Photo: Imran Khan

The wacky-cheeky duo will be missed, though. While Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor are smart kids, they are also sweet boys, very earnest and fair. And that does not entertaining hosting make. But better earnest, than rude.

At least there will be no embarrassing fireworks, like the ones we saw at the 2009 Screen awards, with Ashutosh Gowarikar flaying Sajid Khan publicly, and Farah Khan jumping into the melee with both feet, arms flailing. Not nice.

Ranbir Kapoor photo

Reports say Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor are finetuning a comic script and rehearsing it.

The 26-year-old Imran Khan debuted in 2008 with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, which was a blockbuster. Khan was much appreciated for his acting talent and his good looks. Imran’s next release was Kidnap, which was not a hit, but Imran Khan did receive some positive reviews. Imran Khan will be next seen in Luck and Delhi Belly, both of which will release in 2009.

Photo: Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan hosting the 2008 Filmfare Awards

Ranbir Kapoor’s debut movie was the disastrous Saawariya, though he won the 2008 Filmfare award for the Best Debut Male. Ranbir Kapoor last flick Bachna Ae Haseeno was a huge hit. Ranbir Kapoor’s forthcoming releases in 2009 are Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, Wake Up Sid, and Rajniti.

The six-episode show will be aired on NDTV Imagine, at 10 PM every Saturday.

The Knights and Angels reality show, is a hunt for talented, sporty, cheerful cheerleaders with good dancing skills for the Kolkata Knight Riders team.

Six cheerleaders will be chosen out of 24 contestants who have been shortlisted after auditions in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

Shahrukh Khan with the 24 contestants of his Knights and Angels reality show

The names of the 24 contestants who have been selected are:

Pranalika C Arya, Rupali Kantharia, Natasha Ramaseshan, Nikita Agarwal, Sanna Chirawawala, Sneha Parikh, Kaajal R Chandani, Sunanda Hiroo, Prathna Shah, Nisha Rizvi, Rekha Rana, Shruti Bhadekar, Samyukta S, Leena S Puthran, Geena Jha, Suhani Sharma, Srishti Gupta, Ananya Bera, Ruhi Kumari, Shilpa Vashist, Srishti Bhatia, Ritika Chibber, Mohak Nanda, and Priji.

Purab Kohli will host the Knights and Angels reality show

Knights and Angels will be hosted by actor Purab Kohli, last seen in the hit movie Rock On. Actress Anushka Sharma, who made her debut opposite Shahrukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, will be a celebrity judge in the first episode of Knights and Angels.

Saurav Ganguly, ex-caption of the Indian cricket team and captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders will be the main judge on the show.

The 24 shortlisted contestants will be trained and mentored by Shiamak Davar.

Shiamak Davar is the highly successful choreographer of  Dil To Pagal Hai, Dhoom 2, Bunty Aur Babli, and the recent Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Talking about the Knights and Angels reality show, Shahrukh Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, said, “Cricket is a perfect blend of hard work and entertainment. We are very excited about the whole challenge of finding the best cheerleading squad for our Knights. These girls will become a key part in our quest for victory this season. The competition is tough and the boys will need all the support they can get on-field. All the girls have the right attitude, energy and enthusiasm.”

The winner of Knights and Angels will lead the six-member cheerleading team of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Shahrukh Khan recently launched Ghar Ki Baat Hai on NDTV Imagine. The sitcom is based on the yesteryears popular sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan is set to come back with Season 2 of the hit show Dus Ka Dum.

Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in My Name is Khan

The much-anticipated movie, that stars Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, will now be produced under the banner of Dharma Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment.

Previously, Shahrukh Khan has produced movies like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), Asoka (2001), Chalte Chalte (2003), Main Hoon Na (2004), Kaal (2005), Paheli (2005), Om Shanti Om (2007), and Billu (2009).

Of these, Chalte Chalte, Main Hoon Na, and Om Shanti Om were  hits. The fate of Billu is yet unknown, though so far it has received only moderate success.

Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan on the sets of My Name is Khan

Shahrukh Khan had co-produced Kaal with Karan Johar. In the movie, Shahrukh Khan did an item number with Malaika Arora. Kaal directed by Soham Shah, starred Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and Esha Deol tanked at the box office.

My Name is Khan is a project close to Karan Johar’s heart. In the movie, Shahrukh Khan plays Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man who has impaired social behavior, because he suffers from Asperger Syndrome. His behavior arouses suspicion among airport authorities, who detain him for questioning.

Apart from Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, My Name is Khan stars Jimmy Shergill as Shahrukh Khan’s brother, Shabana Azmi, and Sonia Jehan.

My Name is Khan has been penned by Shibani Bathija, scriptwriter of Fanaa (2006), Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006), and Kidnap (2008). Fanaa and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna were blockbusters, while Kidnap was a moderate hit. The dialogues of My Name is Khan have been written by Niranjan Iyengar and the music has been composed by Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy.

The movie went into production in December 2008 in Los Angeles. By end-Jan 2009, the first schedule of My Name is Khan was completed in Los Angeles. The remaining two schedules will be completed by August 2009, in Mumbai and Los Angeles.

My Name is Khan is expected to be released in December 2009. Before that Shahrukh Khan will be seen in Dulha Mil Gaya with Sushmita Sen, in mid-2009. After he recovers from his shoulder injury, Shahrukh Khan will shoot for Karan Johar’s Kootchie Kootchie Hota Hai, an animated movie based on the blockbuster hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, in its 10th year.

Shahrukh Khan next film after My Name is Khan is Farhan Akhtar’s Don 2: The Chase Continues.

Photo: Shahrukh Khan in Don - The Chase Begins Again

The movie will go into production in January 2010, and will be released in end-2010 or early 2011.

Don 2 – The Chase Continues will be shot entirely in Berlin and Ireland.

Earlier, Excel Entertainment had deferred the making of Don 2 – The Chase Continues when reports surfaced that the Irani brothers, Nadeem and Nasir, sons of the producers of the original Don (1975) starring Amitabh Bachchan, were going to make a sequel of the classic hit.

Also the cast for Don 2 – The Chase Continues had yet to be frozen. While Boman Irani, Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, and Ishaa Koppikar were all in, Priyanka Chopra was taken on board only recently.

This was compounded by Shahrukh Khan’s shoulder injury. Shahrukh planned to undergo surgery after the release of Billu Barber. Given the delays, Farhan Akhtar focused on shooting for Kartik Calling Kartik and planned to make a mature love story next, instead of Don 2 – The Chase Continue.

But since there has been no development on the sequel to the original Don with Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar has decided to go ahead with the production of Don 2 – The Chase Continues.

Don - The Chase Begins Again poster

Don 2 – The Chase Continues will take off from where Don – The Chase Begins Again, ended. At the end of Don – The Chase Begins Again, it is revealed that Vijay, the police informer, who is planted in Don’s gang to bring it down, is dead, and it is the real gangster Don who is playing the police and Roma (Priyanka Chopra), the woman who wants revenge, alike.

Don – The Chase Begins Again was directed by Farhan Akthar at a budget of Rs 350 crores. The screenplay was written by Farhan Akhtar using the original story, dialogues, and script by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar.

The music score of Don – The Chase Begins Again was provided by Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy.

Don 2 – The Chase Continues will be written and directed by Farhan Akhtar, and the music will be provided by Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy.

Irrfan Khan as Billu in Billu Barber

The Hairdresser Association is demanding that the title of Billu Barber should be changed to Billu Hairdresser. Uday Takke, President, Salon and Beauty Parlors Association, has said that the word Barber is actually a caste name, like nai or hajaam, and that hairdressers are not barbers by caste, therefore the word Barber should not be used. The logic escapes me as it probably escapes the producer of the movie, Shahrukh Khan, but he has skirted the issue smartly by deciding to drop the word Barber from the title in all hoardings of the Billu Barber.

While it is too late to change the title of the movie, Shahrukh Khan has said in an interview, the new title in the hoardings will now be Billu. Just Billu. Some reports have said that is likely that the title of the movie may be changed from Billu Barber to Billu at a later date, but it is still unconfirmed news.

Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the song Love Mera Hit from Billu Barber

Now if the hairdresser association still protests and has a problem with the title Billu, they can always settle on Billu Scissorhands!

But there could be another problem. What if wannabe upmarket hairdressers don’t like being addressed as Billu or Billu Hairdresser? They can, of course, take a page out of the book of American born desis and demand that the title Billu be changed to Bill.

Lara Dutta in Billu Barber

After all when Samarjit can become Sam, Chidamber can become Chad, and Kalpen Modi can become Kal Penn, why can’t Billu be Bill? Just Bill. After all, Shahrukh’s movie could profit as well. They could insert a song Just Bill Bill..just Bill, to the tune of Just Chill Chill…just Chill. Who’s to complain?

Anyway, Shahrukh Khan is doing his best to placate the hairdresser jing bang and has invited over 400 hairdressers and their families to the premiere of Billu, that will be held on February 12, 2009.

Irrfan Khan in a still from Billu Barber

Earlier, Red Chillies Entertainment had tied up with 500 hairdressers across India to display the posters of Billu, as a pre-release marketing tactic. They had also sent CDs of the films to the 500 hairdressers to be played in the parlors.

Billu will be released on February 13, 2008.

Kareena Kapoor in the song Marjaani from Billu Barber

The movie is a remake of the 2007 Malayalam hit Kadha Parayumbol.

Billu stars Irrfan Khan, Shahrukh Khan (in a cameo), Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav, and Asrani. Billu will have special appearances by Kareena Kapoor in the song Marjaani, Deepika Padukone in Love Mera Hit, and Priyanka Chopra in You Get Me Rockin & Reeling.

The screenplay, penned by Manisha Korde and Mushtaq Shaikh, is based on the original story by Sreenivasan. Billu is directed by Priyadarshan.

The movie revolves around a “hairdresser” Billu (Irrfan Khan) who is trying to keep afloat his crumbling business, but refuses to adopt new hair trends to lure back his customers. Then, a superstar (Shahrukh Khan) comes to the village for a shooting. Billu says claims the superstar is a childhood friend. Billu now becomes the village favorite because all the villagers want to meet the superstar, but Billu is hesitant to approach the superstar in case he does not recognize him. The villagers stop believing Billu and call him a cheat.

Photo: Ghar Ki Baat Hai on NDTV Imagine

Shahrukh Khan is back at television after his first stint with the Kaun Banega Crorepati. This time, SRK’s RedChillies Entertainment is producing a show called Ghar Ki Baat Hai on NDTV Imagine (at 9.30 pm, Friday-Sunday). So no talk show or game show for the Khan, this time. Ghar Ki Baat Hain is a weekly sitcom beginning 30th January 2009, which is to be aired every Friday to Sunday at 9.30pm on NDTV Imagine.

What woudl not go down too badly with NDTV Imagine viewers is that Ghar Ki Baat Hai will be a comedy show inspired from the 1980’s hit television series ‘Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi’. The actors and actresses cast for the sitcom are Sumeet Raghavan, Juhi Babbar, Swapnil Joshi, Jayati Bhatiaand Ali Asgar. Hitting the small screen for the first time, SRK’s company Red Chillies is taking a tentative step into the world of Hindi prime-time television with an exceptional cast and team for the show, believes Shah Rukh Khan.

Ghar Ki Baat Hai will see Sumeet Raghavan playing Rajdeep, Juhi Babbar playing his wife Radhika and Swapnil Joshi as Sumeet’s brother-in-law Kakku. Just like Ye Jo Hain Zindagi, this tribute to the show from our Doordarshan days, will show the life of the family and how they deal with their day-to-day situations.

The show, being a comedy is expected to attract viewers of all ages to NDTV Imagine. NDTV Imagine is currently lagging behind Colors and Star TV in TRPs, and it is hoped that Ghar Ki Baat hain woudl go some way in helping Imagine regain some ground.

Shah Rukh Khan said that he believed comedy was the medium that always brought people together. “Our team is very proud of this show and we look forward to entertaining audiences week after week,” he added.

Director Anant Mahadevan and creative director Aziz Mizra seemed quite thrilled about their stint with Red Chillies. Aziz Mizra terms Ghar Ki Baat Hai an ‘out and out family entertainer’.

Echoing SRK’s feelings, Sameer Nair, CEO, NDTV Imagine, said,” The strong ensemble of talented actors, a hilarious script, contemporary situations, coupled with the strong directorial team at Red Chillies is a sure fire-recipe for entertainment.”

Shah Rukh Khan, who has acted on the small screen and worked with Aziz Mirza in the past, says that he wants to bring ‘Cinematic value’ on the small screen. “There is no specific cache of programmes which we are planning on television. I have been a film producer for the last eight to nine years and have experience of acting for the last 20 years. I think I can bring a difference to television in terms of presentation of content. I will try to bring cinematic value to television,” said SRK.

When questioned on his preference to comedy and the inspiration from ‘Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi’ SRK said, “Sitcoms are situational comedies. If you see series like Friends’, ‘3  is company’, you will realize that situations are same. But, there is a newness in the characters. Besides, there is originality in the presentation.”

Amrish Puri as Mogambo in Mr. India 2

I really don’t know what to think because the saga of Mr. India’s sequel has been on for three years now, occasionally rearing its head with a chirp and subsiding again. In 1996, I heard that Anil Kapoor would produce Mr. India 2, Boney Kapoor would write the script, Nikhil Advani (king of big-budget disasters, the latest being Chandni Chowk to China) would direct, and Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor would get top billing. Anil Kapoor and Sridevi would play a mature couple in the movie (I am assuming older versions of their characters in Mr. India).

The last chirp, that surfaced in 2008, said that Anil Kapoor would produce, Boney Kapoor would write, Shekhar Kapoor would direct, and Anil Kapoor and Sridevi would play a mature couple in Mr India 2. This time, it was also said that there would be a lot of high-end special effects.
The latest rumor says that Shahrukh Khan is likely to play the role of Mogambo in Mr. India 2. What I don’t understand is that if the sequel is being made, and if it follows from Mr. India, which it is said to do, then there should be no Mogambo.

Because, at the end of Mr. India, Mogambo dies in a fire, pretty unequivocally, saying Hail Mogambo. Unless, in Mr. India 2, Boney Kapoor springs a byblow of Mogambo or a cryonic preservation of his body for later use.

Shahrukh Khan is said to play the role of Mogambo in Mr. India 2

Whatever be the deal, and much as I appreciate Shahrukh Khan, I cannot imagine him play Mogambo’s lost child or his resurrected body. If you remember late actor Amrish Puri, of the bulging eyes and the even more bulging muscles, who played the role of Mogambo in Mr. India, you will know what I am talking about.

So based on the sheer ridiculousness of this rumor, I think this is just another chirp about a Mr. India sequel, that will go nowhere.

Shahrukh Khan is currently involved with his home production Billu Barber that will be released on February 13, 2009. The movie will be directed by Priyadarshan, and will star Irfan Khan, Shahrukh Khan, and Lara Dutta.

Shahrukh is also shooting for Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan, along with co-stars Kajol, Shabana Azmi, and Jimmy Shergill.

Mr. India, directed by Shekhar Kapoor (Masoom, Elizabeth, Bandit Queen, Elizabeth:The Golden Age), was released in 1987. The movie was a super hit, and is a classic Indian fantasy adventure film. The film starred Anil Kapoor, an orphan moonlighting as Mr. India, and Sridevi as a journalist.

Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan

In Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance, Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan play themselves. The other actors who have cameo roles in the movie are Shilpa Shetty, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rani Mukherjee, Karan Johar, Kareena Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Vivek Oberoi, Boman Irani, Anurag Kashyap, and Rajkumar Hirani.

Luck By Chance poster

Luck By Chance stars Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sharvani, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor, and Sanjay Kapoor. Since Luck By Chance revolves around Bollywood actors, the movie has Hrithik Roshan playing a superstar.

The movie revolves around a Bollywood actor Vikram Jai Singh (Farhan Akhtar) who comes to Bombay from Delhi to try his luck at the movies, and a starlet (Konkona Sen Sharma) who also wants to make it big in Bollywood. The story is about their journey through Bollywood, and is an insider look at the Indian film industry, where self-aggrandisation is the norm and self-promotion is the only motive. Does success here depend on luck or hardwork and talent, and how does it change you?

Juhi Chawla in Luck By Chance

Luck By Chance has been scripted by Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar. The movie is director Zoya Akhtar’s first film.

The movie has been produced by Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, and executive produced by Zoya Akhtar.

Hrithik Roshan and Isha Sharvani in Luck By Chance

Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy has composed the original score for Luck By Chance.

The movie will be released on January 30, 2009.

Farhan Akhtar in Luck By Chance

While Luck By Chance boasts of a number of actors in cameo roles, it is Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan who will generate a lot of interest. The actors burst on the Bollywood scene, with spectacular success: Aamir in 1989 with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Shahrukh Khan with Deewana (1992) and his blockbuster hit Baazigar (1993).

Konkona Sen in Luck By Chance

In Bollywood’s history, movies with two reigning stars have always been a major draw. Many of these superstars acted in movie after movie together, the memorable ones being Dharamendra – Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna – Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor – Amitabh Bachchan. Shashi Kapoor – Vinod Khanna, Akshay Kumar – Saif Ali Khan, Shahrukh Khan – Saif Ali Khan, and more ecently Abhishek Bachchan-John Abraham.

Aamir Khan was first paired together another star, Salman Khan, in the 1994 hit Andaz Apna Apna, which for the first time aroused a lot of speculation about Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan working together. Shahrukh Khan, then, had expressed a lot of interest in working with Aamir Khan, but Aamir did not respond to the sallies.

In the past few months, the verbal sallies between the two have led to speculations (in the media, I might add) about a war between the two superstars. One of the reasons Luck By Chance will draw in the crowds will be the presence of these two stars. It is a poor substitute, though, for watching the two stars act together in full-fledged, meaty roles.

Shah Rukh Khan's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi movie poster

Is the story of RNBDJ – acronyms seem to be getting longer,  at least one should be thankful we don’t have movies with names like Paap Ko Jala Kar Raakh Kar Daloonga anymore – worse or better than that?

One of the popular stories that is being bandied about goes like this:

Shah Rukh Khan is married to a younger woman (newcomer Anushka Sharma) as a result of which they have a “difference of opinion.” About what? Whether she really is a younger woman or he is a older man or whether the grass is green and the sky is blue!

Photo: Model Anushka Sharma

OK, whatever it means, the “difference of opinion” translates into Anushka participating in a reality dance show Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi where she is wooed by a charming, handsome young man (Shah Rukh Khan with spiky hair, an improved version our fuddy duddy older man.) Of course, our heroine doesn’t get it till the end of the movie that the guy serenading her is her husband until he goes down on his knees and informs her, I bet. Talk about show and tell.

Photo: SRK as the dude in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

The other stories put forward say that SRK has a double role, one of the fuddy duddy guy and the other of the handsome dude. One of them win the girl, the other gets a consolation prize, who could be Deepika Padukone or Priyanka Chopra. What a punishment.

Imdb has added Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Kajol to the mix, in their cast list. What is going on? It’s almost like a typist pool with temps.

I guess this another of Yashraj Films’s (YRF) attempts to make “hat ke” cinema. After the debacle of the 2007 Tara Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, YRF has realized that rehashing the same ol’ mushfest is not really working. It also recognized the fact that many small budget movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla and Pyaar Ke Side Effects were doing very well in the cities. None of these new movies had stuck to the tried-and-tested.

Lesson learnt, YRF came back with Chak De! India in 2007. The movie was refreshing, meaningful, and a superhit to boot. But notice, Aditya Chopra had nothing to do with it, except produce. Chak De was written and directed by Jaideep Sahni (promising writer of Khosla Ka Ghosla) and Shimit Amin (director of the acclaimed 2004 Ab Tak Chhappan.)

YRF also tried to use other successful directors and writers for the movies it produced, like Pradeep Sarkar and Kunal Kohli. However, despite a difference in approach, none of the movies following Chak De! India - Aaja Nachle, Laaga Chunri Mein Daag, Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic - worked. The biggest problem with all of these was story selection. If you want to be different, you cannot strut the old stuff. Except for Aaja Nachle, all of the others had a dated storyline.

So now Aditya Chopra wants to make another “different” romantic comedy with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. RNBDJ is written and directed by Aditya Chopra. So far, Adi has written and directed two movies – Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) and Mohabbatein (2000), the former a smash hit and the latter a dud.

If the plot of RNDBJ is indeed about a dance reality show, a boring husband, and a fun-loving young wife, Aditya Chopra has drawn from his own Aaja Nachle for the story. In Aaja Nachle, Vinay Pathak plays a humorless, stuffy man to a bored and frustrated Sushmita Mukherjee. When he overhears what she thinks of him he is willing to participate in a dance program to woo his wife. So far so good. As a cameo, it is delightful but as a full-fledged movie I am not too sure, even if it’s SRK.

Will RNDBJ work? I doubt it. The Jassi-loving Junta will be turned on, I am sure, by the whole ugly duckling thingamajig but I am not too sure they want to see a guy do that. Personally, I don’t dislike YRF romances but it’s the treatment that is irritating – lots of lectures and sentimental outpourings. But one can put that down to a “difference in opinion.”