Chennai Express Family Entertainer, It's For Masses: SRK

His health doesn't permit him to take too much stress, but despite that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is aggressively promoting his forthcoming film "Chennai Express" and says that the theme of the movie is such that the whole family can sit together and enjoy it.
Releasing Aug 9, director Rohit Shetty's "Chennai Express" brings together SRK and Deepika Padukone together on the big screen once again after the hit movie "Om Shanti Om".
SRK has spent over two decades in filmdom and has been part of hits like "Deewana", "Darr", "Baazigar" and "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and affirms that his films are meant for the masses.
"My films are for the masses, similarly 'Chennai Express' is for the masses and needed to be promoted extensively," SRk said Sunday while promoting his film here.


Shetty has been actively making films for the past 10 years and came out with hit "Golmaal" series, but "Chennai Express" is Shah Rukh's first film with the successful director.

He lauds Shetty's films for having variety.
"Rohit's films have a variety... comedy, drama, romance and action... everything. 'Chennai Express' is a comedy film with a love story, but it's definitely not like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' or 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It's a family entertainer. There's a little action too. It's something that whole family can sit down and watch together," he said.
Shah Rukh underwent shoulder surgery in May this year.
"I've always promoted my films extensively... this time it's less because I am not well," said Shah Rukh, who looked stunning in a black suit.
"I have recently got a surgery done. But I strongly feel that every film requires right marketing and promotions," he added.
After promoting the film off-shore, the 47-year-old reached here Sunday along with Shetty and Deepika.

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Different films need different marketing strategies. "It (marketing) depends on the films that what kind of promotions it needs. We didn't promote 'My Name Is Khan' that much. Yashji (Yash Chopra) expired before the release of 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', but we promoted 'Ra One' extensively worldwide," he added.Yash Chopra died Oct 21 last year and his last directorial venture "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" released on Nov 13.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shah-rukh-khans-chennai-express-a-family-entertainer-its-for-masses/1/298056.html

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shah-rukh-khans-chennai-express-a-family-entertainer-its-for-masses/1/298056.html

Shah Rukh Khan: My Hollywood Role Should Make Indians Proud

Not interested in taking up a stereotypical role created for Asians in Hollywood, Bollywood's superstar Shah Rukh Khan says 'to get a role not specific to my colour or the way I speak or act is very difficult'.
He has been active in Hindi films for over two decades, has featured in more than 80 films and won the tag of 'superstar', but the 47-year-old has yet to find a suitable role in international films.
A hugely popular actor in many countries, one whose face has become synonymous with the huge draw of the Indian film industry, particularly the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry, King Khan feels he doesn't have the USP to work in Hollywood.

  Asked what made him think so, he said: "I didn't talk in terms of fan following."
"I think the kind of role I would want to do in a Hollywood film is one that makes India proud. To get a role like that is not specific to my colour, or the way I speak, look or act or my age, it's very difficult," SRK told IANS in an exclusive interview.
"I mean you can't go to a big filmmaking world and say write a role for a 47-year-old actor who is brown, has hair like this, acts this way, dances a bit... the role should be something that Indians should be proud of. It's too specific for me to have a USP."
He however appreciated Indian faces who are doing well on the international arena.
"There are a few young boys and girls, who are doing really well internationally, and I pray they make it big," he said.
Shah Rukh relishes and cherishes all the love and attention showered on him on the home turf and is set to woo his fans with 'Chennai Express'.
In fact, he is right now busy driving the buzz around the comedy drama, coming out Friday, his first film with new age master of comedies Rohit Shetty.
Sharing his experience of working with Shetty, Shah Rukh said: "Rohit is fantastically organized. The best part about him is that he has a group of 200 trained people working under him. Rohit knows what he wants. He always delivers the best."
'Chennai Express', Shah Rukh's second film with Deepika Padukone after the 2007 super duper hit 'Om Shanti Om', has a popular train scene from his 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (DDLJ).
Interestingly, in 'Chennai Express' the name of Shah Rukh's character is Rahul, a screen title he has donned in a string of hits.
He confesses to being a director's actor.
"I'm a director's actor. I belong to a world which directors create. I enjoy being with them in their world. I want the world to see me as an actor who moulds himself according to the character his director creates for him," said Shah Rukh.
The Hindi film industry, which is celebrating its 100 years this year, has evolved with new filmmakers enlivening the silver screen with new subjects, Shah Rukh said, adding it's not a new trend.
"There's 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Barfi!'... all kinds of films are being made, which is good," said Shah Rukh.
"There have always been all kinds of filmmakers who make films like 'Iron Man', 'Batman' and 'Chak De! India'. It's always parallel. When I did DDLJ, there was 'Maya Memsaab' too."
"I always try to work on a different genre. I feel the industry has given me name, fame and money and I won't ever forgive myself if I won't do anything beneficial for Indian cinema and my fans."
From romantic to villainous and from action to superhero - SRK has delved into a variety of roles.
Asked how he is in real life, Shah Rukh said: "I am a little like all of them. There are parts and portions of me that you see in my characters also. If I play a father, I do it the way I would do it with my kids. If I play a lover, I behave the same way I am in real life. I would say I am a funny person but also gentle and kind."

How SRK's Pathan Father Fell In Love With His South Indian Mother

Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express is a romantic comedy about a man (played by Shah Rukh Khan) from one part of India, who lands up in another part with an entirely different culture and language, feeling like an alien in his own country.
In India, where there are 1683 different spoken languages and where every 2000-5000 kms, the language, clothes and food change so dramatically, he finds that love is the only universal language. While we all know Shah Rukh is a Pathan, went to school in Delhi, has a cricket team in Kolkata and lives in Mumbai, we discovered his strong South connection over a conversation. We bring you an excerpt from the same, where Shah Rukh talks about how his Pathan father fell in love with his South Indian mother.
"My mother is from Andhra and lived in Karnataka and used to speak all four South languages. My grandfather was the Karnataka state chief engineer of Mangalore Port and was the first Oxford- educated engineer, who was highly respected. He designed and built the Mangalore Port. My grandfather once took his four daughters, eldest of whom was my mother, to Delhi for a visit. In those days, there were pillars at India Gate. They had an ice-cream in their car after which the car hit one of the pillars and overturned. My father was the cousin brother of General Shah Nawaz, who was the second-in-command to Subhash Chandra Bose (Mangal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaz were amongst the three biggest freedom fighters). My father and he were Pathans from Peshawar and would walk at India Gate in the evenings. Seeing the car overturned, they turned the car over and took my mother and her family to the hospital. My grandfather and my mother's three sisters became alright, but my mother lost her memory and needed matching blood. As luck would have it, my father's blood matched hers and he gave his blood to her. My grandmother (nani) surprisingly was pregnant at that time and thus, to not give her stress on the phone, my grandfather requested my father if he would go to Bangalore to give her the news about her family and my mother having lost her memory (a Pathan will often do that as my mom's family had no help in Delhi).

When he returned back from Bangalore, he would go everyday and look after this lady who had lost her memory and fell in love with her. My mom, coincidentally, was engaged at that time to someone else. He came to Bangalore and wanted to marry my mother. They were both Muslims and my grandparents agreed. I was born and brought up in Mangalore till the age of five. There were no men in my maternal side except my grandfather. My mother was the eldest daughter and my mausies had got married late. I, too, had an older sister, so I became the first boy in the family and my mom gave me for five years to be looked after by my grandmother, so I was brought up in Mangalore by my maternal aunts and my nani. In the fifth year, I think, she missed me a lot and took me back with her. So, I was brought up by women and spoke Kannada when I was small with the servants of the house. My maternal house is still in Toli Chowki, Hyderabad. After doing 72 films, life seems to have come a full circle with Chennai Express."

Unreal Emotions Don't Come Easy for me, Says Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has won millions of hearts across the globe with his impeccable performance on the big screen, said it was easy for him to play romantic and emotional roles but found it difficult to portray unreal emotions.

  The 47-year-old actor made the comment while promoting his upcoming film "Chennai Express". "I think I am only an actor. I make my job look very easy. But let me tell you it is the most difficult thing to do even after 20 years. I stand in a scene and make it look simple. But sometimes, it takes nine takes to make that happen. Romance and real emotions are easy but unreal emotions are difficult," he said, according to PTI.

"Chennai Express" is Shah Rukh's first release of the year which is set to hit screens on 9 August. The film which falls into the action-comedy genre is directed by "Golmaal" fame Rohit Shetty. Shah Rukh, who will play the role of a 40-year-old man, reunites with his "Om Shanti Om" co-star Deepika Padukone in the film after a gap seven years.

Shah Rukh and Rohit have collaborated with each other for the first time through "Chennai Express". Speaking about Rohit and how he gave his consent to do "Chennai Express", Shah Rukh said,

"I like Rohit's sense of humor. I like his film Golmaal, All the Best. His sense of humor is madcap and crazy. After Jab Tad Hai Jaan last year, I wanted to do a comedy. Rohit first approached me with the script of "Angoor" remake."

"My mother and I loved the cult comedy. When he was leaving after the meeting, he said that he had one more script (Chennai Express) which he wrote for some other actor. But after hearing it, I found the script interesting and ended up doing it," he added.

Co-produced by Shah Rukh's wife Gauri and Siddharth Roy Kapoor, "Chennai Express" is expected to be a big hit in the Indian and International markets.