Tag: SRK

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SRK’s blockbuster ‘Pathaan’ enters Rs 1000 cr club

The film, directed by Siddharth Anand also stars Ashutosh Rana and Dimple Kapadia…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham’s latest action entertainer ‘Pathaan’ has zoomed past the fabled Rs 1,000 crore gross worldwide becoming the first Hindi film to breach this milestone in phase one of its release.

‘Pathaan’, on its fourth Monday, saw a solid jump again at the box office. It collected Rs 1.25 crore net in India (Hindi – Rs 1.20 crore, All Dubbed versions – Rs 0.05 crore).

‘Pathaan’ has now recorded $45.94 million in the overseas territories alone, while net collection in India stands at Rs 516.92 crore (Hindi – Rs 498.95 crore, Dubbed – Rs 17.97 crore)! The total worldwide gross is an incredible Rs 1000 crore (India gross – Rs 623 crore, overseas – Rs377 crore).

The film, directed by Siddharth Anand also stars Ashutosh Rana and Dimple Kapadia.

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SRK: My kids say I have a damn cool body in ‘Pathaan’

Jhoome Jo Pathaan

About what he loves about the chartbuster song Jhoome Jo Pathaan, SRK said: “Jhoome Jo Pathaan is a song that I feel makes you want to dance…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who flaunted perfect eight-pack abs in the song ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ in his latest release ‘Pathaan’, is happy that youngsters find his chiselled body “cool”.

SRK, who is a father of three – Aaryan, Suhana and AbRam, said: “When they (director Siddharth Anand and choreographer Bosco Martis) were doing Jhoome Jo Pathaan song, I think a conspiracy was hatched to make me go shirtless. There was no way that I was sure about doing it (taking my shirt off) but then they made me do it!”

He added: “I think it was already planned that slowly, slowly, they will start opening my buttons. I have never done my signature steps with abs! So, ya, it took a lot of takes, a lot of takes.”

“I’m very happy now when youngsters, my kids see me on screen and say damn cool body papa! I feel very happy but it is really scary! I don’t know if I will be able to do it again.”

About what he loves about the chartbuster song Jhoome Jo Pathaan, SRK said: “Jhoome Jo Pathaan is a song that I feel makes you want to dance. Just wanted to do a step which everyone can do with ease. It comes when it’s like all things are done well now and so let’s celebrate, it’s a party song in the film.”

ALSO READ-‘SRK created that enigmatic quality, that mystery around him’

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Bollywood bigwigs pay homage to Yash Chopra in Netflix series

SRK, Karan Johar, Katrina Kaif, Amitabh Bachchan speak about why Yash Chopra is a legend in Netflix’s docu-series The Romantics! Preview feature by columnist Riccha Grrover for Asian Lite International.

Iconic director Yash Chopra’s impact on Hindi cinema is an everlasting one and Netflix pays tribute to the legend and Yash Raj Films’ cultural impact on India for the past 50 years in a new docu-series The Romantics which is releasing globally on Feb 14th!

The docu-series will see the Hindi film industry come together to celebrate Yash Chopra. The mega-stars of the Indian entertainment industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, etc will pour their hearts out to speak about how the legend’s work shaped their cinematic vision!

Yash Chopra is celebrated widely for his envelope-pushing romantic films like Silsila, Lamhe, Kabhi Kabhie, Veer-Zaara, Dil To Pagal Hai, Chandni, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, etc. SRK, who has been directed by Yash Chopra four times,talks about how mesmerized he was watching those films. He says, “As a professional, if I would have to spend 100 days on a set, I would rather do it on a Yash Chopra set than anybody else’s.”

Karan Johar, who knew Yash Chopra closely and is also widely known for his cult romantic films, says, “I just became obsessed by watching his films and I felt that who is this man, who is constantly responsible for mesmerizing me as a child.”

Meanwhile, superstar Katrina Kaif loved how Yash Chopra portrayed his heroines, who were all independent-minded, forward-thinking, self-reliant, and strong. Yash Chopra’s heroines contributed to how women were projected on screen by the Indian film industry. She says, “The way that Yashji portrayed his heroines was so dignified, graceful, and layered.”

Amitabh Bachchan, who has collaborated with the icon for landmark films like Deewar, Silsila, Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Kaala Patthar and Veer Zaara, calls Yash Chopra a true master of cinema in The Romantics, given how brilliant he was with diverse genres!

Amitabh says, “We shot for Deewar for several months within ten or fifteen days. We started Kabhi Kabhie suddenly to shift to an environment which is full of flowers and mountains and snow but the ease with which he just adapted to that was just quite remarkable!”

The Romantics has been directed by Oscar & Emmy-nominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, who returns to Netflix after the phenomenal success of Indian Matchmaking and the Never Have I Ever franchise.

Netflix, one of the world’s leading entertainment services, in this four-part docu-series, will also feature 35 leading personalities from the film industry, who have closely worked with YRF through its 50-year glorious existence.

Interestingly, the reclusive head of the iconic Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra, has also recorded his first on-camera interview for ‘The Romantics’! Hearing him share insights about YRF and the Hindi film industry in this docu-series would be a huge highlight for the film fraternity, cinephiles & Hindi cinema audience at large.

YRF is currently at an all-time high as their latest release Pathaan, the fourth film of YRF’s Spy Universe is breaking all records at the global box office. Pathaan is now the number one Hindi film worldwide and has become the biggest all-time blockbuster in the history of Hindi cinema. YRF is home to some of the biggest blockbusters that Indian cinema has ever witnessed like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, War, Sultan, Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Mohabbatein.

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‘Pathaan’ is smashing box-office records

The film has been directed by Siddharth Anand of ‘War’ fame…reports Asian Lite News

The recently-released action film ‘Pathaan’, which marked the return of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on the silver screen, is smashing box-office records. The film is having a historic run in the theatres with domestic and overseas box office collections crossing Rs 700 crore in just nine days.

‘Pathaan’ on its ninth day registered an incredible Rs 15.65 crore nett in India (Rs 15 crore in Hindi and Rs 0.65 crore in all dubbed versions). In nine days, the film has recorded Rs 259.6 crore in overseas territories, while nett collection in India stand at Rs 351 crore, as per trade sources.

The film has been directed by Siddharth Anand of ‘War’ fame.

Siddharth has been entrusted by Aditya Chopra to start two franchises of the YRF Spy Universe given his mastery over the action genre. Siddharth is also the only Hindi film director to have delivered five Rs 50 crore nett box office days and also five Rs 100 crore worldwide gross box office days with ‘War’ and ‘Pathaan’.

With this, all films of the YRF’s Spy Universe – ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, ‘War’ and ‘Pathaan’ – are now bonafide blockbusters.

‘Pathaan’, which also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, has been produced by Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films.

ALSO READ-‘SRK created that enigmatic quality, that mystery around him’

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‘SRK created that enigmatic quality, that mystery around him’

The focus then shifted to setting up the six action set pieces in the film, with an emphasis on the emotion behind the action, which is critical for South Asian audiences…reports Asian Lite News

Making an observation that should set younger stars, who love to be everything everywhere all at once on social media, thinking hard, ‘Pathaan’ helmer Siddharth Anand said in an interview with ‘Variety’ that the film owes its stupendous success to “a lot of curiosity to see Shah Ruk Khan after his hiatus.”

The Yash Raj Films spy action thriller ended a box office drought for Bollywood, which had a lean 2022, and marked a comeback for Khan, not seen as a leading man since 2018’s ‘Zero’, ‘Variety’ notes.

Anand, who comes from a Bollywood family (grandfather: Inder Raj Anand; uncle: Tinnu Anand) and has been helming films since his debut with ‘Salaam Namaste’ in 2005, said to ‘Variety’: “There was a lot of curiosity to see Shah Rukh Khan back after his hiatus — he took a break from media, from appearances, he just became inaccessible to the world. There suddenly was a thirst that he created for him — today, audiences are used to stars being out there in social media and events and everywhere.”

“He created that enigmatic quality, that mystery around him, which a star should have and then did a film that is in a very popular genre,” Anand continued. “That, coupled with the fact that the teaser landed so well, the songs became such huge hits, and to top it all the trailer gave the impact that it should. Everything just fell into place for the film. That’s what created this mass hysteria.”

Explaining that his “thumb rule for a thriller is that you should give enough twists and turns to the audience so that they are not ahead of you,” Anand told ‘Variety’ that he worked closely with screenplay writer Shridhar Raghavan and dialogue writer Abbas Tyrewala, both members of his team for his previous blockbuster film, ‘War’ (2019), to create a twisty screenplay laced with punchy dialogue.

The focus then shifted to setting up the six action set pieces in the film, with an emphasis on the emotion behind the action, which is critical for South Asian audiences.

Looking into the future, Anand told ‘Variety’: “I don’t want to be limited by genre. I used to make romcoms. Today I’m making action films. Tomorrow, I might want to make a courtroom drama. There might be a slice of life, or just an outright comedy that I want to make. … I want to be able to surprise the filmmaker in me and keep him alive. Keep him on the edge.”

Next up for Anand is Viacom18’s aerial action film ‘Fighter’, which reunites him with Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. Ten days of shoot have been completed on the film and the next schedule is due to commence on Friday. The aim, as ‘Variety’ notes, is to release it on January 25 next year, exactly a year after ‘Pathaan’.

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Unstoppable ‘Pathaan’ breaks records

Besharam Rang Song- Pathaan-Shah Rukh Khan - Deepika Padukone.

A huge number of fans thronged to Srinagar’s only multiplex theatre to watch Bollywood ‘Badshah’ Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Pathaan’ for the first time since the 90s…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s latest release “Pathaan” is emerging as an unstoppable force at the global box office. The film, directed by Siddharth Raaj Anand, has earned Rs 429 crore gross worldwide in four days.

The film collected another Rs 100 crore day on its fourth day, as it registered Rs 53.25 crore net in India (in Hindi and all dubbed versions).

The overseas gross recorded up till the fourth day adds up to Rs 164 crore, according to trade analysts.

“Pathaan” crossed the Rs 200-crore net mark in India in just four days, with a Rs 265-crore gross collection up on the board. Four days is the shortest time for a Hindi film to enter the Rs 200 crore club.

“Pathaan” has also become the only Hindi film to register three Rs 50-crore days. Now, as a result, all films in YRF’s Spy Universe — “Ek Tha Tiger”, “Tiger Zinda Hai”, “War”, and “Pathaan” — are blockbusters.

‘Pathaan’ effect in Kashmir

This is the first time since the 90s that such a crowd has thronged cinemas to watch a film in Kashmir. In fact, in the early 90s, cinemas were closed in Kashmir due to increased militancy and only a few months ago, Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated a multiplex cinema in Srinagar.

A huge number of fans thronged to Srinagar’s only multiplex theatre to watch Bollywood ‘Badshah’ Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Pathaan’ for the first time since the 90s.

The relationship between Bollywood and Kashmir was established when Raj Kapoor shot some parts of his film ‘Barsaat’ in Kashmir in 1949 and brought its beauty to a wide circle, after which the Kashmir Valley became the focus of attention of many film producers.

Countless Bollywood films, including Shammi Kapoor’s ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, Shashi Kapoor’s ‘Jab Jab Phool Khile’, Rishi Kapoor’s ‘Bobby’ were shot in Kashmir. The songs of these films shot in Kashmir are still in the favourite list of many people.

Not only this, there are many places in Kashmir, which are known by movie names or characters, such as the landmark ‘Bobby Hut’ in Gulmarg, where a song from the superhit Bollywood film “Bobby” was filmed, or the landmark in Pahalgam. “Betaab Valley” where the movie ‘Betaab’ was shot.

This beautiful relationship between Kashmir and Bollywood lasted until Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film ‘Khamoosh’ in 1985, after which the unfortunate circumstances almost broke this relationship. What happened in Kashmir during this time is not hidden from anyone, but in the year 2000, after a long time, Bollywood was seen returning to Kashmir when films like ‘Mission Kashmir’ and ‘Haider’ were shot in Kashmir. This relationship was also unique because this time the subject of these films was not the beauty of Kashmir but Kashmir itself.

It is worth noting that while the Lt. Governor’s administration opened new seminar houses for the return of seminars in the Kashmir Valley, it also announced a new film policy to make Kashmir the centre of Bollywood.

Under this policy framed in the year 2021, in an effort to facilitate shooting in the Kashmir Valley, a single-window mechanism was introduced to facilitate obtaining permission for shooting.

After these steps of the government, where all eyes were focused on whether people will turn to the Simna houses or not. As soon as the same movie ‘Pathaan’ was released in Srinagar, a crowd of fans was seen at the only theatre in Srinagar.

On this occasion, Shah Rukh Khan’s fans appreciated the film a lot. Meanwhile, the multiplex owner told mediapersons that the first four shows of the film have been booked in advance. Vikas Dhar, owner of multiplex “Inox”, while talking to mediapersons said, “Shah Rukh Khan’s movie is being screened for the first time in Srinagar’s cinema and the response from Shah Rukh Khan’s fans is appreciable.”

“During the movie, as soon as Shah Rukh Khan entered the big screen, the fans were expressing their feelings by clapping and whistling,” he said.

Pathaan.

Dhar hailed the growing trend towards cinema in Srinagar, especially the youth turning towards cinemas.

“The turning of the youth towards cinemas is also a source of satisfaction for us. Releasing ‘Pathaan’ movie in Srinagar is proving to be a good decision. Advance booking is going on and more people are expected to arrive in the coming days.”

It is worth noting that the movie ‘Pathaan’ is making a lot of money in theatres despite the appeal of the saffron organisations to boycott the movie.

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SRK’s mass comeback in espionage thriller ‘Pathaan’

Pathaan (Shah Rukh) is an exiled RAW field operative who is assigned to take down his old nemesis, Jim (John Abraham), a former RAW agent turned rogue…reviewed by Arnab Banerjee

‘Pathaan’ (playing in theatres); Duration: 146 minutes; Director: Siddharth Anand; Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham and Dimple Kapadia. (Rating: 3.5)

Finally, the much-awaited Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Pathaan’ hit the theatres on Wednesday. And, expectedly all the pre-release exhilaration translates into high energy rush as the film presents the story of an Indian spy, who takes on the leader of a group of mercenaries who has nefarious plans to target his homeland, captivating the audience.

That the lead actor is the ‘Badshah’ of Bollywood gives the fans all the more reason to scream, dance and sing in the cinema halls. Serpentine queues for a 6 a.m. show is a rarity in India, at least for a Hindi film.

In short, the film is an espionage thriller that is most likely to lead box office collections.

Pathaan (Shah Rukh) is an exiled RAW field operative who is assigned to take down his old nemesis, Jim (John Abraham), a former RAW agent turned rogue.

Jim leads ‘Outfit X’, a private terrorist organisation, which is planning to spread a deadly virus dubbed ‘Raktbeej’ across India. The virus, if unleashed, could be much deadlier than any other virus winessed by the mankind.

Right from the opening scene, the unusually fast-paced plot moves with RAW agents, spies, terrorists and a Pakistani Army officer scheming and plotting in different parts of the world.

Rattled by the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to the eratwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, by the Indian government, Pakistan has all the evil intentions and the wherewithal to infiltrate and annihilate the Indian territory. For this purpose, Jim, who has a past and had been double-crossed by Indians earlier, is hired.

And here comes yet another ex-ISI agent, Rubina Khan (Deepika Padukone), leaving many guessing as to who teams with whom.

Pathaan, a diehard patriot who had retired, is called back by his boss Nandini (Dimple Kapadia). Meanwhile, their supreme boss, Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), is left worried, still trying to figure out what move to adopt to save human lives with threat of destruction looming large.

With gun-toting agents spreading destruction all around, a svelte and sexy Rubina is seen displaying her charm in a bikini that had riled up the saffron outfits until a few weeks ago when the song ‘Besharam Rang’ was released on internet.

Of course, she is aware of the past and present danger and knows precisely whom to side with as more and more evil-intentioned men appear on the scene.

Amid such chaos, if there’s one ray of hope it’s obviously the presence of the most sought-after, most-loved, and fearless Pathaan. With James Bond-like intensity, Pathaan has supreme fight sequences to match.

Crammed with high octane action that is virtually frenziedly uninterrupted and relentless, there’s not a single moment that would make the viewers take a breather.

Shah Rukh, who needs a box office blockbuster badly, is perhaps the only actor who could have looked lethal with his six -packs and delivering lines in hushed tones that melts Padukone. His charm remains intact as he tries to briefly romance, while all along diving and jumping from mountains and rooftops in a bid to oust his enemies.

And it isn’t just his young looks, his energy is so infectious that many among the cinegoers whistled every time he scored a point over his opponent. Such is his impact and following!

Pathaan.
Besharam Rang Song – Pathaan.
Besharam Rang Song- Pathaan-Shah Rukh Khan – Deepika Padukone.

Padukone too proves why she was the one chosen by Hollywood to don colourful bodysuits, leggings and catsuits. John Abraham too is a perfect foil to Khan’s ripping muscles and performs well. To match Khan’s young looks, he too manages to sport a dashing fresh youthful look.

The action scenes are at par with any Hollywood production, while the cinematography by Satchith Paulose captures some exquisite landscapes in Spain, Russia, Dubai, Italy and France.

Though there is not much scope for songs in such a narrative, Vishal-Shekhar numbers are extremely catchy.

All those who are still worried about Bollywood’s no show for months, can decisively breathe easy with the satisfaction that given the right production, engaging script and mega stars at the helm, Hindi cinema should be back on track!

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Deepika : ‘Pathaan’ is a very special film

Pathaan - Shah Rukh Khan - Deepika Padukone .

SRK and Deepika also spoke about the secret behind their electric chemistry in ‘Pathaan’…reports Asian Lite News

‘Pathaan’ is one of the highly anticipated releases of SRK and Deepika Padukone. Ahead of the release she has spoken about her pairing with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whom she calls her “favourite co-star”, as they are all set for the release of their upcoming film ‘Pathaan’.

The two stars have previously worked in films such as ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Chennai Express’.

“Shah Rukh and I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to work in some incredible movies starting with Om Shanti Om! I’m collaborating with my most favourite co-star Shah Rukh. We have a beautiful relationship and I think the audience always see that in the movies that we do,” said Deepika.

SRK and Deepika also spoke about the secret behind their electric chemistry in ‘Pathaan’.

She said: “Well, he and I can both take credit for that. Again he was also on this intense diet and exercise. So, he and I can both take credit for the work we have put individually. But at the end of the day, it is the team that you work with.”

Deepika added: “Whether it is the director (Siddharth Anand) and his vision or it’s the cinematographer (Satchith Paulose) and how he is envisioning lighting us, whether it’s the stylist (Shaleena Nathani) – how she envisions these characters, whether it is your hair and make-up team. So, it’s your entire team that sort of comes together, so sure you can put in the work and do the best you can but you also have incredible world class professionals who come in and make us look the way we do!”

Besharam Rang Song – Pathaan.

For Deepika, ‘Pathaan’ is a very special film in her filmography.

“The character that I am playing in this movie is extremely exciting, it is something that I haven’t done before and even the movie – just this kind of spy thriller, an out and out action movie is something I haven’t done before.”

Pathaan is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and also has John Abraham in it. ‘Pathaan’ is set to release on January 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

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‘Directing SRK is a greater responsibility’

SRK and Deepika are one of the biggest on-screen pairings in the history of Indian cinema given their epic blockbusters ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Happy New Year’….reports Asian Lite News

Director Siddharth Anand, in a video released by Yash Raj Films, spoke about Shah Rukh Khan’s return to the cinemas after four years.

Anand said: “Directing SRK is a responsibility and it’s even greater now because of the break that he had taken and that has created immense expectations and excitement with his audience.”

“I am realising now, towards the end of the film into the release of the film, what and how large that fan base is. So yeah, that is an amazing feeling and it’s somewhere exciting because we know that we have hopefully made a film that they will be happy and proud of.”

About the electrifying SRK and Deepika pairing in ‘Pathaan’, Sid said: “Just the fact that SRK and DP have done so many films before and fortunately all of them have been really successful. It became a challenge to see how different can they look and so, our team really worked you know intricately to present them in a new way.”

SRK and Deepika are one of the biggest on-screen pairings in the history of Indian cinema given their epic blockbusters ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Happy New Year’.

Siddharth added: “The fact that DP is looking different from her films and SRK is looking different from his films, automatically their pairing will look fresh. So that is the approach we took and it’s amazing, I think the audience is loving it.”

‘Pathaan’ is set to release on January 25, 2023 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

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SRK greatest of all time

Shah Rukh Khan.

She shared a clip of the article and wrote: “@iamsrk on the Empire list of 50 greatest actors of all time… the only Indian doing us proud always!”…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has become the only Indian to be named in the list of ’50 Greatest Actors of All Time’, released by Empire magazine.

Others who are named in the list include Hollywood stalwarts Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Natalie Portman and Bette Davis among many others.

Pooja Dadlani, Shah Rukh’s manager, took to Instagram to share the news.

She shared a clip of the article and wrote: “@iamsrk on the Empire list of 50 greatest actors of all time… the only Indian doing us proud always!”

Shah Rukh in a career spanning over three decades has worked in iconic films such as ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Swades’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, ‘Mohabbatein’, ‘Veer-Zaara’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’, among many others.

His next film ‘Pathaan’ has been surrounded in controversy ever since filmmakers released its first song ‘Besharam Rang’ a few days ago. Objecting to the lead actors’ costumes, many political outfits have threatened to stall the film’s release.

The film is slated to release in January.

He will also be seen in ‘Jawan’, directed by Atlee.

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