Turkish pop star to sing for 'Mission Istanbul'

Apoorva Lakhia’s ambitious project Mission Istanbul keeps getting bigger.

First it was Hollywood stunt director George Aguilar (worked with Martin Scorcese) who was recently roped in to do stunts for ‘Mission Istanbul’. Now, a beautiful and talented Turkish singer has been signed to sing a Hindi-Turkish song in the Petek Dincoz, a popular female actress and Turkish pop singer. Her career took off after she won the beauty contest of the Northern Cyprus a few years ago. She is twenty-seven years old and has been cutting music albums since 2001.

Music director Anu Malik , who is doing music for ‘Mission Istanbul’, is learnt to have composed a number of tracks for Petek Dincoz to sing the film. However, Petek will render only one out of the composed songs.

The song will have lyrics both in Hindi and Turkish.

Petek will come to Mumbai to record the song. Apparently, she is a bit aware of Bollywood films and Indian movie stars.

Apoorva Lakhia plans to shoot this song with a number of belly dancers.

‘Mission Istanbul’ features Vivek Oberoi in leading role. The film also stars Zayed Khan . Abhishek Bachchan will make a cameo appearance.

The movie’s shooting will begin in October.

Shilpa Shetty opts out of British film

Bollywood star and Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty has reportedly opted out of a British film.

According to recent reports Shilpa lost her British comedy flick 'Quick, Slip Me A Bride' when she quoted a price too high for the quoted the producer Renu Patel saying, "Shilpa agreed to film with us. Now we have been forced to go ahead without her because she wanted 350,000 pounds and insisted half of this had to be paid before she even shot any scene."

Reportedly, Shilpa had also asked them to postpone the shoot till next year, which the producer was not willing to do.

Shilpa's spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar admitted that she did quote her price. " Shilpa asks for what she deserves and she even gets what she deserves. Having said that, money is not always the criteria why an assignment doesn't work out. There could be a difference of opinion about the role or a problem with dates."

Meanwhile, Shilpa is filming a yoga DVD and plans to market it overseas later this year, Bhagwagar said Thursday.

The two-hour yoga DVD is currently being filmed by Shetty's production house in Kerala, said Bhagwagar.

"Shilpa practices yoga every day and she believes it should be a way of life for everyone," said Bhagwagar.

"Yoga has become a fashion statement in the West, but Shilpa wants to educate people about the original form of yoga, the ashtanga yoga, with the right techniques and breathing exercises."

Shilpa underwent intensive training this month in preparation to ensure she perfected the "asanas" or postures for the DVD, which will initially be sold in Britain and Dubai.

"Shilpa will give details about how to stay trim and fit with a normal diet," said Bhagwagar.

"She will talk about what foods to avoid and how she maintains her figure since she is known to have the best figure in Bollywood."

Shahrukh On Star Power

Do you think stars deserve the salaries they're commanding today? Why is everyone, including you, running after quick bucks?

(Patiently) See, earlier it wasn't revealed how much money is being made by the movies. Then Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! came along and it was said openly that it had grossed Rs 200 crores. Compared to what's earned by the super-hits, stars are paid a pittance. Ha, ha, that's why we're making up for lost time. By the look of things, no one's losing money. Even average earners and flops get their bucks back. Even Trimurti made Rs 1.5 crores per territory.

Are you ever wracked by the fear that when you're no longer hot in the market, it's bye bye?

An actor must get used to this fear. I think I have a slightly different attitudes than most others. I know if I don't deliver the goods, it'll be bye bye, Shah Rukh, see you some time. We'll call you, don't call us. Mine has been a very solo run. When I'm not doing well, I know I will be very, very alone. But I will never allow myself to become alone. I'll never let go off stardom. I can't see myself doing anything else like becoming a businessman and spending my days, playing golf, polo, whatever. It's been a solo fight so far and it'll remain that way. I will never give up.

Tell me now, would you agree that you've been playing safe with your choices?

I don't play safe. I get irritated when I'm told that I'm doing safer films. Please tell me, what was so safe about Ram Jaane? Or Duplicate, which is pretty wacky? or Yes Boss! in which I'm playing the kind of chamcha never before seen on the screen. If you discount Kamal Haasan, who's in a separate league altogether, I've played the maximum number of different roles. In Mansoor Khan's Josh I'm playing a brother and not the lover; in Karan Johar's film I'm playing a father for the first time; and I'm in Mani Ratnam's first Hindi film. Apart from Sooraj Barjatya and Shekhar Kapur, I'm working with all the top directors - Yash Chopra, Rajkumar Santoshi, Subhash Ghai - and all of them have expected something extra from me, something which goes beyond just competence.

ShahRukh, Sports and Shimit are now Synonymous.

Though at the moment Shimit isn't revealing anything, it's quite evident that the colossal impact of Chak De India has fastened up his desire to embrace the sporty theme. It is reliably learnt that sports and Shah Rukh will recur in Shimit's next.

Writer Jaideep Sahni, who gave such a stunning spin to the obsolete game of hockey, is likely to join the successful twosome in the next Yashraj film.

Says Shimit, "Audiences, do have certain expectations from me after Chak De India. And I'd be foolish not to live up to those expectations. But right now I'm not pushing myself to make my next film. I'm not going to force myself to start my next film. I'm on an extended vacation. I'll be visiting my parents in LA." Further decisions on his next project will only be taken after he returns from "home" in the US.

The big news is that Chak De India has now been given exemption from entertainment tax all over the country. "But the proposal to do so was put forward long before the President saw the film. I think a tax exemption for Chak De India is just the right prescription. Now I think people who never go to the movies can afford to catch Chak De India. I'm glad because it's very important for the film to reach the maximum number of people." Now the ball is in the producer's court.

Cheque de, Yashraj!

"Our religion is our Indianness": SRK

Khan said he has never been ostracised on account of being a Muslim as the religion is not different to this country.
His portrayal of a Muslim hockey player out to prove his Indianness in "Chak De India" has earned him kudos, but superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he does not identify with the main protagonist in the film.

"No, not at all. I am Shah Rukh Khan. I am a superstar in the country. People have loved me so much," he said in an interview to a private TV news channel.

"I am a complete promoter of the fact that if you have to ask am I a Muslim in a Hindu country, then I am not secular enough. I never asked myself that because I was never built like that. I think I am Indian," Khan said.

The question of being Muslim, from which part of the country, has never mattered to him, King Khan said. "I think the religion of our country is Indianness," he said.

Khan said he has never been ostracised on account of being a Muslim as the religion is not different to this country.

"And I do not any which way think like what happened to Kabir (his role in 'Chak De India') will happen to me. I am an actor, so I just acted it out," he said.

Kabir Khan in 'Chak De India' is a member of the Indian hockey team that loses to Pakistan in the World Cup. He is accused of throwing the match and is ostracised on account of being a Muslim.

Asked about the success of the film, Khan said he sometimes felt stardom was coming in the way of him being able to perform the way he would like to.

"I’m very, very secular and noncommittal." Shah Rukh Khan

“Stories of our freedom struggle will always be there and every new generation will hear them... But those days are over when we were ruled by someone. Now the only thing ruling us is the economy. It’s good, but there are problems to be overcome. Like how we view women in society, goodness to mankind, peace not war…” You can be a nationalist in different ways. If you look at Chak De India, I think that sports itself inculcates a feeling of team spirit. It could be eleven players or two cyclists cycling together, but it’s the whole country that they’re representing. The word may be patriotism, but it’s actually the team spirit of the country. Why do we get so excited when England lost to us recently? Why are we so excited that Zaheer Khan has overcome the jellybean problem? It’s like all of us are going, ‘Those b******s!’ Actually, we don’t know, it could be that the jellybeans just fell down there. But we’re like, ‘Good, he screwed them!’ See, we’re a team now. One billion people are a team because of a jellybean. “So it’s sometimes more than patriotism, it’s team spirit. It gets inculcated when you play sports. For example, Iraq is playing the Asia Cup — there has been no insurgency and fighting within Iraq in the last ten days. Since it reached the quarterfinals, semifinals and won the finals. Because a country infested with fights, suddenly stops and says, ‘God, Iraq is winning the Asia Cup final!’ Team spirit can be looked at as patriotic and it’s not like Chak De India’s giving patriotism another face for youngsters. We’re giving team spirit that’s existed for years. And of course, our team is India and we have the colours of the tiranga. “I would like the film to tell youngsters to play like a team, play for India. That means you’re patriotic. Don’t fight for the country. Play and win for India. That should be brought to youngsters’ notice. A nice line of the movie is ‘Sometimes, winning is everything.’ That’s the mantra for youngsters. You can’t tell them, ‘Go to the Himalayas and get moksh. Let the world go by, it’s a material world.’ No! You have to exist in this world. There’s nothing wrong in winning. “Stories of our freedom struggle will always be there and every new generation will hear them. Like you would tell your kids the Ramayana. I tell my kids the story of Prophet Mohammed. Those stories will be there. But I guess movies like Lagaan, Swades, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rang De Basanti, Chak De India tell us to be nationalistic in this way. Those days are over when we were ruled by someone. Now the only thing ruling us is the economy. It’s good, but there are problems to be overcome. Like how we view women in society, goodness to mankind, peace not war and if you want to fight, fight on the play field. For all our problems with Pakistan, just have a cricket match! “Chak De India is a younger, subtler take at patriotism. It may seem documentary-like — the youth may say, ‘Hey this is a nice way to make a film.’ It’s offbeat. It may be saying the same thing as other films, but Chak De India isn’t shoving it down my throat. They are not trying to just say ‘Mera Bharat mahaan!’ Chak De India is like what youngsters are — wearing white t-shirts and jeans. It’s modern. “It also has a take on the educated Indian Muslim. I’m playing a Muslim guy who isn’t a terrorist. I’ve never played a Muslim guy. The whole beauty is…see, these are the nuances… 16 women from different parts of the country. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Gujarati, Jharkandi, Uttar Pradeshi, Bihari, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and one Muslim man. Muslim men and women aren’t considered in such stories because purdah hota hai. But here is a Muslim man between 16 women wearing shorts and skirts and playing for only one goal and that is the country. “I’m in the dressing room and they’re changing; I treat them like equals. I read a report recently that said, ‘16 women and Shah Rukh Khan’. My reason for doing Chak De India is if you could just forget that notion, that they’re women and I’m a guy. And see, I’m usually a romantic hero! But there’s no sexuality here. I wanted that to come across. The idea is that he’s more obsessed with the honour of his country. “I’m an actor. I’m very, very secular and noncommittal. I don’t know finally the religion of the character I’ve played. My characters don’t have religion. I believe that. I’ve played a Vir, Rahul, Raj, Kabir Khan. The fact that it’s not important to me, I think, makes the point that I want to make. It’s Shah Rukh Khan and he’s playing a Muslim — it shouldn’t matter. Even the beard isn’t because he’s Muslim, but because he’s older and it’s 8-9 years later. “Secularity is important. You don’t turn around and see what religion when you’re playing. When I’m going to win, I say my favourite Muslim prayer. Everyone else says it and it feels good — you may not understand it, but you know it’s like the Gayatri mantra. Bhagwan ka naam aur Allah ko yaad kiya. What binds us together is godliness, not the religion. I want people to understand that. “I don’t know if I can make that point through my work every time. Personally, I may believe whatever I do. Like I’ve always said, films are for entertainment, not for messages. I hope Chak De India is an entertainer and some of this message comes across.” Shah Rukh Khan is the reigning box office star and his home production Om Shanti Om is “a movie about the movies” As told to Shradha Sukumaran-MidDay

"I am thankful to the audience" Shah Rukh

Shah Rukh Khan 's brilliant acting in Chak De India as the coach of the women's hockey team, who helps them lift the World Cup, has won him rave reviews with many in the film-critic circles pitching for making him the new ambassador for the game of sticks in the country.

The movie has become a new anthem for sports in the country.

However, for SRK, portrayal of Kabir Khan's character was just another role and not an advocacy on his part to promote the game.

''It's not for me to decide who's going to do what. I am in the profession of acting and filmmaking. And I very, very clearly do my job keeping in mind certain criteria...beyond that everybody else knows their job,'' he said adding, ''the sponsors, corporates and film associations, and the sports associations-- they all know their job. I am nobody to turn around and say - ok from today onwards, hockey is going to be the new cricket now!''

''I am just glad that I could comment about the sport that I love. I don't know whether the film will do well or not... So, let alone whether hockey will change or not,'' King Khan said in an interview to NDTV 24X7 Saturday night.

SRK, however, expressed the hope that success of cricket could pave the way for other sports like hockey in the country. ''I think we should take a cue from cricket.''

Asked whether he had expected the movie to do as well as it did, SRK said, ''I don't do any film which I don't think is going to do well. When I think of a movie doing well, I don't think in terms of money. I think of getting something new to do. The team was wonderful. Jaideep, Shimit and Sudeepa who shot the film are my friends and I really like them.''

SRK was also thankful to the producer Aditya Chopra and director Shimit Amin for giving a role he had not done earlier.

''I am very humbled and thankful to all these guys for giving me a chance to do a film like this, because sometimes stardom comes in my way of being able to perform the way I like to.''

There are few films where the makers have the guts to say let's take SRK but not make it an in-your-face commercial film and give him the freedom to what he does, he added.

''I am thankful to the audience for understanding the ideology behind this film. And I am thankful to Shimit for making me act well,'' SRK said.