filed in Headline News > "Iron Man VFX are nothing in front of Ra.One VFX" (First Audience Reaction)

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan Yesterday organized a special screening of his movie Ra.One for close friends and Team One at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. 

Director Anubhav Sinha, Yash Chopra, Gauri Khan, members of Eros team, Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal and Bhushan Kumar were amongst the guest list.

Since evening Yash Raj Studios’ premises were full of excited technicians & crew members who had worked on Ra.One for months, and today for the first time the complete film was being showed to few selected people. They too watched the film along with the special guests. The screening theatre was packed. Many of the guests present at the screening couldn’t control their tears.

Our source says, “Before the screening everybody knew they were going in for a very good film, as they have seen the promos – the VFX, the songs, the music, and above all – Shah Rukh Khan. But we were stunned. We now have no words to say. We are absolutely speechless, and so is everybody.”

“What just happened! Ra.One is beyond a movie. It’s just outstanding. The special effects of Iron Man are nothing in front of the effects used in Ra.One,” the source adds.

All the celebrity guests were shocked to see such brilliance, and everybody rushed to the director Anubhav Sinha. One guest went on to say, “Anubhav is now going to make Hollywood copy us! Ra.One is sheer genius, the movie is not just a superhero flick where there is a good vs bad battle, and it is more than that. It makes you cry, especially the journey of a relationship between father and son is beyond words. That will make everyone cry.”

Shah Rukh Khan remained unavailable for comments, but the man of the moment after the screening was Anubhav Sinha. Not a single person was such who went home without congratulating Anubhav Sinha, even after waiting for their turn for that.

After the screening Shah Rukh Khan tweeted, "Everyone seemed to enjoy the Ra.One experience at the trial.Allah has been very kind to all of us & I hope all of u appreciate the newness."

Ra.One will get the biggest opening in the history of Indian cinema:Forecasts IIM-Indore studentShah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One will get the biggest opening in the history of Indian cinema. Rockstar will be a roaring success. And Don-2 will generate a hype that would make even Hollywood stars envious. These are not predictions from astrologers or trade pundits but forecasts by an IIM-Indore student on the basis of management theories. The B-school student has based her verdict on a unique management model that predicts the fate of films. Khyati Madaan, a 2nd year student who is a die-hard movie buff, told DNA that her formula gives exact numbers in terms of money a film would generate with a mere margin of ‘+ or - 6 %’ variation. “I have developed the model over a period of three months. It is based on a management technique called multiple regression,” Madaan said. Madaan has already applied for a patent after some of the big Bollywood names evinced interest in the model. Noted film director and actor Farhaan Akhtar said the idea was amazing. Several marketing heads associated with big Bollywood banners like Eros Entertainment said they ‘look forward to applying’ it to their films. Madaan took help of her friends and online media to reach 950 respondents from all over India (from each territory of domestic Box Office) and major overseas market (US, UK and UAE) for developing the model. Findings of the survey were extrapolated on 32 films released in 2010-11. The findings matched the earnings of these films with an error margin of six percent.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One will get the biggest opening in the history of Indian cinema. Rockstar will be a roaring success. And Don-2 will generate a hype that would make even Hollywood stars envious.
These are not predictions from astrologers or trade pundits but forecasts by an IIM-Indore student on the basis of management theories.
The B-school student has based her verdict on a unique management model that predicts the fate of films.
Khyati Madaan, a 2nd year student who is a die-hard movie buff, told DNA that her formula gives exact numbers in terms of money a film would generate with a mere margin of ‘+ or - 6 %’ variation.
“I have developed the model over a period of three months. It is based on a management technique called multiple regression,” Madaan said.
Madaan has already applied for a patent after some of the big Bollywood names evinced interest in the model. Noted film director and actor Farhaan Akhtar said the idea was amazing.
Several marketing heads associated with big Bollywood banners like Eros Entertainment said they ‘look forward to applying’ it to their films.
Madaan took help of her friends and online media to reach 950 respondents from all over India (from each territory of domestic Box Office) and major overseas market (US, UK and UAE) for developing the model.

Findings of the survey were extrapolated on 32 films released in 2010-11. The findings matched the earnings of these films with an error margin of six percent.

Ra.One gets Rs 52-crore promotional push

The producers of the upcoming flick RA.One--Eros International Media and Red Chillies Entertainment--today said that they have spent Rs 52-crore to promote the movie through brand tie-ups.

"The marketing spend on the movie has been 'subsidized' considerably through tie-ups with over 25 major brands," Eros said in a statement.

The brands include Sony PlayStation, YouTube, Nerolac, McDonald's, Western Union Money Transfer, UTV Indiagames, Videocon, Nokia, Coke, ESPN Star Sports and Cinthol among others.

The Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer will be released on Diwali (October 26). "Eros International and Red Chillies have already recovered a major portion of their investments through in-film branding, media endorsements and pre-licensing cable and satellite rights, music and other rights," the statement said.

Red Chillies has planned a collection of merchandise, including comics, toys, games, back to school items to build the franchise of Khan's character G.One in the film.

It has struck licensing deals with different companies for manufacturing products like jars, water bottles, frisbees, apparel, caps and electronic items like handycams, notebooks and tablets.

Eros is planning to release the film in 2D and 3D formats in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu besides over 3,500 screens worldwide, out of which around 500 screens are expected to be in 3D in the country and over 50 in 3D screens overseas.

Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20110186069&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood&nid=141314&cp

10 Reasons Y U should watch RA.One on Diwali

Here are the reasons why you can’t afford to miss the super hero flick this Diwali.
1. Superhero movie
The movie Krissh, which was the first Indian superhero movie, was so successful that we will see a release of the sequel very soon. With the advent of the superhero concept in Indian cinema, it would be interesting to know what SRK has to offer with his new movie.
2. It is a Diwali gift for the Indian audience
The festive season is in corner and you would certainly not like to spend your Diwali time at home. Along with lights and cracker, catching up a movie carrying high expectations among audience will be a good idea indeed.
3. Never before special effects
4. Song "Chammak Challo" by Akon
Now this is something first on Indian cinema. The international artist Ekon has sung a song “Chammak Challo” for the movie. Considering the popularity that Akon enjoys globally, this will surely draw a lot of people to Ra.One.
5. The movie is released in multiple languages
To draw maximum number of audience to the theaters to watch the superhero flick, the movie will be released in multiple languages like Hindi, English, Tamil and Telegu. So, even if you do not understand Hindi, you can taste the latest flavor from Bollywood.
6. Movie name based on the villain
Following the trend set by “Ghajini”, the movie has been named on the villain. This is interesting because it conveys about a powerful villain and a challenging combat is expected between the superhero and the bad guy.
7. Extraordinary marketing of the movie by SRK
SRK has extensively worked on the promotion of the movie. From appearance in TV shows and malls to releasing Ra.One merchandise for purchase, this certainly conveys his belief in the movie.
8. Movie a hit on the Social Networking sites already
Enter the Ra.One page of facebook, and you will be overwhelmed to see the number of followers and admirers of the page.
9. A full fledged game version of the movie in coming soon
Once again, another first for Bollywood cinema. This is the first movie for which a full fledged Play station version of game will be released very soon. You can imagine the huge investment behind such a mammoth effort.
10. A King Khan movie
After all, you got to see the movie because it is the King Khan’s self proclaimed biggest movie till date.

Shahrukh Khan's Ra.One to create a Dhinka Chika in Diwali

Shahrukh Khan's most awaiting Ra.One to create a Dhinka Chika Dhinka Chika in Diwali in Bollywood. Analysts say King Khan likely to settle score with the release of Ra.One  . After My Name Is Khan, Badsaha of Bollywood set to create record in history of film. Ra.One  straightly creates many record in Bollywood before release on October 26, 2011.
Ra.One  set to have a worldwide release during the Diwali weekend of October 26, 2011. Ra.One is currently India's most expensive film to date and will be released in both 2D and 3D formats across over 5,000 screens worldwide in 2D and around 550 screens in 3D, along with its dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu and German.
Ra.One is expected to set several records among Indian. Nationally, the film will release in 3,500 screens, breaking the record of Bodyguard (2011), which released in 2,700 screens. Overseas, it is currently expected to release in around 1,500 screens in 904 prints, with 600 screens in Germany, 300 screens in South Korea, 25 prints in Taiwan and New Zealand, 75 prints in Russia, 79 prints in the Middle East, 344 prints in USA, 51 prints in Australia, 202 prints in the UK and 49 prints in Canada.] In case the partnership deal is successful, the film will also release in China with 1,000 prints. Moreover, Ra.One will release in 3D in 550 selected screens around the world.
It is a science fiction superhero film written and directed by Anubhav Sinha, and starring Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles. It also stars Shahana Goswami, Dalip Tahil and Chinese-American actor Tom Wu in supporting roles, along with Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra in guest appearances. The film is jointly produced by Eros International and Khan's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment .

Sources said the film's crew consisted of more than 5,000 members from India, Italy and the US, and was pieced together by more than 1,000 people, working in shifts, in around 15 studios across the world. Nicola Pecorini was roped in as the director of photography, with V. Manikandan providing extra assistance, and Martin Walsh was responsible to edit the film. Sound designer Resul Pookutty was assigned the duty of enhancing the sound effects with the use of the Dolby Surround 7.1 system.

The soundtrack of Ra.One was composed by Vishal-Shekhar whilst the lyrics were penned by Atahar Panchi, Vishal Dadlani and Kumaar. Director Anubhav Sinha announced that the soundtrack would also feature two songs recorded by Senegalese American R&B singer Akon.

In March 2011, it was announced that the television broadcasting rights for Ra.One had been sold to Star India for a then-record sum of 40 crore (US$8.92 million), surpassing the previous record set by 3 Idiots (2009) for 33 crore (US$7.36 million). The film's music rights were bought by T-Series for 15 crore (US$3.35 million) whilst the distribution rights were acquired by Eros Entertainment for 77 crore (US$17.17 million). The distribution rights for the film in Tamil Nadu and Kerala were bagged by Abirami Ramanathan for a reportedly record, but undisclosed price. Ra.One set a new record for total pre-release revenue earned, netting 132 crore (US$29.44 million) and surpassed the previous record held by 3 Idiots, which had netted 85 crore (US$18.96 million).

The company launched the official customized Ra.One channel of the film on YouTube (a first for an Indian film) where several song and theatrical promos were released to the public, along with videos of the film's making, events and uncut footage. In addition to YouTube, Khan announced that the film would also subsidize through major brand ties-up worth over 52 crore (US$11.6 million), some of which included the Formula One races, Nokia, Godrej Consumer Products, Coca-Cola, HCL, Horlicks, HomeShop18  and multiple live chats conducted on Google Plus for which Khan became the first Indian film personality to utilize. Three weeks before the film's release, a mass media campaign was launched by Western Union for international promotions. Red Chillies Entertainment tie-up with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to build a full cycle game of the film on PlayStation.
As a way to promote the film and increase its franchising business, Shahrukh Khan tied up with Seventymm to market a variety of merchandises related to the film. Products included original G.One tee shirts, coffee mugs, wrist bands, watches, mobile pouches, video cameras, as well as many other things. Similar products were also available for purchase on the official G.One online store, which was launched alongside the film's official website. Red Chillies Entertainment collaborated with UTV Indiagames to develop digital comics based on the film's characters. Written by Khan, the comic featured weekly episodes and served as a prequel to the events happening in the movie.

RA. ONE CastingShah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Master Armaan Verma,
Shahana goswami, tom wu, dalip tahil, suresh menon, & Satish Shah
Special appearance:
Sanjay Dutt as the villianous villan - khalnayak
Priyanka chopra as the damsel in distress.
Director: anubhav sinha
Producer: gauri khan
Associate producer: (our own super hero):
Sanjiv chawla
Story: anubhav sinha
Screenplay: kanika dhillon, david benullo, mushtaq sheikh, anubhav sinha
Dialogue: kanika dhillon, niranjan iyengar
Director of photography: nicola pecorini
Production designer: sabu cyril, marcus wookey (uk),
Film editor: martin walsh, sanjay sharma
Lead vfx supervisor: jeffery klieser, vfx supervisor, haresh hingorani
Vfx producer: keitan yadav
Vfx studios: redchillies.vfx
Associate director: vaibhav misra
First assistant director (uk): terry bamber, Second assistant director (uk): David cain
First assistant director (india): Sagar sirgaonkar, Jignesh rathod
Executive producer: Anil sable, Rajan vanmali, Swapna david (uk),
Prashant shah (usa)
Line producer: Sameer yusuf khan
Re-recordist: Anoop dev
Sound designer: Resul pookutty (cas, mpse)
Action coordinator: Andy gill & spiro razatos
Stunt co-ordinator (india): Parvez & feroz
Additional stunts: Kanal kannan, William ong
Music: Vishal & shekhar
Background music: Vishal & shekhar
Lyricists: Atahar panchi, Vishal dadlani, Kumaar
Choreographer: Ganesh hedge, Feroz khan (family song)
Additional cinematography: V.manikandan
Operative cameraman: Onofrio nino pansini, Graham albert hall
Costumes: Anaita shroff adajania, Manish malhotra (kareena kapoor),
Naresh rohira, masculine, Robert lever (uk),
Ra.one & G.one suits: Robert kurtzman
Costume design: Tim flattery
Producer's consultant (u.k): Firuzi khan
P.R consultant: Nilufer qureshi (hype)
Film Marketing: Karuna Badwal
CFO: Blesson Oommen
Publicity designer: Rahul nanda & Himanshu nanda
Digital marketing, merchandising & licensing: Shailja gupta

Shahrukh Khan agreed to do ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ when Karan Johar cried

The director revealed on his chat show that the only way he could get his dream star cast for his directorial debut was to shed tears

You all know that Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Karan Johar first became friends during the shoot of Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in London. Karan, then his early twenties, was playing the role of Shahrukh’s character Raj’s friend. Karan had a movie idea and was still working on whether he wanted to turn director or be a fashion designer, when both SRK and Kajol told him that they believed he would be a very good director. Karan finally made up his mind, gave up his fashion designing dreams, and wrote Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He then went to meet Shahrukh and get him to sign on to play the main lead of Rahul. If you watch the movie at YouTube Boxoffice, you’ll see how SRK is perfect for the role. Now here’s where he encountered an unexpected obstacle. KJo said on his chat show Koffee with Karan that SRK initially didn’t want to do the film. Karan cried and begged Shahrukh to do the film and only then did SRK agree to it, albeit hesitantly, to pacify the crying Karan. When Kajol heard about this emotional scene, she agreed to play Anjali since SRK was onboard. Both Kajol and Shahrukh were more than happy with the success of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and for the way in which the young director had spiced up their chemistry. The rest, as they say, is history.

Shahrukh Khan adds 11 new dialogues to the ‘Don’ repertoire

For the coming eleven weeks the makers of the most awaited film of 2011 will release one dialogue, every week, of the uber-cool Don through various mediums

It’s been more than four decades since Amitabh Bachchan uttered the lines: “Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin, namumkin hai”. And it continues to be one of the most powerful dialogues in Hindi films. Even when Shahrukh Khan mouthed the same lines in Farhan Akhtar’s version of Don, it got the same thunderous applause and loud whistles from the crowd. So Farhan Akhtar, writer-director-producer of Don 2 added some sharp and zany dialogues for the cool villain in the sequel. In Ritesh Sidhwani, the co-producer, and Farhan’s words it is ‘Don-isms’ or ‘Don Says’. The makers have come out with a clever marketing strategy for the slick thriller. From today onwards, every Friday they will release one such powerful dialogue till Don 2 hits the theatres. Now, that’s a great way to hook audiences to the film. This week’s dialogue is: Don ke dushman ko ye baat hamesha yaad rakhni chahiye ki Don kabhi kuch nahin bhoolta. And there are many such dialogues like these. In the first teaser of Don 2 we hear SRK’s voiceover in the beginning: “Mere dushman samajh rahe the main ab kabhi laut ke na aaonga. Yeh gumnami ka samandar hain usmein hi ja ke doob jaaonga. Abhi baaki meri kahani hain, jo duniya ko sunani hain. Mujhe pehchano dekho main hoon kaun, aa raha hoon palatke, main hoon Don.” See what we mean? So get ready for the new dose of the SRK craze.

Shahrukh's Ra.One beats Aamir's 3 Idiots in pre-release collection

Superstar Shahrukh Khan's superhero movie Ra.One, which is slated to release across the globe on October 26, has set a new record with its pre-release collection. The mega-budget science fiction, which has reportedly earned Rs. 132 crores before its release, has beaten the records of Aamir Khan's blockbuster movie 3 Idiots that had collected approximately Rs. 85 crores from its different rights.

The film 3 Idiots had collected Rs 33 crores from its satellite television rights. Whereas the TV broadcasting rights of Ra.One have reportedly been sold to Star India for a record sum of 40 crores, which is new deadline for TV rights of a movie in the Bollywood.

Reports suggest that Vidhu Vinod Chopra had sold the music rights of 3 Idiots to T-Series for Rs.12 crore. But the same audio house has bought for music rights of Ra.One for whopping amount Rs. 15 crores, which is again a record in the Indian music industry.

However, Ra.One has set a new deadline in the sale of distribution rights also. Reliance Big Entertainment had acquired the distribution rights of 3 Idiots for Rs 40 crores. Whereas the distribution rights of Ra.One were sold to the Eros Entertainment for 77 crores. But now it should be seen whether Ra.One will be able to break the Box Office record of 3 Idiots.

SRK to grace 'Ra.One' audio launch on October 10!

Just a few hours back we had reported that SRK will be paying a visit to Superstar Rajinikanth in Chennai when he comes down for the IPL matches, now the latest is the King Khan will unveil the audio and the trailer of the film on October 10 in here!

The film jointly presented by Eros International and Red Chillies Entertainment will see its audio and trailer launch at Sathyam Cinemas. The event is said to take place at a grand scale and SRK's fans in here are enthralled about the same.

SRK's 'Ra.One' that is gearing up for a release in a couple of weeks will see Shahrukh play a superhero, G.One, whereas the team has remained tight-lipped throughout about their villain Ra.One, played by Arjun Rampal. 'Ra.One' has constantly made headlines due to the marketing guru's innovative strategies.

I'm a Rajini fanatic: Shahrukh Khan

The Bollywood Badshah will be in Chennai on October 9 to meet the Superstar

Shah Rukh Khan is flying into Chennai on Sunday (October 9) with a twopoint agenda. Says a source, "He will be there because his IPL team will be in the city and he will also use this opportunity to pay Rajini a visit."

People say that the exact details of SRK's visit to Rajinikanth's residence are being kept low-profile but a few days ago, SRK told this reporter, "I'm a Rajini fanatic. I will definitely pay him a visit at home on my next trip to Chennai."

Shah Rukh said interacting with the Tamil icon during the recent shoot of his film RA.One has been the most memorable experience of his life. Said he, "I get goose bumps even as I talk about it."

Apparently, SRK thought of using Rajini's Robot avatar (Chitti) in his film a few months ago. And then he was distraught because the Superstar took ill.

However, just when he was giving up, Rajini's younger daughter Soundarya emailed him to say that her 'appa' would resume work for Rana most probably by October 4 and then she would also ensure that she got him to do the cameo for RA.One. "Rajini sir hasn't begun work on Rana but Soundarya kept her promise. The moment she felt her father was well enough to take the flight to Mumbai, she called me and said they would fly down. They came with their own set of technicians and as I have said - my tryst with history happened. I met Rajini sir and shot with him. Soundarya used the editing set up in Mannat and even gave me a finished scene that we later got approved by Rajini sir."

SRK remembers that last year, his children had expressed a desire to see Robot in their home theatre and a print was not available. Says he, "When Latha heard about it, she called Gauri and ensured that the local distributor in Mumbai got us a print, so my children could watch the film. I'm indebted to Rajini sir's family for life."

Before signing off, Shah Rukh says, "I am one of the fortunate few who has had the good fortune of working with Kamal Haasan in Hey Ram and now Rajini in RA.One. Both of them are my childhood heroes. My mother is from Hyderabad and even as a young boy, I remember her telling me about these two great actors. I am also impressed with the work of Mammooty and Mohanlal. These are actors I deeply admire." SRK adds, "I just wish I can be as humble as Rajini sir some day. He's a fantastic human being. He has touched my life in more ways than one."

SRK planning to make RA.One sequel

It has an ever-escalating budget rumoured to currently be around Rs 200 crore. There are cameos by Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra, not to mention merchandise tie-ups including games, deodorants and school gear. 

RA.One might already seem like a daunting proposition, but Shah 

Rukh Khan has ambitious plans for his sci-fi fantasy thriller. 

The actor says, “There should be a sequel; that’s the tendency of all superhero films. Next time, I’d like to do it faster, bigger and better because my team and I have the technology and know how to use it now.” 

He does, however, admit, “It’s presumptuous to start on it already. But if we can pull off this film and the character (G.One) to the extent that we hope for, then we want to do it again.”

The Diwali release has kept Shah Rukh busy for about two years now, and has visibly taken a toll on his health too, but it doesn’t bother him: “It’s been difficult because my producer Bobby Chawla has been unwell for a long time now, and I’ve been filling in for him. 

RA.One happened because of him, and no one can replace him.”

Shah Rukh adds with a laugh, “In fact, when Rajni sir was in town to shoot his cameo for the film, the only thing he said to me was to get some rest because I looked very tired.”

Prod him on the south superstar’s role in the film and he divulges, “It’s only a couple of shots, but it’s turned out fantastic, and I can say my film is now complete. When the superhero, G.One comes down to the real world, the first thing he sees is another superhero, Chitti (Rajinikanth’s character in Robot, 2010). To me, it represents irony.”

Shah Rukh is also eagerly awaiting the release of Farhan Akhtar’s action thriller Don 2 in December. “It looks great so far,” he enthuses, adding, “I’ve already finished dubbing for my portions. If all goes well, the first trailer will come out with RA.One.”

Over-exposed?
Last Saturday, Shah Rukh was promoting RA.One on three prime time shows simultaneously. Apart from that, the film has associations with brands in every category, the latest being a special Cinthol G.One deodorant. But he defends this over-exposure: “Why do we have to look at it in a negative way? Some people remember films particularly because they have been marketed well. All three shows included my close friends, I couldn’t say no.”

King Khan, Kareena to rock Dubai for RA.One premiere

Dubai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be in Dubai for the grand premiere of his latest sci-fi film ‘RA.One’ along with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal.

Billed as the most expensive Bollywood film ever, with a budget of over 1.5 billion rupees (Dh111 million), King Khan’s sci-fi flick will be premiered at the Grand Cineplex on October 24 followed by a charity auction gala dinner.

While the premiere is a ticketed event, the auction benefit will be an invites-only event and the proceeds from the starry benefit will be handed over to Rashid Pediatric Therapy Centre, Gulf News reported.

After the Dubai star studded premiere, the Bollywood entourage will be heading to London and Toronto for the film’s screening.

Khan, 45, who is also one of the producers, has been in hard-selling mode and has come up with marketing strategies unique in Bollywood, including launching a movie-based video game and creating an interactive You Tube campaign for the film.

After Rajnikant it is now Amitabh Bachchan in SRK’s Ra One

After Rajnikant it is now Amitabh Bachchan to star in Shah Rukh’s Ra One which is scheduled to be released twenty days later.While shooting for Ra One Superstar, Rajnikant told Shah Rukh Khan and director Anubhav to make a few changes in the action scenes. Both where huddled together along with representative of Eros International the co-producer and the changes were incorporated. SRK told Rajnikant ” Sir it will be done,”

SRK not only agreed to the changes, but he would also implement them exactly the way Rajini wants.“SRK and Sinha (Anubhav) deliberated on Rajini’s changes for a few minutes. The cost to Shah Rukh and the co-producers Eros International will also increase. But Rajini is a master in special effects, his last film involving special effects Robot was a treat. And so, SRK agreed readily to Rajinikanth’s changes. He told Rajini ‘Sir, it will be done exactly as you say’,” added the source.

Mumbai Mirror reports that the changes cost a bomb for Shah Rukh Khan.A source also informed Mumbai Mirror, “SRK is doing all that he can to make RA One a success. This is his dream project. First he got his good friends Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra to do cameos.

Then SRK wanted Rajinikanth to be a part of his project. People thought it was crazy since Rajini sir was still recuperating from his illness. But Rajini sir, despite his health issues, agreed to come to Mumbai and shoot for the scene. After the shoot, everyone thought that the film was finally complete. Obviously SRK had other plans. He has now convinced Amitabh Bachchan to lend his voice to RA.One.”

“SRK wants Big B to do the voice over for an extremely important sequence in the film. Anubhav Sinha, the director was also keen on having someone to do the voice over,” added the source. In fact, when Khan approached Bachchan, the superstar immediately agreed to be a part of the superhero flick. “There is immense respect between SRK and Amitji. The dubbing will take place at a suburban studio on Thursday,” informed the source.

Anubhav Sinha, the director of Ra One confirmed the news and added, “Amitji has been kind enough. We needed someone special to do this voice over in the film. Also, the project will now get blessings from the people we have loved and respected for years. God is kind to me. I had SRK, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt. Now I even have Rajinikanth sir and Mr Amitabh Bachchan in my film. I feel blessed.”

SRK dedicates RA.One music to Yash Johar, Bobby Chawla

Superstar Shahrukh Khan launched the music of his most ambitious project RA.One here last night, dedicating it to late filmmaker Yash Johar and friend Bobby Chawla, brother of actress Juhi Chawla.

Bobby, is the CEO of Shahrukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment, and has been in coma since last year.

"I want to dedicate this album to Yash Joharji and Bobby. When we started our company Red Chillies Entertainment the one who helped me start it was Bobby and the one who gave me so much love, was Yash Joharji. So this is for them," Shah Rukh told reporters here last night.

The evening started with performances on various dance numbers from RA.One like Chamak Chalo, Dildaara and others, by Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal and music-composers Vishal-Shekhar. The music launch event will be televised on Star network on September 18.

Filmmaker Karan Johar launched the music along with the cast of the film.

"I am always overwhelmed when Shah Rukh talks about my father. It is true that one person that my father loved and adored in this industry is Shahrukh. In his last days, my father had some great memories with Shahrukh. Wherever he is in this universe, he will bless Shahrukh and RA.One with love and success," Karan said.

"I believe RA.One is the proudest Indian film ever made and there isn't a film like Ra.One on the celluloid," he said.

"This is one of our best albums ever. It is built for the biggest film of all time. Everything has been grand in the film and so is the music and the collaboration of international personalities like Akon, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra," Vishal-Shekhar said.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, RA.One is slated for a release this Diwali.

Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.one has a tribute for Rajnikanth

Shahrukh Khan's most awaited film of the year, ''Ra.one'' will pay tribute to southern superstar Rajnikanth, whose ''Endhiran'', a 2010 Tamil science-fiction film, broke many box office records.

Reports of similarities between 'Endhiran' and ''Ra.one'' have been surfacing since SRK''s film went on the floors but the Bollywood actor claims that his release is different.

They (Endhiran and Ra.one) are different films and how to compare. Ours is a different film. I will not like to talk or claim about anyone else?s film but Rajni sir is respectable to all of us. Actually, we have a tribute to Rajni Sir in the film. We love him," Shahrukh told reporters here last night.

''Ra.One'', a science-fiction superhero film directed by Anubhav Sinha, stars Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in lead roles. It also stars Shahana Goswami, Dilip Tahil and Chinese-American actor Tom Wu in supporting roles.

While ''Endhiran'' directed by S Shankar featured Rajinikanth in dual roles--as a scientist and an android robot--alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Shahrukh said his film is indigenous and made in India.

"Everything you have seen is produced here?we are proud of it and have done a great job. We have taken the technology forward and we should be proud of it," he said.

Besides, ''Ra.one'' will also be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu for the southern audience. "The film will be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. Dubbing for Tamil and Telugu is going on simultaneously. Also, we intend to dub the film in German and some other languages," he said.

''Ra.one'' is all set to release on October 26.

Shahrukh Khan will be at the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix. Will you?

India will host its very first Formula 1 grand prix in two months time. The inaugural race is expected to attract racing enthusiasts from all over the country. The event that is scheduled for 30th October has also managed to grab the attention of Bollywood stars including Shahrukh Khan who will be at the grand prix. According to the organizers, ticket for the grand prix are selling at a brisk pace including the most expensive seats on along the newly constructed race track.

The corporate boxes are one of the most expensive options and as per Jaypee Sports International, the organizers of the race, Shahrukh Khan has booked one of them. The tickets for the corporate boxes range from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1 Crore. Others who enrolled for the corporate boxes include Airtel, the title sponsors as well as Reliance Industries, Chairman, Mukesh Ambani

“We have about 55 corporate boxes in the price range between Rs 35 lakh to a crore. The boxes will be on prime location at the circuit – right next to the podium. The demand for those boxes has been high,” Askari H Zaidi, JPSI senior vice-president, told TOI on the sidelines of a CII seminar on Tuesday.

Airtel Indian GP

The boxes are of different sizes ranging from space for 5-7 or 10-14 people. The hefty price for these spaces also include corporate hospitality which usually entails paddock club hospitality pass, driver appearances, exclusive F1 VIP hospitality venue passes and pit tours. A seat in these exclusive corporate boxes will cost you anything between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The infrastructure along the race track has a total capacity to accommodate 1,10,000 but due to high demand, the organizers have decided to increase the capacity to 1,25,000. This also includes 480 seats for journalists.

 “We will be selling about 1,10,000 tickets this year. Looking at the demand, we are increasing the capacity to about 1,25,000,” Zaidi said.

SRK to let injured Gambhir decide on playing CLT20

It will be wonderful if he can play in Champions League

Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan stressed that Gautam Gambhir, who leads his franchise, will decide on his participation in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20.
Gambhir was ruled out of the five-match One-Day International series against England because of blurred vision due to mild concussion, after his head hit the ground while attempting to take a catch in the fourth and final Test at The Oval.
- Take a look at Team India's casualty list
"It is unfortunate. He has been passing through a series of injuries. And when such a decision like this happens to a big player like him, a professional player like him, then the decision will have to be completely his and his fitness team. Our people are also looking at him, meeting him and we are in complete touch with him.
"It will be wonderful if he can play in the Champions League. There will be nothing better than that, but the decision will have to be left to his fitness staff and himself. Whatever decision he takes, we will ask him to come for at least one match and cheer us," said Shah Rukh, in Mumbai on Friday, at the launch of the Champions League Twenty20.
"He is a wonderful professional player and whatever decision he takes we will have to respect that," he added.

Shahrukh Khan face of CLT20

Commenting on his association, Shahrukh Khan, said, “I am extremely proud to be associated with Nokia Champions League Twenty20. I am doubly happy as my team Kolkata Knight Riders is also in with a chance of qualifying for this prestigious event.

"NCL T20 is a unique concept as the best T20 teams from across nations face off for the ultimate prize – being Champion of Champions. It doesn’t get better than this as the best T20 exponents bring out their best fare for the cricket loving fans worldwide."

Khan said he is confident that his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will do well in the tournament.

"I am also quietly confident about my team - Kolkata Knight Riders. I believe that the team is pulling out all stops to prepare for this event and I feel that along with the other IPL teams KKR also has a good chance of first qualifying to the main edition and then excelling in further matches.

"We are working hard and we promise to deliver wholesome and exciting cricket for our fans," said SRK.

Nokia, the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20, also announced plans to promote its association with the tournament via ‘Nokia Ke Asli Champions’ campaign providing the consumers an opportunity to showcase the ‘Asli Champions’ in them.

Select lucky winners will get an opportunity to be part of Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Champion team’ and watch the finals live with her.

ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), the global commercial rights partner of NCL T20, further announced that it will showcase the tournament to fans in more than 174 territories worldwide.

Speaking on the occasion, Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, “Shahrukh Khan is a great fit as the face of Nokia Champions League Twenty20 and we are delighted to have him with us on this fascinating journey.

"The promo which features Shahrukh is already on-air and has received rave reviews. His participation is however not limited to being the public face of NCL T20. As a team owner, I am sure he will be looking forward to Kolkata Knight Riders qualifying for the main edition of the tournament. We wish him the very best for the qualifying round of matches."

D Shivakumar, Managing Director, Nokia India, said, “Cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Indians and we have been associated with it over the years through our association with the T20 World Cup, Kolkata Knight Riders and IPL."

ESPN STAR Sports has lined up a top notch list of cricketing experts who will analyse every nuance of the 29 matches to be played across 4 venues – Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The line-up includes Harsha Bhogle, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kepler Wessels, HD Ackerman, Ian Chappell, Tom Moody, Ian Bishop and Alan Wilkins.

The TV ratings of second edition of Champions League Twenty20 saw a 35% increase over the first edition. The combined ratings (all channels) for the 2010 edition was 2.05 as compared to 1.5 for 2009.

Even in terms of reach, the 2010 edition of CL T20 had an increase of 20%. The 2010 edition was watched by 90 million viewers as compared to 74.6 million in 2009.

First Look: Shahrukh Khan as Kareena’s saviour in 'Ra.One'

Do you like this first poster of Shahrukh Khan’s 'Ra.One'?

Haan, Farishtey Hote Hain (Yes, angels do exist) says the punchline on the first poster of Shahrukh Khan’s much awaited film Ra.One.

In the poster, Shahrukh Khan is seen playing a saviour to an unconscious Kareena Kapoor, clad in an eye-catching red saree. Shahrukh flaunts his six pack abs as he holds Kareena in his arms against the backdrop of a raging destruction.

The movie, directed by Anubhav Sinha, has Shahrukh playing the superhero G.One. Arjun Rampal<.LINK> plays the villain.

Shahrukh Khan officially planned to release this poster, but it got leaked online before that.

Do check it out and let us know if you like it or not.

Shah Rukh Khan’s 123: RA.One, Don 2 Now In 3D

Shah Rukh Khan has a bumper year ahead of him: not only is his film Don 2 set to release in 3D, even his sci-fi superhero film, RA.One, will be in 3D!

Posters of Shah Rukh Khan's RA.One and Don 2.

Director Farhan Akhtar decided to go ahead with the 3D conversion of Don 2 after he and producer Ritesh Sidhwani were impressed by what digital 2D to 3D conversion could achieve. No wonder, with the high-end special effects and graphics in RA.One, Shah Rukh definitely hopes to wow his audiences. While a formal announcement of the same is yet to be made, it has been finalised that RA.One will also be released in the 3D version, come October 26.