smoking). When I said movies should not have smoking scenes we have statistics which show that 52 per cent of children have their first puff of a cigarette because of movie celebrities," Ramadoss said in an interview to a private news channel.
He said that he had already made appeals to Khan and would like to again appeal to him and Bachchan and all other personalities to avoid smoking scenes.
Ramadoss went on to say that Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai.
He also said that Bachchan and Khan could learn a thing or two from Tamil superstar Rajnikant regarding smoking onscreen.
According to Rajnikant, he had agreed not to smoke in his movies because Ramadoss has made a personal appeal to him. (ANI) --MP
Amitabh Bachchan is doing the narration for a Bollywood film again. This time its none other than daughter-in-law Aishwarya's upcoming historic film Jodhaa Akbar in which she plays queen Jodha. Big B who has done voice over for Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Lagaan' will be donning the narrator's role for the director's latest big budgeted epic film. Lending voice is nothing new for the superstar who had earlier done the same job for films like Bawarchi, Tere Mere Sapne, Parineeta, Swami etc.
Mumbai, Dec 24 (ANI): Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan went on record to say that celebrity endorsement might not ensure an increase in the sale of a product.
Khan, who has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Nokia, a mobile phone manufacturer, maintained at the sets of the shooting of the advertisement that the presence of big names does not mean big sales.
"It is a matter of pride also when international companies use Indians from among us as brand (ambassadors). But to be honest, I can say that celebrities cannot ensure a rise in the sales figures," said Khan.
Off late, both national and international firms have been taking Bollywood actors, cricket stars and other known faces to promote their brands.
Shahrukh Khan was recently involved in a cricket controversy over his presence during the cricket matches and the alleged accusation that he used the cricket field to promote his movies by way of cheering players with playing popular Hindi movie songs of his forthcoming movies.
Khan vehemently denies the accusation.
"I went to meet the Indian cricket team. Now, they have a problem with me being there on the cricket ground. I meet them personally. There was a function for them in Lucknow, so I took my son with me. It was his birthday. Myself, Kareena, Keona and Diya performed," said Khan.
The advertisement which will go on air soon was shot by Pradeep Sarkar, who has earlier directed films such as 'Parineeta' and 'Laaga Chunari Me Daag'.
Shahrukh Khan is the biggest ever celebrity endorsing Nokia mobiles. The company plans to launch the television commercial first which would be followed by the print advertisements. (ANI) - AY
38th International Film Festival to begin in Goa today
24 Nov, 2007
Panaji, Nov 23 (ANI): The 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will start in Goa from today.
Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan will be the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the festival.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi and Goa Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat besides several important film personalities will attend the inaugural ceremony.
The inaugural lamp will be lit with the assistance of Priyamani, the rising star of southern cinema.
The Palme D' OR winner of Cannes 2007- titled '4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days' (Romania) will be the opening film at the festival. The director of the film, Cristian Mungiun and the main actress, Anamaria Marinca will also be present.
Besides, there will be other foreign delegates representing various international film festivals from Netherlands, China, Poland and Mexico. A major delegation from Poland and China will also be present.
Portugal-Spain film 'Fados' directed by Carlos Saura will be the closing film for the festival.
The Cinema of the World Section will feature a choice of year's best international cinema. This section will have 76 films from 42 countries.
A specialized competition for feature films by Asian, African and Latin American directors will also be organised. Under this section, fourteen films from 13 countries have been selected for the competition.
Competition jury is headed by the eminent award winning film maker from Hungary Marta Mazaros, who has directed more than 60 films and has won awards in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and San Sebastian International Film Festivals.
Other members of the jury are Meltem Cumbul, a young leading actress from Turkey; Shaji N Karun, cinematographer, film director and script writer from Kerala; a noted Argentinean film director Pablo Cesar, who has won awards in the Montreal International Film Festival and National awards in Argentina and Robert Sarkies, a young film maker from New Zealand.
Hungary will be in focus under the section 'Country Focus'. Seven films 'Black Brush' (director Roland Vranik), 'Dealer' (director Benedek Fliegauf), 'Eastern Sugar' (director Ferenc Torok), 'Hukkle' (director Gyorgy Palfi), 'Temptations' (director Zoltan Kamondi), 'The Porcelain Doll' (director Peter Gardos) and 'Vagabond' (director Gyorgy Szomjas).
In 'Film India Worldwide' category, three films 'AIDS Jaago' (Mira Nair), 'Amal' (Richie Mehta) and 'The Pool' (Chris Smith). Retrospective of Ingmar Bergman will feature seven of his highly acclaimed films - 'Autumn Sonata', 'Fanny and Alexander', 'The Seventh Seal', 'The Virgin Spring', 'Through a Glass Darkly', 'Shame', and 'Wild Strawberries'.
Indian Panorama at IFFI - 2007 will present a bouquet of 36 films, 21 features and 15 non-feature films. The package is a mixed bag with stalwarts like Budhadeb Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan presenting two films each.
The section will have Ami Iyasin Aar Amaar Madhubala (The Voueurs- Feature) and Naushad Ali- the Melody continues (Non Feature) by Budhadeb Dasgupta and Naalu Penunungal (Four Women- Feature) and The Dance of the Enchantress (Non Feature) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
The debut directors like Sameer Hanchante, Samir Chanda, and Bhavna Talwar will present their films Gafla (Scam), Ek Nadir Galpo (Tale of a river), and Dharm respectively.
A special section celebrating 60 years of India's independence, India @ 60, will showcase seven patriotic films including three feature and four documentaries.
IFFI will also feature a Film Bazaar for films from India as well as large number of foreign countries, seminars, discussions and press conferences, IFFI Goa film treasures (a section dedicated to international film heritage) and special festival publications on the films being screened.
Theatre facilities for IFFI - 2007 have been significantly upgraded. Nine theatres with a total seating capacity of 3,026 will be part of the festival complex as compared to five theatres with a total seating capacity of 2,200 last year.
The theatres are, Inox Multiplex (4 screens), Kala Academy (2 screens), Ashok & Samrat (2 screens). Two new screens have been added in Maquinez Palace, which have the capacity to be looped.
Over 3500 delegates have registered. Around 350 media persons have registered of which 80 are from Goa. (ANI) - AY
SRK inaugurates 38th International Film Festival in Goa
Panaji, Nov 23 (ANI): Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan on Friday inaugurated 38th International Film Festival here.
Recognizing the contribution of the ordinary man in raising the popularity of cinema, Khan said, "Cinema provides people independence from loneliness and a perceived bond with the celluloid characters. This enlivens the dreams and a course to look up to."
Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi was also present on the occasion.
Dasmunsi said that in the present era of technological innovations, a new vision is needed to ensure its fruition for the benefit of commoners.
He announced the Government's decision to confer lifetime achievement award to Dilip Kumar, and melody queen Lata Mangeshkar.
The Palme D' OR winner of Cannes 2007- titled '4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days' (Romania) is the opening film at the festival. The director of the film, Cristian Mungiun and the main actress, Anamaria Marinca were also present there.
Portugal-Spain film 'Fados' directed by Carlos Saura will be the closing film for the festival.
The Cinema of the World Section will feature a choice of year's best international cinema. This section will have 76 films from 42 countries.
A specialized competition for feature films by Asian, African and Latin American directors will also be organised. Under this section, fourteen films from 13 countries have been selected for the competition.
Competition jury is headed by the eminent award winning film maker from Hungary Marta Mazaros, who has directed more than 60 films and has won awards in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and San Sebastian International Film Festivals.
Other members of the jury are Meltem Cumbul, a young leading actress from Turkey; Shaji N Karun, cinematographer, film director and script writer from Kerala; a noted Argentinean film director Pablo Cesar, who has won awards in the Montreal International Film Festival and National awards in Argentina and Robert Sarkies, a young film maker from New Zealand.
Hungary will be in focus under the section 'Country Focus'. Seven films 'Black Brush' (director Roland Vranik), 'Dealer' (director Benedek Fliegauf), 'Eastern Sugar' (director Ferenc Torok), 'Hukkle' (director Gyorgy Palfi), 'Temptations' (director Zoltan Kamondi), 'The Porcelain Doll' (director Peter Gardos) and 'Vagabond' (director Gyorgy Szomjas).
In 'Film India Worldwide' category, three films 'AIDS Jaago' (Mira Nair), 'Amal' (Richie Mehta) and 'The Pool' (Chris Smith). Retrospective of Ingmar Bergman will feature seven of his highly acclaimed films - 'Autumn Sonata', 'Fanny and Alexander', 'The Seventh Seal', 'The Virgin Spring', 'Through a Glass Darkly', 'Shame', and 'Wild Strawberries'.
Indian Panorama at IFFI - 2007 will present a bouquet of 36 films, 21 features and 15 non-feature films. The package is a mixed bag with stalwarts like Budhadeb Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan presenting two films each.
The section will have Ami Iyasin Aar Amaar Madhubala (The Voueurs- Feature) and Naushad Ali- the Melody continues (Non Feature) by Budhadeb Dasgupta and Naalu Penunungal (Four Women- Feature) and The Dance of the Enchantress (Non Feature) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
The debut directors like Sameer Hanchante, Samir Chanda, and Bhavna Talwar will present their films Gafla (Scam), Ek Nadir Galpo (Tale of a river), and Dharm respectively.
A special section celebrating 60 years of India's independence, India @ 60, will showcase seven patriotic films including three feature and four documentaries.
IFFI will also feature a Film Bazaar for films from India as well as large number of foreign countries, seminars, discussions and press conferences, IFFI Goa film treasures (a section dedicated to international film heritage) and special festival publications on the films being screened.
Theatre facilities for IFFI - 2007 have been significantly upgraded. Nine theatres with a total seating capacity of 3,026 will be part of the festival complex as compared to five theatres with a total seating capacity of 2,200 last year.
The theatres are, Inox Multiplex (4 screens), Kala Academy (2 screens), Ashok & Samrat (2 screens). Two new screens have been added in Maquinez Palace, which have the capacity to be looped.
Over 3500 delegates have registered. Around 350 media persons have registered of which 80 are from Goa. (ANI) --MP
BCCI plays down controversy over Shahrukh's presence at Jaipur ODI
22 Nov, 2007
Rajkot/Mumbai, Nov 21 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday tried to put to rest rumours about actor Shahrukh Khan attending cricket matches to garner publicity for his movies.
A day after Khan said that he was disappointed over a statement by a board official that he was using cricket matches as a platform to promote his movies, the board today looked in a damage control mode by saying that there was no fault of the actor.
"Rameez Raza (Pakistani cricketer turned commentator) asked him something (about his movies) and he just respond to it. There is no fault of his. It's not a misunderstanding, but just a controversy blew up by someone. We do not know who is behind it. He was welcomed and will be welcomed in all the BCCI matches," said Lalit Modi, BCCI Vice President.
Expressing his displeasure over the issue, Khan said that he attends matches because his son loves watching them, adding that he doesn't need another platform other than cinema to promote his movies.
"I go to watch matches as my son loves them. Its quite natural that people will ask a film star about his film only. So do you expect that if someone asks me about my movie I will say shh... talk only cricket.
I am a bit disappointed with this controversy... To be really honest I don't think I need promotion from any other platform other than the platform offered to cinema. I am a little disappointed and sad, maybe next time I will not go for a match," Khan told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function in Mumbai last night.
He came to watch the India-Pakistan ODI match in Jaipur along with Deepika Padukone, his co-star in the recently released movie 'Om Shanti Om'. He spoke about his movie to Rameez Raja in the commentary box during a short interview. (ANI) --MP
SRK to inaugurate 38th international film festival in Goa on Friday
Panaji, Nov 21 (ANI): Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan will inaugurate the 38th International Film Festival of India to be held here from November 23 to December 3.
Preparations are in full swing for the annual event, as Goa gears up to celebrate movies in the true spirit of world-class entertainment.
Speaking about the preparations for the event, Nandini Palival, CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa, said: "We are just fine-tuning all the systems and are trying to double check on everything. One day before the film festival we will try to do the mock drill for the opening ceremony so we are very comfortably placed."
Unlike previous year, cine aficionados are likely to have a smooth entry to the venues this time, as the committee has made all arrangements for issuing tickets.
"Last year, there was such a mad rush for the tickets that there were some who were really frustrated and the movie buffs never got a chance to see the good movies, they were not issued the tickets," said Carol, IFFI delegate for second year.
Ujwal Mishra, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Goa, said that this year they have paid attention to providing security during the entire festival.
"We don't envisage much of a security problem because most of it is being done indoors; the only outdoor functions are where singers who are going to sing in various places in Madgaon etc and other places we will provide total security," said Mishra, adding that the Central Reserve Battalion would be there to give back up to the state police.
"Unlike last year, there is no specific threat perception this year; further IFFI is not being conducted on that grand scale," Mishra added.
There will be no entertainment programs in the 38th edition of the film festival, which will be a closed-door affair, restricting it to the registered 5000 delegates and the media. (ANI) --MP
MP: Om Shanti Om is the much awaited movie of the Shah Rukh Khan fans which is schedled for release this Diwali season. The film is directed by choreographer Farah Khan. The film tells the story of characters 'Om' and 'Shanti'. Actress Deepika Padukone pairs with Sharukh for the first time in the film. The story is based on reincarnation and tells the love and life of film stars of the 70's. SRK plays a junior artist who falls madly in love with the then superstar heroine. Vishal-Shekhar has the music. Red Chillies Entertainment produces the film. Arjun Rampal, Kirron Kher, Shreyas Talpade etc are there in the cast. Farah Khan, Abbas Tyrewala has the story. Besides over 30 top Bollywood stars are doing a guest appearance for a special song in the film. The film is said to be a complete comic and romantic entertainer and is expected to be a sure shot success.
MP: Bollywood's King Khan turned 42 on Friday. Khan who made his debut with TV seriels has a career span of almost 20 years. He has a big fanfare across the globe. He has won various awards for his outstanding performance in films and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004. Some of his hits are Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and most recently Chak De India. His upcoming film is Farah Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' which is already in the buzz for sometime now. At his 42nd birthday, here is wishing the superstar another year of success.
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