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Why The Khans (@BeingSalmanKhan @iamsrk @aamir_khan) Can; “…Salman’s biggest strength is that he never did, and never will, chase an image.” Shubhra Gupta| Oct 23 2011
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They have ruled Bollywood for over two decades. What makes the Three Khans — Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman — the stars they are? How do some of their earliest directors remember them? And what makes us line up, Friday after Friday, to give them another chance?
Even the sharpest crystal-ball gazer would have baulked at predicting how these guys would turn out, given how they started out. One with a jitter-buggy stutter and the kind of moptop no girl should have taken seriously. Another who had to compete with cooing pigeons and a simpering sweetie for audience affection. And the third who danced on a table in the name of his papa, and sacrificed his life for his love.
A Bollywood quiz with these clues would be the easiest sweepstake in the world: Shah Rukh Khan. Salman Khan. Aamir Khan. Deewana. Maine Pyar Kiya. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
Yes, they were likeable. Yes, they had a connect. Yes, all those films were hits. But could anyone say they were going to be the three who were heading towards the kind of stratospheric superstardom all new entrants dream of, but only very few achieve?
Those who claim such prescience are lying through their teeth. Because no one can predict anything in showbiz, whose treacherous waters run deep, and dark.
And yet here they are 20 years on, these three, who have nothing in common other than their surnames, ruling Bollywood. There is no other word for it: they have the one ring that rules us all, the one ring whose lustre warms both those in close proximity and distant edges, whose warmth we are willing to bask in, time and again. We are willing to do much more actually: get into life-threatening arguments, lose life-enhancing liquid. Those girls who wrote letters to their favourite stars in their blood? They are still out there, busy scribbling, as we speak.
It’s not like there haven’t been others, some who have held their own, some who have retired hurt but only temporarily, some who are coming up so fast that they could be serious challengers to the Khandom. Kyonki har ek star zaroori hota hai. Amitabh Bachchan is the formidable carryover from the era before theirs, but is clearly a senior statesman. Saif Ali Khan has charm, and the rare ability to be both star and actor. Akshay Kumar is biding his time, to forget his bad run, and to get into a fresh sprint to the top. Hrithik Roshan is clear superstar material, whose presence in a pretty road movie makes it top drawer. Ajay Devgn has all three crucial sectors — comedy-drama-action — under his belt. And Ranbir Kapoor is fast reaching that stage where he’s slated to become the stickiest youth magnet.
So what is it about the Khans that sets them on top of the A-list? In the last five years, the Salman-Shah Rukh-Aamir trio has battered all opposition into submission. They no longer just act. They produce. They control almost every aspect of their films. When they come to the table, and that in itself is a prize they bestow like visiting deity upon waiting masses, they bring with them the triple-barrelled power of influential star, all-pervasive brand, and industry maven. They are to the left of you, to the right of you, all around you. There is no escape. As a young SRK once sang: jaata hai tu kahaan?
A true-blue industry maven himself, with his 42 years in the trenches as lyricist and filmmaker, now chairman of Reliance Entertainment, Amit Khanna has a calming yet definitive perspective. “We’ve always had superstars,” he says, “right from Ashok Kumar to Dev-Dilip-Raj, Rajesh, Amitabh, and now the three Khans — they all have had the ability to endear and endure.”
Endearing. Enduring. The twin qualities, practically joined at the hip, that help differentiate a star who inhabits his time from a long-lived superstar. Present in large quantities in Shah Rukh who’s out this Diwali with Ra.One, arguably the most expensive Bollywood film yet made. In Salman who has, after the massive success of Wanted, Dabangg and Bodyguard, turned into a universal Bhaijaan. And in Aamir who has been so often anointed with that phrase, gamechanger, that there seems to be no other game left in Bollywood.
“Actually, we shouldn’t even use their names together because each has unique qualities,” says Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, who’s worked closely with all three. “Salman lives his life as we expect our stars to do: large-hearted, impulsive, mercurial, a friend’s friend, and enemy’s enemy, which translates into his screen presence as well. Aamir’s pursued a slow and steady route to stardom, and now his mere presence is like an ISO stamp on a film. And Shah Rukh is something indefinable. He’s like magic.” At which Kapur pauses, and reels off a list of superlatives.
“The three Khans are ever evolving brands,” says Vikram Malhotra, COO, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, the studio behind a few interesting films this year (Tanu Weds Manu, Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Shaitan), “and they haven’t really got the credit they deserve. We remember them from when they came in — the 20-year-old who saw Aamir in QSQT is the same 40-year-old who goes to watch Ghajini. Look at how both Shah Rukh and Salman had tearaway successes when they started, and kept building on them. They have been consistently relevant across genres, across propositions, and across the eight-to-80 age band”.
That energy, which fizzes across the screen, is what has kept Shah Rukh in focus, even in his worst films. That energy is an SRK hallmark, even when he is doing exactly what he has done a hundred times before. Or, and this is the tough part, standing still.
The ability to talk to the average Joe as if he is his best friend is Salman’s most potent weapon, on display when he is hosting the kind of game shows where your IQ can safely take a backseat to Lady Luck. All the bad things that a person standing in front of Salman has heard about Bhaijaan — dead bucks, dead pavement dwellers — all vanish: the embrace of Bhaijaan’s warm gaze and off-key accent is all that that person can experience at that moment.
They are now so entrenched that a few hits and flops don’t really matter. “The three Khans have reached the stage where they can rewrite the rulebook,” says Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, who has had first-hand experience of the stars’ massive NRI connection, in an earlier stint as an overseas Bollywood marketer. “Once they sit down with you, everything goes out of the window.”
They’ve also reached the stage, though no one will admit it, where they’ve become past-masters at the time-stop technique: there is no real attempt to radically depart from their basic USP, or roles, or subjects. The fail-safe attempt is to pair the stars with established leading ladies (Katrina-Kareena-Priyanka): the choice may be down to the banner and the director and who likes whom at the casting point, but the final say-so is the star’s. Acting out of the box is a risky proposition, and Bollywood is, and has always been, amongst the most risk-averse industries, especially for superstars who have to nurture that other part of their portfolio, far more lucrative than the movies they do: as salesmen of products which we never want to buy till a star endorses it. To market, to market, jiggety jig.
But here’s where the split happens. Other stars have to ride the wave from one film to another: one flop means three steps back, or worse, oblivion. Superstars whom the market adores, are given such a long rope that it dangles out of your sight. You might cringe at SRK selling hair oil, and computers, and cars, and cellphone spiel, and himself in gush-gush interviews, but that’s not going to stop you from catching his new film. You can dump on Salman as much as you want, but try preventing his fans from making his opening weekends monstrous: I’m just waiting for the time someone will come up with “Salman jokes” just the way there are Rajini ones, from those who liken these stars to each other.
Seriously, though, we know what it is, their secret, that keeps us from drifting away. When they switch it on, the love starts flowing again. We see their flaws, happily lap up all the awful things they are allegedly up to in their personal lives, side-step the sub-par performances they come up with, as well as their self-serving, self-serious splashes in the media. And we ignore it all. Because it’s not Us vs Them. It is Us and Them. Because when it’s time, it’s time. To recharge that connection. Direct. Dil se.
‘He’s never chased an image’
Deepak Shivdasani on Salman Khan
THE germ of the idea came from Salman Khan, which made Baaghi a very personal film for him,” recollects director Deepak Shivdasani. The filmmaker had approached Khan — then fresh from the success of his debut Maine Pyar Kiya and in talks to sign his second film — for a remake of a south Indian film. Unimpressed, the young actor instead suggested three of his own ideas. Of these, they finally zeroed in on one, in which an urban youngster falls in love with a prostitute whom he then rescues from the sex trade. This went on to became Baaghi – A Rebel For Love, but not without hiccups. “We roped in Javed Siddiqui to work on the script along with Salman, but we didn’t have a producer.”
The actor-director duo went about B-town, approaching people to back the film. But the subject of prostitution was taboo and the industry was apprehensive. “We met more than a dozen people before finally getting Nitin Manmohan on board.”
What Shivdasani most remembers is the actor’s humility on the sets. “Even though the story came from him, Salman never interfered once the script was locked. He showed immense trust in the team and respected our space. Yet, I remember he was there right by my side when the film’s first hoarding was being put up in Juhu.”
The director feels that little has since changed about the man, except for his status in the film industry. “He was always aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and worked on a film keeping those in mind. This is why today, he is a hero of the masses. However, Salman’s biggest strength is that he never did, and never will, chase an image.”
— Dipti Nagpaul-D’souza
Excerpts from Indian Express
Bigg Boss 5: It’s @BeingSalmanKhan over ‘Father Dutt’ (@DuttSanjay) for Suniel Shetty…!
The Bigg Boss fever has gripped the entire nation, and with Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt as hosts, temperatures can only be soaring higher. If one is Bollywood’s Dabangg, the other is B-town’s baba and talking of friendships in Bollwyood, we certainly can’t forget Anna aka Suniel Shetty.
We recently caught up with the original He-Man of Bollywood and asked him who he thinks is a better host. And, pat came the reply, “Salman Khan.”
“Salman is spontaneous, he’s unpredictable,” said Anna.
“Baba is baba… he’s married. He’s mellowed down. Now, he’s Father Dutt,” said Suniel in a lighter vein.
“But together, they’re an awesome combination. They’re the daredevils of the industry, who wear their hearts on their sleeves,” added the actor, who is busy promoting his upcoming film ‘Loot’.
‘Loot’ is an action-comedy that will mark singer Mika’s acting debut. The film is also creating buzz for having an item number by none other than Mika’s friend-turned-foe Rakhi Sawant.
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SalmanKhan spotted at the airport leaving for Turkey!
Prakash in Dabangg 2; Wanted villain signed on for @BeingSalmanKhan’s much awaited sequel…! #Dabangg2 Vickey Lalwani | Monday, October 24, 2011
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Wanted villain Prakash Raj seems to be Salman Khan’s most wanted baddie these days. The actor, who played Gani Bhai in Salman’s 2008 blockbuster, has been signed on to play the baddie in Dabangg 2 - the role that was essayed by Sonu Sood in the first.
A source informed Mumbai Mirror, “Dabangg 2 will not be similar to the first part. Arbaaz Khan had mentioned earlier how Salman’s look in the film will also change. even the antagonist will be different. Prakash Raj will play the main villain in the film.”
Interestingly, Sonu Sood, who played the main villain Cheddi Singh in the first part, will also be a part of the sequel. Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha will also continue as the male and female lead in Dabangg 2.
With Prakash Raj entering the project, Sonu’s role in the sequel is now being questioned, claimed the source. “Prakash Raj is a national award winning actor. His portrayal of Gani Bhai earned him a lot of good reviews. Also, Sonu’s character in Dabangg was killed in the end. So, we don’t know who will be cast as the bigger villain in the film,” said the source.
Sonu’s friend, however, decided to defend the actor and claimed, “Sonu has a bigger contribution to make than Prakash in Dabangg.”
Commenting on how Prakash Raj was roped in for Dabangg 2, the source added, “Prakash and Salman have been friends since they worked together in Wanted. Perhaps, Salman recommended his name for the role.”Arbaaz Khan remained unavailable for comment.
Mumbai Mirror
138 dead after major earthquake strikes Turkey - CNN.com
Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 138 people are dead and 350 people injured in the wake of Sunday's earthquake -- the most powerful to strike the country in more than a decade.
Ninety-three were killed in Van, while 45 were killed in Ercis, he said, adding that those numbers are expected to rise.
Rescue teams will work through the night to save people who are still trapped in the rubble, Erdogan told reporters.
Citizens were using flashlights and shovels as they clambered over collapsed buildings looking for survivors.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, then revised it down to 7.2.
Roughly 20 aftershocks rattled the region, one of the nation's poorest. The largest had a magnitude of 6.0.
Erdogan said 55 buildings collapsed in Ercis on the north shore of Lake Van, while the Turkish Red Crescent had said earlier that some 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory collapsed in the town.
Local rescuers took many wounded people out of the dormitory, the Red Crescent statement said, without saying exactly how many.
A health services building also collapsed, along with part of a hospital, CNN sister network CNN Turk reported. At least two doctors were thought to be in the rubble of the health services building, the network said. The injured were being treated in the hospital's garden.
"People are really scared," said CNN Turk reporter Nevsin Mengu. "The survivors are now trying to survive the cold weather."
She said many residents are not returning to their houses, but sleeping on rooftops or in the streets. It was not clear whether their homes were uninhabitable, or whether they were just too frightened. Electricity and natural gas were off in most of the city.
Speaking from Van, Mengu said the death toll is almost sure to rise as rescue teams have not yet reached some of the smaller villages. Trucks carrying medical aid and food were seen driving into Van.
Official rescue efforts were also under way in Ercis, said CNN Turk reporter Sevda Incesu, but residents were also conducting efforts of their own. Ambulances were having trouble getting into town because the roads were littered with rubble, she said.