Both Hrithik and Suzanne want all of their kids to grow up together, in the same age range, and as they always wanted 3 children, a third could come sooner than expected.
Hrithik is currently reveling after getting great reviews for his role as the Emperor in Jodhaa Akbar.
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By Taran Adarsh
| Film | Cast | Plusses | Minusses | Verdict |
| Jodhaa Akbar | Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan | An interesting cinematic experience | Excessive length | Excellent weekend at big centres, especially Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, select centres of U.P., Bengal, |
| Mithya | Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak, Saurabh Shukla, Harsh Chhaya, Brijendra Kala | A well-made film on all counts | Caters to a niche audience |
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| Sunday | Ajay Devgan, Ayesha Takia, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Mukesh Tiwari, Esha Deol [sp. app.], Tusshar [sp. app.] | Well-made and well-packaged entertainer | Second half and also climax could've been stronger |
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| Taare Zameen Par | Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, Tisca Chopra, Tanay Cheda, Sachet Engineer, Vipin Sharma | Darsheel Safary's bravura performance, Aamir's brilliant execution and several heart-rending moments | Post-interval portions could be shortened |
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| Superstar | Kunal Khemu, Tulip Joshi, Aushima Sawhney, Darshan Jariwala, Sharat Saxena, Reema, Vrajesh Hirjee | Kunal Khemu's performance and director Rohit Jugraj's execution of several scenes | Patchy script |
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(Ratings are based on the box office collections and the cost of the film)
(Courtesy-Indiafm)
| I want to cater to kids: Shah Rukh Khan | |||
 Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, who is all set to make a children's film in the VFX medium, using computer-generated special effects, says he is overwhelmed by the response he gets from children and wants to cater to them.'I love kids and I am overwhelmed by the response I get from children. Adults like me by chance,' Shah Rukh Khan told IANS. 'I have maintained my love for kids since long and want to cater to them because they have the shortest attention span. I want to make a place in the hearts of the little ones and then I will automatically reach the families. As children handle the remote control these days, everyone has to watch what they like. 'Theatre director Barry John, my acting teacher at Delhi Theatre, used to say: 'if you can capture the interest of kids, you will be always successful' and I stick to that,' he added. Shah Rukh was recently in Berlin to promote 'Om Shanti Om' and was interviewed by Hollywood trade magazine Variety. The magazine reported that the proposed children's film would be made at a budget of $25 million (Rs.1 billion), the highest budget in India. But commenting here about the money to be spent on making the film, Shah Rukh said: 'Media is speculating about the budget. We are still working on the script.' The actor, also the owner of the Kolkata team franchisee Red Chillies Entertainment, said through all these initiatives - investment in sports and VFX film - he wants to do something for the country which has given him so much. 'My dream is to invest money and bring better technology in our country that has given me money, love, respect... everything one can ask for! Not only cricket, we want to invest in all kind of games. 'I think if children are allowed to play all the time along with little bit of studies, 'creative' aggression would develop in them. It would prevent them from indulging in vices like smoking, drinking or drugs.' And when is the superstar planning to kick the butt! 'I have been trying to kick the butt since long. But it is very difficult to give up bad habits. And I can't be dishonest in saying I will quit smoking and then don't do it.' 'However, I would appeal to children that they must not pick up this habit from me, as fans have a tendency to imitate their favourite stars. This is a bad habit and is injurious to health. They must never do it,' he stressed. King Khan is now set to host a television quiz show 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain' and says the medium doesn't matter because he is an entertainer. 'I started my career with television and with time the small screen is becoming better. However, being a jester, my idea is to entertain by films, by stage shows... by all possible formats.'
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By CNN International, Feb 12, 2008
LONDON, England (CNN) — Some movie actors are lauded for their performances on the silver screen, earning themselves respect and stardom. But few, if any, Western stars are worshipped in quite the way that Shah Rukh Khan is. In a film career spanning 16 years he has risen to become the most recognizable face of Indian cinema and the most watched movie star in the world.
Shah Rukh Khan’s life story is one which Bollywood scriptwriters would have been proud to have penned themselves.
His journey into Indian cinema took in tragedy, romance, determination and luck. It was also highly unconventional for an outsider like Khan to break into the inherently dynastic world of Bollywood.
Khan was born in Delhi in 1965. As a boy growing up, Khan never really dreamed of being an actor, his head and heart were consumed by sport — notably cricket and hockey — but injuries put an end to any dreams of becoming a professional sportsman.
But he had also dabbled in drama as a teenager and enrolled at Delhi’s Theatre Action Group which had been run by the renowned theatre director Barry John since 1968.
The experience served Khan well, and with TV production starting to boom in India, Khan was soon called upon to appear on the small screen — his first appearance was in the series “Fauji” in 1988.
Sadly both his parents died before seeing their son achieve success in Bollywood. His father Meer Taj Mohammed — a lawyer and freedom activist who had campaigned for Indian independence — died in 1981. His mother Latif Fatima, a magistrate, died 10 years later.
But it was the death of his mother that proved to be the catalyst for Khan switching from the small to big screen. Beset by sadness and depression at the loss of his mother, Khan decided to give the movies a shot and made a permanent move to Mumbai — the center of filmmaking in India.
It wasn’t long before he caught the eye of casting directors and soon a film role was offered to him. But Khan wasn’t sure whether he should accept.
“I wasn’t very keen,” he told CNN. “But there were some friends in TV who convinced me to do it. I was more intellectually inclined. I wanted to do a more serious kind of cinema.”
Nevertheless, in 1992 Khan made his film debut in “Deewana,” winning him the Filmfare Best Male Debut award.
His continuing reluctance to take his new status and film roles too seriously meant Khan took on parts that some of the more established Bollywood stars would have rejected out of hand.
Khan believed he had nothing to lose, and he happily took on a variety of roles. In 1993 he played a murdering adulterer in “Baazigar.” Khan’s character (Ajay Sharma) pushes a young Shilpa Shetty off a roof and thus launched her career. The performance earned him his first Filmfare Best Actor award. Unafraid of being typecast, Khan reprised the ‘bad guy” role in “Darr” (1993) and “Anjaam” (1994).
Playing the character of Raj Malhotra in the 1995 feature “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (DDLJ) propelled him to new heights, confirming his versatility and popularity as a Bollywood actor. The film was a huge critical and commercial success, becoming the longest running film ever in Indian cinema — it continues to run to this day in cinemas in Mumbai.
Khan had become, and remains, the hottest property in Bollywood. Despite his inability to sing — all his songs are dubbed — and, at best, an average talent for dancing, he oozes charisma. “His screen presence is still incredible,” says his biographer Anu Chopra. “You can’t take your eyes off him. He is just completely magnetic.”
Box office records continue to be broken, awards continue to stack up — so far he has won 13 Filmfare awards — and throughout all of it his personal life has remained settled and happy. Married to Gauri since 1991, the couple had their first son Aryan in 1997. A daughter, Suhana followed in 2000.
The same year Khan, along with his friend and actress Juhi Chawla, set up the production company Dreamz Unlimited. In 2004, he founded Red Chillies Entertainment, which produced the highly successful ‘Main Hoon Na’ — the directorial debut of the multi-talented choreographer Farah Khan.
Outside of filmmaking Khan can be seen presenting “Kaun Banega Crorepati” — India’s version of the successful ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” format. And recently, he was part of a consortium which successfully bid for one of the eight new franchises of cricket’s Indian Premier League.
LOVE ACTUALLY: A drama of epic proportions, Jodhaa Akbar is at its core an intimate love story.
Cast: Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai
Direction: Ashutosh Gowariker
I’ve never felt this way about any other film, but sitting there in my seat watching Jodhaa Akbar, I felt privileged as a moviegoer. Privileged that such a film had been made, and privileged that it had been made in our times so we can form our own opinions of the film rather than adopt the opinions of previous generations, which we invariably must when looking at older classics.
A drama of epic proportions, Jodhaa Akbar is at its core an intimate love story that’s set against the spectacular sweep of the Mughal era. It’s about the romance that gradually blossoms between Emperor Akbar and his wife Jodhaa, the Rajput princess with whom he enters into a marriage of alliance. It’s also the coming of age story of the greatest Mughal ruler, who goes from a reluctant warrior to a brave and honorable leader and wins over his people with his empathy and his secular outlook.
Magnificently directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, Jodhaa Akbar draws you into its drama just moments into the film, transporting you to the battlefield, to the emperor’s court, to Jodhaa’s private chamber, and most importantly, into the mind and heart of Mohammed Jalaluddin Akbar himself, where he grapples with betrayals and insecurities.
It’s the kind of film that doesn’t quite let go of your attention well after the end credits have rolled some three hours and 20 minutes later.
Much will be said about the film’s daunting length, and truth is, it could have been shorter. I can think of at least two subplots that could have been judiciously trimmed. But having said that, I honestly believe the length of Jodhaa Akbar doesn’t hurt. You are swept into the roller-coaster ride of Akbar’s political and personal growing-up journey, and it’s not often that the screenplay loses its pace.
The film’s best moments are the ones between the protagonist couple. Take that scene in which he catches her sight transfixed on his bare torso, or that sword fight between the couple that’s bubbling with sexual energy. Even that delicate scene in which he reveals to his wife an awkward truth about his education. Or then that moving scene in which he vindicates her honour by demanding to be served his lunch in the same plates she ate out of just moments ago in a tense situation.
Truth is, Jodhaa Akbar works like a dream when it focuses its energies on the relationship between the couple – their little spats, their mischievous moments, his heeding her advice, and the like.
As a big, period epic, Jodhaa Akbar has enough drama to keep you engaged – palace intrigue, violent confrontations and impressive battle sequences.
The scenes that stand out for their sheer visceral impact can be ticked off a checklist – first that breathtaking scene in which the emperor tames a wild elephant, also the one in which he gives in to his rage and orders a cruel death to a traitor, and finally that one-on-one combat scene in the climax, inspired no doubt from Troy. These are moments all that stay with you long after you’ve left your seat.
There is ample evidence of the fact that Gowariker once again assembles the perfect team to realise his vision. Kiran Deohans’ cinematography is one of Jodhaa Akbar’s key strengths, and nowhere is that more apparent than the battle scenes which Deohans’ camera captures gloriously, making you feel like you’re right out there where the action is.
His visual treatment for the film’s songs is another masterstroke, in particular the eye-watering manner with which he films the Khwaja mere khwaja number, and also the lavish indulgence of the Azeem-o-shaan-shahenshah song.
Then there’s Neeta Lulla’s costumes and Nitin Desai’s sets, both suitably ostentatious, but never once drawing attention away from the drama like they have previously in films like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas. Of course, Jodhaa Akbar benefits enormously from AR Rahman’s genius score, a collection of the finest, most haunting tunes you can remember recently, my favourites being the unforgettable Jashne Baharaa number and the one-of-a-kind Khwaja mere Khwaja track.
The soul of Jodhaa Akbar however, lies in the superlative acting. Supporting player Nikitin Dheer makes a lasting impression as Akbar’s rebellious brother-in-law, but the film of course belongs to the two leads.
As Jodhaa, the sometimes-feisty-sometimes-graceful leading lady, Aishwarya Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen.
Hrithik Roshan, as Akbar, oozes confidence and delivers a career-best performance as the unflinching emperor. Not only does he transform physically to become the part, he gets under the emotional skin of the character and makes it his own. I cannot think of any other actor who could play this better.
Fact or fiction, Jodhaa Akbar is an engaging, involving movie-going experience, and puts Gowariker right up there on the very short list of India ’s finest filmmakers. No prizes for guessing, I’m going with four out of five and two thumbs up for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar, it’s a modern masterpiece that will be celebrated for years to come.
Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
(Courtesy-CNN-IBN)
Karan Johar after the fiasco of KANK is done with themes of adultery. His next project is tentatively titled “Khan” and will star his dream team of Kajol and Shahrukh Khan. Some excerpts from an interview:
Are you and SRK jointly getting into production and launching three movies?
Shah Rukh has Red Chillies, and I have Dharma, but we are kind of together anyway. We are producing our own films but any deal that I strike, it’s always in consultation with Shah Rukh and he will be a part of it. So he and I are one in any case, even though we are not one on paper. Anything I do, I run it by him first. Any decision he takes, we discuss. So it’s like Red Chillies and Dharma are the same.
Will you co-produce?
We might, of course. That could be the future. I think we are two forces that could very well combine together. In essence, we already are one. I have a joke with Aryan (SRK’s son) I always tell him, ‘you better be nice to me, someday you will inherit everything that I have.’ I always ask him, ‘you want my Bandra house, or ‘you want my town house?’
As long as you are feeling generous, I’ll take your office.
Ha, ha… sure. But seriously, SRK’s kids are really the closest I am going to get to kids for a while. So they get everything.
Directing, modelling, designing, TV show, hosting live shows. Anything new on the agenda?
I get really strange offers. Especially acting ones. For some reason, people think I can act. Of course, I don’t take them up.
Offers from who? Please tell.
No, no. You don’t even want to know. Let me tell you they have not been from any great names. (laughs)
Not Mani Ratnam?
(Cracks up) No, from him, I mean I would totally consider it if he offered me a role. I think I have pretty much done everything I ever wanted to do. I have done it all… my primary passion is making movies. Everything else is extra-curricular. My big dream is Dharma Productions. That’s more my father’s dream than mine. He wanted it to be huge and be known all over the world.
You have already done that…
I want to make it much bigger. I have been making one film in two years. Now I want to do three films a year, and who knows where I will go after that… if that experiment or endeavour is successful. I will take it from there.
And you obviously cannot direct three films a year.
That’s why we have a host of new talent. A host of new directors: Tarun, Siddharth Malhotra and Renzil. They are all first-timers and they’re making films for me. Then I have an animation film being made. We are officially launching four films, one after the other.
Tell me about the film.
My animation film is called Kootchie Kootchie Hota Hai takes off from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It’s KKHH with dogs, cats, orangutans, pigs, donkeys and all sorts of animals. It’s an animal world but like a human world. The amenities are what you and I are used to. They have schools, colleges, hospitals, and we have…
Prada?
(sniggers) Ummm, you never know… I am the Devil and I cannot do without Prada. But we are collaborating with Prana, who are experts in animation and they are are co-producing the film.
You lost your temper with Mannish Goel on Say Shaava Shaava.
I just felt that he wasn’t sporting enough. You cannot be in the entertainment business and be this sensitive. You have to learn to handle it better. You cannot get emotional and cry over a comment on the show. I can say this because I have all kinds of things written about me in newspapers and magazines. And I just laugh it off. If I didn’t, I would be a basket case. There is a guy called Shubbu or something who writes a blog about me. He is obsessed about me. Everyday he gets up and vents against me. I find his blog very entertaining. I read it everyday.
Ever commented on it?
I tried to, but you have to become a member to do that and I find that such a bother.
Will you meet this blogger?
I would love to meet him. He is the only person I know, who is more obsessed with me than I am with myself.
[Blockbuster in some circuits]
Actress Vidya Balan says the fun quotient is getting better for her with every movie. 'First 'Parineeta', then 'Salaam-e-Ishq', followed by 'Hey Babyy' and now 'Bhool Bhulaiya' with Priyadarshan. All of them were loads of fun,' says the actress.