MNIK: After record opening comes the slump

My Name is Khan opened with a bang at the box office, earning a whopping Rs 85 crores (US $18m), but it saw a drop in business from Monday as the word of the mouth was not good enough to sustain the film.

Though many critics loved it and so did the classes, the masses overall seem to be in a rejection mode.

Says Komal Nahta, Bollywood trade analyst, "On the whole, My Name Is Khan is far from entertaining and also too boring for the general masses. For the heavy budget at which it has been made, it will keep its worldwide distributors (Fox Searchlight) in the red. Business in big cities, especially in South India [ Images ], Muslim centres and overseas will be better but it will be below the mark in North India as also in smaller centres and single-screen cinemas. It may be appreciated by the class audience but the masses will reject the film."

The buzz for the film was huge ever since the controversy between Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ] and Shiv Sena [ Images ] broke out.

Sena supremo Bal Thackeray [ Images ] demanded that Shah Rukh Khan apologise to the nation after he said in a press conference that he wished if Pakistani players could play in IPL 3.

This created a furore and Thackeray ordered Shiv Sainiks to see that the film was not released in Mumbai [ Images ] and Maharashtra [ Images ].

The police gave extra protection to almost every theatre and multiplex for a peaceful screening and amidst tension people came out in hordes to watch the film in Mumbai as well as other parts of the country.

"The curiosity value is over, it seems. The picture has suffered a considerable drop in collections on Monday," said Vinod Mirani, another Bollywood trade analyst.

Added Amod Mehra, another trade analyst, "At this moment, it appears the film will not be able to recover the cost because it has been sold at a high price."

Asked about critics loving the film and some of them even giving five stars rating, Mehra said, "Earlier there were paid previews of the film, now there is paid review of the film."

Why SRK wears clean socks all the time!

Six months after he was detained for two hours for questioning at the Newark Liberty International Airport, Shah Rukh Khan returned to the New York-tristate area on Monday to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ, the world's largest exchange company that delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across the globe.

Shah Rukh and his co-star and Kajol in the film, My Name Is Khan, became the first Indian actors to ring the bell. The movie's director Karan Johar, who Shah Rukh said is spending sleepless nights in Mumbai giving the final touches to the film, could not be there for the historic occasion.

"It was an honour to India and not just to us but we are nevertheless very happy that Fox Searchlight (which is distributing My Name Is Khan worldwide) made it happen," Shah Rukh said.

Dozens of movie fans turned up for the event, waiting outside the Times Square NASDAQ area to catch a glimpse of Kajol and Shah Rukh.

The stock exchange bell is rung in the morning and the evening. Busness leaders across the world, statesmen, head of governments and leaders of organisations fighting cancer or any other life-threatening disease are invited for the honour. India's Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal, for instance, has rung the closing bell at the exchange, which lists seven Indian companies with a market capitalisation of $35 billion.

Arjun Rampal joins twitter

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) After Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar has brought another actor on Twitter, which is fast becoming a favourting haunt for for Bollywood celebrities. Rampal, who recently won the first national award for his role in 'Rock On', joined the micro blogging website today.

"Hello everyone, yes I am finally here thanks to Mr Kjo.....so lets discover what twitter is all about...right now on the sets of Stepmom (sic)," Rampal wrote. Johar had earlier encouraged Ranbir Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan to join the website.

Rampal is playing the male lead in Johar's Hindi adaptation of 'Stepmom'. Kajol and Kareena Kapoor are the two other stars in the movie. The actor managed to have 1,625 fans follow his posts within minutes of his first tweet.

Other Bollywood celebrities, who are an avid user of twitter are Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Mallika Sherawat, Riteish Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Anupam Kher.

Katrina reveals her past

Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar's guest this week on 'Lift Kara De' on Sony, made some startling revelations about her past. (Text courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)

Priyanka Chopra in Karan Johar’s ‘Lift Kara De’

The first episode of ‘Lift Kara De’ opens with Shahrukh Khan and now next in the row is Priyanka Chopra. The episode is said to be extremely chatty and entertaining. Karan will make the girl from Bareilly sing the song, ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ and that too with all kinds of aadaye.

Priyanka after winning the Miss India and Miss World title in 2000 has won the hearts of the audience with her stupendous performance. She has also a huge fan following which will be revealed on the show. On the particular episode, Priyanka will divulged her secret desire to meet King Khan and also how bold she was to dance to the tune of songs from Shahrukh’s film and that too with door opened.

Both also had some verbal toss of words and they shared some light moments. The episode is going to be very much fun-filled.

So, catch the latest episode of ‘Lift Kara De’.

Karan Johar waiting for 18 Dec

When you are bringing out a project after a gap, you strive to give your best, even it means losing the 40 winks.

Karan Johar’s much-awaited directorial and Dharma Productions’ ‘My Name is Khan’ will show the world its first promo on coming 18th. So the filmmaker was said to have been totally on his toes to get things done perfectly and finalised for the D-day. It heard that past few days, KJo was very busy in putting things in order for the film’s first look and in the process had kept on working from Saturday morning to Monday morning without any sleep.

Being one of his ambitious projects till date, this Shahrukh-Kajol starrer is a subject that Karan Johar is said to have never attempted to make so far. According to sources, the filmmaker reached office early on Saturday morning to start working on the edit and didn't stop till Monday morning 7am. “He must have barely taken an hour-long nap in those two days. SRK too joined him on Saturday night and they had a meeting about how they plan to go about promoting the film. SRK saw some portions of the first theatrical promo and then left the Dharma Productions office early on Sunday morning. However, Karan continued to work and only left on Monday morning after he was satisfied with the first look,” revealed the sources.

The theatrical trailer of ‘My Name is Khan’ is releasing alongside the release of Hollywood flick ‘Avatar’. While KJo is praying for the best on that day, audience across the globe are equally inquisitive for his film as well.

I'm over and above box office today: Karan Johar

I'm over and above box office today: Karan Johar

Mumbai, Oct 24 (IANS) Never mind that his production house Dharma Productions has just delivered a big hit in 'Wake Up Sid'. Director-producer Karan Johar says he has matured over the years and box office collections are no longer the only driving factor for him.

'Frankly, I am over and above box office today. With age and some dose of maturity coming in, I truly believe that I have grown as a filmmaker and hence I am not just looking at crores out there,' Karan, 37, told IANS in an interview.

Karan has half a dozen films lined up for release in the months to come. After 'Wake Up Sid', debutant Rensil D'Souza's 'Kurbaan' is next. He is also speeding up Tarun Mansukhani's animation flick 'Koochie Koochie Hota Hai' and 'Dostana 2'.

Siddharth Malhotra's 'Stepmom' remake is already on floors while debutant director Punit Malhotra's 'I Hate Love Stories' is in pre-production stage. Newcomer Karan Malhotra has been entrusted with directing an 'Agneepath' remake.

Karan's own directorial venture 'My Name Is Khan' would be releasing in early 2010.

With so many projects in the pipeline, is it really easy for him not to think about box office collections?

'I guess numbers just get lost after a point in time while the quality of a product is remembered. I have learnt that the remembrance a film gets is far more important than what you end up gaining in the first weekend.

'A living example is 'Wake Up Sid'. Yes, it opened well but what is even more heartening is that it is still being loved and watched weeks after its release. That excites me,' said Karan.

His claim comes with enough validation here. After the mega Diwali weekend that saw 'Blue', 'All The Best' and 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna' fighting for screen space, 'Wake Up Sid' was kept on hold. The Ranbir Kapoor-Konkona Sen Sharma-starrer did have two bountiful weeks.

Karan is happy to be following the mantra of making quality films without worrying much about the cash register.

No wonder many first-time filmmakers working with him are happy to be in an environment that challenges and motivates them to make something worth remembering.

'I never ask my directors to give me a film that would fetch me Rs.80, 100 or 120 crore. Once you do that, you only end up putting pressure on the poor guy. Instead, I want them to focus entirely on the subject in front of them and leave the box office in the hands of audiences.

'This is what Ayan Mukerji did with 'Wake Up Sid' and look at how he has passed with flying colours, both critically and commercially,' said Karan with a tone of appreciation.

(Joginder Tuteja can be contacted at joginder_tuteja@rediffmail.com)

Kurbaan's music scores

CommentAditya Chopra's Fanaa and New York combined the conflicting themes of romance and terrorism to box office uplifting results. Taking a break from candy floss capers, filmmaker Karan Johar, too, strives to achieve the same with his serious albeit sleek production, Kurbaan.

Directed by Rensil D'Silva, best known for his scriptwriting skills in Rang De Basanti, the tense drama features Bollywood's 'It' couple-Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

While the posters and trailer of Kurbaan drew expected attention, the soundtrack by the affable duo of Salim-Sulaiman along with the inventive penmanship of Prasoon Joshi is keenly melodious and instantly appealing.

Kurbaan makes a promising and lilting beginning with the silvery Shukran allah. Fresh and breezy, Shukran allah celebrates the novelty of a young romance and bursting emotions with generous help from Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal's delicate delivery. This one's a keeper.

The rustic vocal brilliance of Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher join forces fervently praying for divine intervention in Dua hai, a characteristically Salim-Sulaiman creation. Even as the arrangement and chorus pattern is often reminiscent of Kaal's Tauba Tauba, the collective enthusiasm of the afore-mentioned singers keeps the momentum going.

Unique Marketing Strategy

Karan Johar leaves everyone behind when it comes to innovative marketing of his movie 'Wake Up Sid'. Karan is going to have free shows in all metros across the country for people named Siddharth. The person will be allowed one companion for the all expenses paid show and would require a photo identity for proof. The show will run simultaneously throughout the country. This is indeed a great idea and it would be fun to see how many Siddhaths turn up to celebrate the success of 'Wake Up Sid'.

'I want a box office hit'

Asked what they want, box office or awards, many movie stars may be tempted to say, "both," but recently Konkona Sen Sharma bluntly told Karan Johar, "Box office."

The film-maker who has cast her as a writer who gives meaning to a slightly younger male (Ranbir Kapoor) in the admirable Wake Up Sid was interviewing her recently on his show. Awards, Konkona told him, she has in plenty.

It is not that she hasn't been featured in box-office hits such as Life in a Metro and Page 3 but those are small budget films (compared to an Akshay Kumar or a Shah Rukh Khan movie).

Now, it looks like she has another arthouse hit. Wake Up Sid, according to distributors UTV, has grossed a healthy $4.2 million worldwide in three days. In North America, its $350,000 gross smartly outbeats Do Knot Disturb which made $124,000. and the laughing stock of the season What's Your Raashee? continued its doomed run earning $237,000 in 10 days in North America.

Hers is an engaging role in Wake Up Sid, she says, adding that she plays a Bengali woman with insights into life. She has arrived in Mumbai to be a writer. She wants to do something new. Like a holiday, Sid asks her. No, she firmly answers, 'Like Life.'

Wake Up Sid in trouble

Karan Johar's latest production Wake Up Sid has come into trouble from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena because the film used the word 'Bombay'.

MNS workers protested outside theatres in Maharashtra, demanding that 'Bombay' be renamed 'Mumbai' in the film. No violence has been reported.

Karan Johar met up with MNS chief Raj Thackeray in the afternoon, and has apologised for the mistake. He has agreed to bring back the film reels and re-dub Bombay to Mumbai.

Thackeray asked for an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film. This will apparently require two or three days time. Thackeray also said that such a mistake must never be repeated again.

This is not the first time that MNS has raised an alarm over a film. The party had threatened to remove Amitabh Bachchan-starrer The Last Lear from theatres when Jaya Bachchan had made some uncalled for remarks against Maharashtrians during a press conference. MNS workers attacked theatres in Mumbai screening the film. It was only after Amitabh apologised that the film was allowed to be released.

There's no K Jo element in 'Wake Up Sid': Karan Johar

Once the script of 'Wake Up Sid' was ready, the star cast finalized and shooting of the film commenced, producer Karan Johar says he completely backed off and let first time director Ayan Mukerji run the entire show.

"There isn't any Karan Johar element that you would see in 'Wake Up Sid'. It doesn't have any gloss, glamour or grandeur that one associates with me. In fact, it doesn't have any pre-requisite that one expects from a Dharma Productions," Karan told us.

Karan, who has directed hits like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', has produced this Ranbir Kapoor-Konkona Sen Sharma- starrer that releases Friday.

For him it is the dawn of a new era for Dharma Productions as newer filmmakers are joining the banner, aspiring to make some pathbreaking yet commercial cinema.

"Yes, now is the time for new age Dharma Productions to start making a mark. It's a new reality that we are facing and new energy we are experiencing. This is what is keeping me so excited because I have a number of movies in production, all of which are being made by different filmmakers."

After Mukerji, another debutant director Rensil D'Souza will release his 'Kurbaan' in November. Tarun Mansukhani is getting animation flick 'Koochie Koochie Hota Hai' in place while working on 'Dostana 2'.

First timer Siddharth Malhotra has finished ground work on the Hindi remake of 'Stepmom', while debutant Punit Malhotra's 'I Hate Love Stories' is also in the pipeline.

His Dharma Productions has roped in another newcomer, Karan Malhotra, to direct the 'Agneepath' remake, while Karan's own 'My Name Is Khan' is scheduled for an early 2010 release.

"With so many films in different stages of production, it would be unfair on my part to be involved in each and every aspect of filmmaking. When I get someone to direct a film, I better allow him to take over the reins while being there for support only if required.

"This was the guiding principle that I applied for 'Wake Up Sid' too. I backed off completely once it came on floors. In fact, I didn't even get into the music or the look of the film; I wanted Ayan to visualize it all and take decisions. I didn't want to clutter his way of thinking by giving any unnecessary advice," said Karan.

He is glad with his decision to rope in Mukerji, who is Kajol's cousin, for 'Wake Up Sid'.

"The only person who could have done 'Wake Up Sid' was Ayan. It was his idea and he is the one who could do complete justice to it since he is younger and in the same zone as Sid, the protagonist. There was no way I could have come into his way and bring in some kind of fantastical aspect to the plot," Karan said.

"Why should I come in the way of any filmmaker's vision? It's their baby and it should not necessarily look the way I want it. I don't want them to be me. I want my directors to be their own brand," he added.

Shahrukh Khan's work wrapped on My Name Is Khan

It all began as a rumor that Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Karan Johar would be working together again. Then we got word that this dream team was indeed working on a project called My Name is Khan. We learned that it was not your average masala film and that it was set in the after math of 9/11. In December of 2008, the film went to the floor and though we know a bit more about it, the story is still very much under wraps.

Shahrukh said in an interview with TOI that, "My Name Is Khan is the most special film for both Karan Johar and me. And unlike the rumors, it's not about terrorism, or 9/11. It's about a relationship between two people, between an individual and the State, and between an individual and the country. In short, there the three important components: love story, Islam and a mild form of autism, which forms the core of MNIK."

In what is said to be one of his most challenging roles, Shahrukh plays a man with Asperger syndrome, which is a mild form of autism. According to autism.about.com, "People with AS develop language normally, but often have difficulty with social interactions, fine and gross motor coordination, and eye contact. They may be extremely passionate about just one or two topics, with little patience for small talk. They also may struggle to handle normal daily activities, such as organizing time, managing conflict, or even facing the sensory overload presented by malls and grocery stores." In the film, Shahrukh is suspected of being a terrorists after the 9/11 attacks not only because of his disease but also because of his name. Kajol plays his wife in the film.

In an earlier interview with Subhash K Jha, Karan Johar said of SRK's performance, "Time and again I'm blown away by Shahrukh. At times I wonder how can he bring so many variations in his character when he already has so much on his plate. He has done monumental research on his autistic character in the film. I was zapped by how much he knew about the subject. And he brought all the knowledge on the sets without any strain. He had written reams of notes on how he wanted to interpret his character. And for him it was no big deal. I think he's ready to direct a film. He will be outstanding at it. His understanding of human nature and emotions can never be matched by me."

We can now report that after months of long and hard work Shahrukh Khan has finished his shooting schedule for My Name is Khan and the director still has nothing but praise for the actors performance. KJo wrote on the social site Twitter, "Shahrukh just wrapped on MNIK... He has been so amazing through the shoot... He deserves every bit of his legendary status!!"

'I am too old to be part of Wake Up Sid'

The Wake Up Sid team -- producer Karan Johar, director Ayaan Mukherjee and cast Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma -- came together to launch a video blog to promote their film, in collaboration withThe Wake Up Sid team -- producer Karan Johar, director Ayaan Mukherjee and cast Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma -- came together to launch a video blog to promote their film, in collaboration with bollywoodhungama.com.
As the promos show, the film deals with the youth of today.
Konkona seems quite upbeat about her new film, as she claims she's quite similar to her onscreen character. "Like Ayesha in the film, I have also come from Kolkata and settled down in Mumbai. Ayaan was instrumental in me signing the film, as he has written it so well. As soon as he read out the script, I was on."
Konkona's character Ayesha comes to Mumbai to become a writer. She's an earnest, hardworking and the opposite of Sid. bollywoodhungama.com.
As the promos show, the film deals with the youth of today.
Konkona seems quite upbeat about her new film, as she claims she's quite similar to her onscreen character. "Like Ayesha in the film, I have also come from Kolkata and settled down in Mumbai. Ayaan was instrumental in me signing the film, as he has written it so well. As soon as he read out the script, I was on."
Konkona's character Ayesha comes to Mumbai to become a writer. She's an earnest, hardworking and the opposite of Sid.

Sanjay Gupta's ACID clashes with Karan Johar's SID

Even though Karan Johar has booked 2nd October as the D-day for the release of his WAKE UP SID, Sanjay Gupta has taken the brave step of giving him some competition on at the box office. Against Ranbir Kapoor's boy flick, he has decided to unleash his team of macho men (and a femme fatale) in the form of ACID FACTORY.
Originally slated for release on 4th September, ACID FACTORY has now been moved ahead and chosen the long weekend for its arrival. It would be quite an interesting clash at the box office considering the fact that WAKE UP SID is touted to be a quintessential multiplex flick whereas ACID FACTORY is a hardcore action thriller that should find an audience across multiplexes as well as single screens.

Says Suparn Verma who has directed ACID FACTORY, "2nd October suits us the best because now we get two full months to go aggressive on our promotion. The teaser by itself has generated such positive response that it is imperative we go all out in bringing our film to the audiences. I am told that ACID FACTORY would be given a very wide release. Moreover, my producer is extremely happy and positive about the film and that has been reassuring enough."

With no film currently been slotted for 9th October release considering pre-Diwali weekend isn't considered conducive enough for a new release to arrive, there is nothing much to worry for both WAKE UP SID as well as ACID FACTORY since they have an open fortnight available to them. Moreover, since the two films belong to diverse genres, it should be a win-win situation for both Sanjay Gupta and Karan Johar instead of a declaration of war!

While WAKE UP SID is directed by new find Ayan Mukerji and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rahul Khanna (in a special appearance) and Rahul Pendkalkar, ACID FACTORY stars Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani and Danny Denzongpa along with Dia Mirza.

HC reserves order on Karan Johar's plea

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court reserved its order on a petition filed by filmmaker Karan Johar seeking quashing of a complaint accusing him of causing insult to national honour over playing of national anthem in one of his movies.

Justice D V Sharma had on July 16 summoned Johar along with the original film 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum' over his petition filed in 2002 but the Bollywood director could not appear in court due to health reasons, his lawyer CS Sinha told the court.

The lawyer also cited security reasons. A complaint was filed against Johar by Pratap Chandra alleging that the scene involving playing of national anthem had violated provisions Section 3 of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act of 1971.

When 'My Name Is Khan' left Karan Johar stressed out

After making candy floss romances, Karan Johar is dealing with serious issues in his 'My Name Is Khan', which brings Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol together on screen after a long time. Though he is excited about presenting a different side of Shah Rukh, making the film did turn unpleasant when actor Aamir Bashir was denied a visa to the US.

Karan's latest directorial venture is 'diametrically opposite' to his earlier films.

'You know, on the very first day of shooting my cameraman Ravi Chandran looked at me and said, 'I don't think you've ever shot something like this'. Shah Rukh plays a completely different human being ... I've never directed that person before,' Karan Johar told IANS in an interview.

But he had his share of problems too.

'Yes, there were problems. We had certain legal issues. We had to make some changes to accommodate the developments. They were sorted out. I believe in completely going by the law of every land. That's what we did in LA (Los Angeles) when troubles arose,' said Karan, who replaced Aamir with Jimmy Sheirgil in the movie.

Were you upset with Aamir for going to the press about the visa problem?

'I don't see why the issue had to be reported so prominently in the Indian media. It complicated things for me. If creating hurdles for a filmmaker on a difficult foreign location makes news, so be it. It constantly kept creating stress for me,' he added.

Written by Shibani Bathija, 'My Name Is Khan' is about a Muslim (Shah Rukh) who suffers from the Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that impacts social interaction abilities, and he is arrested as a suspected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after authorities mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour.

Excerpts from the interview:
Q: You could make a film on the things that happened during your Los Angeles schedule of 'My Name Is Khan'.
A: Besides normal problems, there were unforeseen problems. Thank god for my fabulous technical team. Without them I could never make my film the way I want to. Yes, there was stress.

Q: There were visa problems for some Muslim members of your cast?
A: Yes, there were problems. We had certain legal issues. We had to make some changes to accommodate the developments. They were sorted out. I believe in completely going by the law of every land. That's what we did in LA when troubles arose.

Q: Was Aamir replaced by Jimmy Sheirgil after a great deal of deliberation?
A: Yes, we did have to do some serious re-thinking. I spoke to my casting director Shanu Sharma for immediate release. I was very happy to have Jimmy Sheirgil on board. I had done his clothes for Aditya Chopra's 'Mohabbatein'. So I know him from his debut. It was unfortunate that things didn't work out with Aamir Bashir. Like Jimmy, he was terrific in 'A Wednesday'. I look forward to working with him some other time.

Q: Were you upset with Aamir Bashir for going to the press about the visa problem?
A: I don't blame anyone for the situation. I don't see why the issue had to be reported so prominently in the Indian media. It complicated things for me. If creating hurdles for a filmmaker on a difficult foreign location makes news, so be it. It constantly kept creating stress for me.

Q: Was it a painful experience to shoot in LA?
A: In all my 11 years as a filmmaker, I've never felt the experience to be so different. Content-wise 'My Name Is Khan' is diametrically opposite to whatever I've done in the past. You know, on the very first day of shooting my cameraman Ravi Chandran looked at me and said, 'I don't think you've ever shot something like this.'

It is for the first time I'm directing a screenplay I haven't written myself. This gives me a level of detachment from the proceedings and yet a lot of attachment. It has released a plethora of unexplored emotions in my head.

This time I'm being creative in a different ways. And Shah Rukh plays a completely different human being ... I've never directed that person before. It took a few days for all of us to get into the groove. How this exploration of a new territory will turn out, no one knows.

(Subhash K. Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com)