Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan has rubbished rumours that her upcoming film ‘Happy New Year’ will see the coming together of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
The ‘Om Shanti Om’ director said her best friend SRK is the only actor who has been finalised for the movie, which is still in its scripting stage.

“There is no truth in the rumour that Big B is going to star in the film. Besides SRK, I never cast anyone in my film till I have my script ready. As of now, only Shah Rukh and me are in the film,” Farah said.

Earlier, it was reported that the ‘Main Hoon Naa’ director will bring the two actors together in the film. The duo was last seen together in Bhoothnath also starring Juhi Chawla.

The other actors who were said to be working in the movie were Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan and Juhi Chawla, a claim denied by Farah.

Describing the film as “modern and contemporary”, the 44-year-old director said it would go on floors this year.

“I would resume my work on the script once I finish shooting for the chat show,” she said.

Remember, they parted on a sour note after her hasty departure from his home production Chalte Chalte six years ago?

She had already canned a portion of the film when Salman Khan reportedly landed on the sets… and, well, the rest as they say is history.

Post that scene, SRK let Ash off the hook and took Rani Mukerji as his leading lady. And, since then, many big banners including Yashraj and Dharma failed to reunite the pair that created such magic in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas.

Subsequently, though the Bollywood Badshah wasn’t invited to the Ash-Abhishek wedding, King Khan and wife Gauri posed with the Bachchans for the shutterbugs at the Drona premiere last year. And more recently, at Karan Johar’s birthday party on May 25, the two couples — SRK and Gauri, Ash and Abhi — spent quality time together.

In the light of this thawing of relations, comes the news of cinematographer-director Rajiv Menon (whose Kandukonden Kandukonden in Tamil had Tabu and Ash) reuniting the SRK-Ash jodi. Menon is said to have flown to London to narrate a dramatic script (with Ash in mind) to Shah Rukh, which the actor liked.

At this point of his career, SRK is looking to do films that explore his dramatic intensity as in Devdas. He has no problems working with Ash and she with him. At Karan’s birthday, the Bachchans and Khans got along famously. Rajiv Menon’s film is being seen as a natural progression towards mending the bridges between two of the most powerful families of Bollywood.

Mumbai: No one sells like Shah Rukh Khan in Bollywood. Even before the release of ‘My Name is Khan’, his film is being seen as a hit considering the hype surrounding every little detail of the film.

Latest news has it that Fox Star Studio has reportedly bought the rights of the film for a whopping Rs 100 crores! Added to this, the film is said to be rich on music side as well with songs having chartbusting potential.
Critics, who have seen the rushes of MNIK, were overwhelmed by what they saw and heard. They were all praises for the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the music composers and director Karan Johar.

‘My Name is Khan’ has been in news for all the right reasons. Super hit onscreen couple SRK and Kajol will be seen together after a long time. Written by Shibani Bathija, the film is about a Muslim (Shah Rukh) who suffers from the Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that impacts social interaction abilities, and he is arrested as a suspected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after authorities mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour.

After distributing ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in India, Fox Star Studio is hopeful about this much-awaited biggie which has all the potential to be a blockbuster.

He has been awarded a doctorate from the Bedfordshire University in UK for his contribution to arts and culture. “The honour brought me a lot of joy,’’ says SRK, who is currently on vacation with Gauri and his children Aryan and Suhana. He laughs when he is addressed as ‘Dr’ and says, “Somehow it makes me feel slightly older when someone calls me Dr Shah Rukh Khan.’’

Describing his time on the podium where he received the honour, he says, “Wearing that square cap with tassels tilted to the left, brought images of the heroes of the 70s; it was an oft-repeated thing in films those days. I didn’t know whether etiquette required me to take Aryan and Suhana along for the convocation ceremony. So I left the children behind.’’ Happily, Gauri was by his side when he received the honour. “I sincerely hope my parents could have watched this… and I hope that it was a proud moment for them wherever they are,’’ the Bollywood Badshah says emotionally.

It is five months since he underwent shoulder surgery, but SRK is still in pain. “I completed a long spell for Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan in San Francisco,’’ he says. “We got lucky because we had long days and could pack in ample work. However, my shoulder still hurts.’’ He recounts how he shot for a song sequence for Dulha Mil Gaya in which he has a guest appearance and strained his operated shoulder. The actor has been in touch with his surgeon in Mumbai and has been reassured that the recurring pain is part of the rehab, so he continues to go about his daily chores with enthusiasm.

Describing the Honorary Doctorate conferred on him by a leading British University as a “very very special honour”, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has pledged to utilise the recognition to further the cause of under-privileged children in India.

“I promise to dedicate a large proportion of my time to do whatever within my capacity to further the cause of education among kids as a way of my thankfulness and gratitude for this honour,” Khan said after receiving the Doctorate in London in Friday evening.

“Of course, starting with my kids who are highly uneducated right now,” he said.

Khan was conferred the Doctorate by Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor of the Bedfordshire University, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, media and culture at a special ceremony held at Washington Mayfare, a hotel owned by NRI entrepreneur Joginder Singh Sangar.
The Bollywood heartthrob, who has won several international recognitions including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) from the French Government, the Malaysian title of Datuk – equivalent to a British Knighthood, said: “I could not believe that I may be addressed as Doctor from henceforth. My kids have, lifelong been asking me if I will be getting a stethoscope as an award. In my job as an actor, getting an honorary Doctorate is right up there, as an achievement.”

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be conferred an honorary Doctorate in Arts and Culture by a leading British University.Shah Rukh, the first foreign actor to be conferred the Malaysian title of Datuk, equivalent to a British Knighthood last year, will receive the Doctorate from Professor Les Ebdon, OBE, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire.

The University of Bedfordshire received nomination of Shah Rukh Khan from an NGO, Routes to Roots, which is also a member of World Association for Non Governmental Organisations.

It works in the sphere of augmenting people to people contact across the world, specially endeavouring to bring people and cultures together across the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries in general and India and Pakistan in particular. Actor Juhi Chawla and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt are among its patrons.
“Shah Rukh Khan was selected by us after careful study since he has his head and heart at the right place in spite of being crowned the King of Bollywood. The superstar has done immense work for the underprivileged and downtrodden and has always come forward for charities in case of natural disasters,” said Tina Vachani, co-founder, Routes to Roots.

My Name Is Khan 2009 – Theme Music