Shahrukh Also Bidding For IPL Franchise

Shah Rukh Khan is among the 90 bidders for a franchise from among the teams competing in the $3 million Indian Premier League (IPL) next year, a top Board official said on Tuesday.

Even as some of the top business names have been mentioned among bidders, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, whose name was also doing the rounds, will not be allowed to bid, as the Board will bar current cricketers from bidding for a franchise.

"Shah Rukh Khan has bid for a franchise," the official told IANS.

According to the official, England-based Lord Swaraj Paul is also in the fray. "There are a lot of prominent businessmen and personalities among the 90 bidders we have received so far," he said.

While the franchisees will also bid for the players, some 'iconic' stars like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly will play only for home teams.

The other prominent bidders are business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani and Hollywood actor Russel Crowe, a cousin of former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe.
The floor price for the bidders has been fixed at $50 million.

Mumbai, the game's hub and home to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters, and Delhi, where the board was formed in 1928, are amongst the big favourites with bidders.

A final decision on the teams, the league format and other related issues would be taken at an IPL governing council meeting Nov 17 in Jaipur.

The IPL, conceived by BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi and backed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and all 10 Test-playing nations, will comprise 56 matches in Twenty20 format.

Many of the world's top cricketers, like Australians Shane Warne and Glenn McGarth, South Africa captain Graeme Smith, Pakistan's Mohammed Yousuf, New Zealand's Stephen Fleming and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, have signed to play in the IPL.

IPL will feature eight teams, with each playing home and away games against the others. After the league matches, the top four teams will play in the semi-finals with the grand final scheduled towards April-end.

Each franchise/team will have a squad of 16 players registered with the BCCI and drawn from its central contract pool. Moreover, each team will also feature under-21 players and those from the BCCI's annual contract.

All matches will be played under floodlights at BCCI-designated stadia across the country for a total prize purse of $3 million, making this the richest cricket tournament in the world.
There will be eight franchises for the first year and the IPL hopes to double that number to 16 by 2010.

Shah Rukh beats Tom Cruise

Shah Rukh Khan and writer-director Farah Khan exceeded the wildest forecasts as they not only beat the Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep starring political drama Lions for Lambs over the weekend outside America but also propelled their Om Shanti Om into world movie history.

The film grossed a mighty $17 million gross in India and an estimated $4 million in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the UAE. Ken Naz, who runs distribution company Eros International in North America, called the phenomenon a high watermark for Indian movie industry.

OSO could exceed the $3 million mark set by each Kabhi Alvida Naa Kahna and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gam in North America and the United Kingdom. Shah Rukh featured in those films, too well.

Shah Rukh’s shirtless act behind film’s success

Bollywood filmmaker Farah Khan, who is riding high on the success of "Om Shanti Om", credits superstar Shah Rukh Khan's shirtless song-and-dance sequence as one of the main reasons for the film's good opening.

"Om Shanti Om", a film on reincarnation, had a tough battle to overcome for box-office supremacy as it was sharing its opening date with "Saawariya" -- on unrequited love -- by top Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
But three-days since its release, analysts say, "Om Shanti Om" has edged past "Saawariya”.

"The entire credit for the film's success goes to Shah Rukh," director Farah Khan told Reuters over phone on Sunday. "He is the film's main attraction and the shirtless song is definitely one of the main reasons for the film's hit. It is the scene to watch out for."

The bare-chested act by the 42-year-old actor who underwent rigorous training sessions to develop a six-pack, has helped the song "Dard-E-Disco" reach the top of the charts across television channels and FM radio stations.

"I have made many girls and women happy by showing Shah Rukh in a very different way," she said. "He has a huge audience base and everyone I'm sure is loving the way he has pulled it off. He had to train a lot for the scene and he is looking very good."

India And Pakistan Players watch 'Om Shanti Om'

Indian and Pakistani cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik relaxed on Diwali day watching Shah Rukh Khan's latest release "Om Shanti Om" at a multiplex here. Also present were Tendulkar's wife Anjali, daughter Sara and son Arjun. His family arrived here earlier to watch him play the second India-Pakistan one day international at Mohali. "I liked the film. I am a big fan of Shah Rukh. I like all his films," Sourav Ganguly said after the show.Captain Dhoni and bowlers Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan were among the others who watched the film at the Fun Republic multiplex. Locals who had booked the evening show for the film were pleasantly surprised to find the biggest names in Indian cricket. Many fans went almost crazy on seeing their cricket stars. Some members of the Pakistan team led by captain Shoaib Malik came for a late night show of the film. Pace man Shoaib Akhtar was among them. Pakistan beat India in a thrilling day-night encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium Thursday with just one ball to spare.

SRK "animation role"

He's probably one of the world's most recognisable faces but Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan would love to star in an animated film.
"It is my dream to be a part of an animation film and I would love to play a character or even myself for that matter in it someday," said the 42-year-old actor at a promotional event late on Tuesday.
"I love animation and in fact at one point I was involved in doing an animated film but unfortunately it didn't work out."
Khan, who has acted in about 63 films and is arguably the industry's most bankable actor and one of the world's most famous stars due to India's huge cinema-going population.
Unlike Hollywood that has attracted several leading stars like Angelina Jolie and Will Smith, the Indian animated film industry has only just started to rope in celebrities.
Earlier this year, Disney collaborated with India's Yash Raj Films Studios -- known for its mushy Bollywood romances -- to produce a series of computer-animated films for Indian audiences.
The first of the series, "Roadside Romeo", that is set for release in 2008, will be voiced by Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

SRK to Inaugurate "International Film Festival 2007’

Shahrukh Khan would inaugurate the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2007 starting on November 23 in Goa.

Karuna, Shahrukh’s spokesperson told, “Yes, Shahrukh Khan has accepted the invitation to inaugurate the ten day long festival.”

The occasion will witness best of cinema from India as well as overseas. It would be started with the far-famed Romanian film director Cristian Mungiu’s film “Four Months, Three Weeks and Two days,” which already won the esteemed Golden Palm prize at Cannes early this year.

Karuna, on behalf of SRK, who is presently out of the country, said, “Shahrukh is pleased to do the honour on behalf of the film industry.”

In the meantime, Neelam Kapur, Director of the film festival, told that renowned Spanish film director Carlos Saura’s critically-acclaimed movie 'Fados' will be the finishing movie at the festival.

She also said that the film festival will also pay a mark of respect to a few well-known film celebrities that includes Swedish master Ingmar Bergman who passed away this year. He made classics including 'Smiles of a Summer Night', 'The Seventh Seal', 'Wild Strawberries' and 'The Magician'.

“To honour renowned Bengali filmmaker Tapan Sinha, the festival will showcase a special collection of his films,” Neelam said.

Om Shanti Om opens to rave reviews

Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Om Shanti Om" received a rave response as it was released in theatres across the country on Friday.

The Farah Khan magnum opus also marks the debut of model turned actress Deepika Padukone. The film is set in the 70's, which is, described as the romantic era in the history of Bollywood.

Fans of Shah Rukh Khan are talking widely about the actor's performance in the movie.

"Far above my expectations. It was a good movie and I think it is going to do well," said Swati, a viewer.

Meanwhile 'King Khan' Shah Rukh is upbeat about the prospects of the movie and feels that the audience will love it.

"If a lot of people love the offering of love that my company has made then that is achievement, money and all will keep happening later," said Shah Rukh Khan, actor and producer of "Om Shanti Om".

The story of the film revolves around Om (Shah Rukh Khan), a struggling junior artiste in the '70s' celluloid era and madly in love with the biggest star of his time Shanti (Deepika Padukone). But in his first life he cannot find his true love and dies an untimely death.

Om is reborn and the story flash forwards to the present day.

Haunted by memories of his past life and his true love, Om attempts to solve the mystery of his death, and also to reunite with Shanti, the love of his past life.

Earlier today, the Shah Rukh Khan fan club took out a rally on the streets of Kolkata dancing and chanting slogans eulogising the screen god, Shah Rukh Khan.

"It's going to be a mass audience film. After "Chak De" (a Shah Rukh Khan movie), it is back to masala movies. Everybody is enthusiastic about Shah Rukh Khan's six pack abs," said June Maliah, a Shah Rukh fan and Bengali film actress.

Director Farah Khan has pulled out all the stops to make her venture a complete eye-catcher, cashing in on the charisma of Sahrukh Khan. She has also roped in 31 actors from the past and present era for an item number in the movie.

Bollywood is no stranger to movies made on the theme of reincarnation, and has ruled the box office for long time. Earlier movies like "Karz" and "Karan Arjun" (a Shah Rukh Khan starrer) based on the theme of reincarnation were the biggest hits of their time.

The duo of actor Shah Rukh Khan and Director Farah Khan in 2004 gave the biggest hit of the year, "Main Hoon Na".