Aishwarya back to work, hubby blasts media

Mumbai, Feb 19(IANS) Aishwarya Rai is back to gruelling shooting schedules for Vipul Shah's 'Action Replayy' after her brief illness.
 
 The 36-year-old, who returned home with high fever from the sets of 'Action Replayy' in Manori in northern Mumbai Feb 11, did a full-day photoshoot Friday with lead actor Akshay Kumar at Film City here Friday, said a source close to the actress. Doctors last week advised Aishwarya bed rest as she was suffering from sore throat and body pain. After resting for a few days, she went to Bhopal to visit Abhishek's maternal grandmother for her 80th birthday Monday and now she is back to work. Her illness caused a local tabloid to speculate that the actress is suffering from stomach tuberculosis - which is causing pregnancy troubles for her. However, both her husband Abhishek Bachchan and her father-in-law, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan have lambasted the tabloid for indulging in 'irresponsible journalism'.

'The article is disgusting and appalling. As a husband and a man I'm shocked that one can talk so irresponsibly about a woman, that too falsely! On a personal note, as a husband I will not stand for such rubbish being written about my wife,' Abhishek posted on his Twitter page. 'I have never reacted to all the fabricated stories written by the media about me and my own. But this is the limit! You want to write and malign me or my father I will take it. But the ladies of my home are off limits! They've gone too far this time,' he added. Amitabh has posted a copy of the article on his blog and branded the news 'completely false, completely fabricated, unsubstantiated, insensitive and of the lowest quality of journalism there ever was.'

SRK - Bollywood's Richest Actor

The fast, furious and fleeting appearance of King Khan in Gurgaon takes the revellers' breath away. Even more breathtaking, however, is that SRK flew back to Mumbai the next morning, richer, reportedly by Rs 5 crore that was paid for his 10-minute cameo.

The Rs 1500 crore hero

A fleeting appearance by Shah Rukh Khan makes him richer by Rs 5 crore. The breathtaking tale of Bollywood's richest actor.    

By: Dhiman Chattopadhyay and Anusha Subramanian (Business Today)

December 31, 2009: Time: Close to the witching hour. Location: A party hotspot in Gurgaon on New Delhi's outskirts to which a city-based gutkha baron has invited hundreds of celebrities and wannabes to usher in the New Year. A string of performers-from singer Shankar Mahadevan to starlets such as Minissha Lamba-strut their stuff. Suddenly, out of nowhere emerges an eminently recognisable bundle of nervous energy-a certain Shah Rukh Khan. He jokes, shakes a leg and does a quick song-and-dance routine. The fast, furious and fleeting appearance of the 44-year-old Badshah of Bollywood takes the revellers' breath away. Even more breathtaking, however, is that SRK flew back to Mumbai the next morning, richer, reportedly by Rs 5 crore that was paid for his 10-minute cameo.

November 2009: SRK is shooting a new ad for direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV-a film in which SRK as a senior citizen relives his romantic heydays thanks to the pictures beamed by Dish TV on the telly. Between shots he quizzes company COO Salil Kapoor on the DTH business, and is keen to know how it works. He also doesn't lose the opportunity to tell the agency, McCann Erickson, that the ad was conceptualised by him. "But what impressed me most was his knowledge of consumer behaviour and marketing. He could easily give a lecture at an IIM on the subject," says Kapoor. The ad is shot over three days after which SRK walks away with a Rs 7-crore cheque.

February 12, 2010: My Name is Khan, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, is slated for release. The story of an autistic Mumbai Muslim who marries a Hindu could add some Rs 10 crore to SRK's kitty if audiences lap it up. Eleven days prior to this, Shah Rukh rang the opening bell at the New York-based NASDAQ stock exchange, an honour usually reserved for CEOs.

February 26: Discovery Travel and Living's 10-part series, Living with a Superstar-Shah Rukh Khan, will go on air. The biggest Indian show on TV, with a budget of nearly Rs 20 crore, delves into different shades of SRK's life: As a father, a husband, a businessman, and of course, an entertainer. SRK personally will not earn much from this show. Red Chillies Idiot Box, an arm of SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment, which is co-producing the show, stands to gain much of the spoils. Discovery has already sold all ad inventories for this show.

Every step he takes, every move he makes, somebody's out there watching him-and somebody's out there willing to pay a small fortune to see him perform. Whether he's acting, or endorsing a brand, or just being himself at an awards ceremony, SRK mints money. And let's not forget the company he owns along with wife Gauri: Red Chillies Entertainment, which has diversified into highgrowth areas of entertainment like visual effects, television commercials, television programming, in addition to the mainstay of film-making. Put all these interests together and you have a superstar with a net worth of roughly Rs 1,500 crore, making him arguably Bollywood's richest star.

Bollywood's Richest Actor

THE Rs 1,500* cr HERO

BRAND ENDORSEMENTS : Rs 238 cr, 34 brands; charges Rs 7 crore for each

SHOWS AND EVENTS: Rs 75 cr

ACTING IN FILMS: Rs 12 cr Per film or a share of the profit

RED CHILLIES ENTERTAINMENT (Including Kolkata Knight Riders): Rs 500 cr

MISC. ASSETS: Rs 10 cr Includes luxury cars, designer watches, etc.

REAL ESTATE: Rs 650 cr Includes homes in Mumbai, London and Dubai, and other real estate investments

* Estimates based on sources such as TAM, www.mca.gov.in, and industry sources.

‘My Name Is Khan’ earns Rs 90 crore globally by weekend

Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan (MNIK) has grossed around Rs 50 crore in India and about Rs 90 crore worldwide in its opening weekend, Vivek Krishnani, head (marketing ), Star Fox Studio said.

Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ has grossed around Rs 50 crore in India.

Krishnani observed, “In the US, the film made Rs 20 crore, in the UK region, £1,23,000 ( Rs 89.61 lakhs) on the opening day. In Australia, the film earned an impressive $1.5 million ( Rs 7.05 crore), and was ranked no. 11 in the market.” He added that the overall weekend collections of MNIK have been double of closest competitor 3 Idiots worldwide,” adding that Sunday global box office markets like US, Australia, UK and Middle East set new records for the biggest single day internationally for a Bollywood movie.

Star Fox Studio, the distributors of the film had distributed close 2,000 prints worldwide in the US, UK, Gulf region and Australia. The film ranked number five at the overseas box office behind Avatar, Valentine's Day, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and The Wolfman. MNIK has seen the biggest international opening day for a Bollywood film, grossing almost 30% more than, 3 Idiots which was released on December 24, 2009, says Krishnani. 

My Name Is Khan chases 3 Idiots

Controversy or no controversy Shahrukh Khan starer movie My Name Is Khan was expected to set the Box Office on fire and it has done just that. The Karan Johar directed movie starring Shahrukh and Kajol grossed Rs. 90.2 Crore in the first three days as per the data released by Fox Star India, which distributed the movie. Aamir Khan starer 3 Idiots which has broken many Box Office records since it's release had grossed Rs 90 Crores in the first three days.

BuIn an official statement Fox Star India CEO Vijay Singh said “Despite issues in certain centres on Friday, the movie has done exceptionally well.” My Name Is Khan also became the biggest single day hit internationally for a Bollywood movie. Mr. Singh added the movie earned Rs. 48 crore at the domestic box office and an estimated Rs. 42.2 crore internationally. The movie earned a whopping Rs. 20 Crore in the US and another Rs. 7.05 Crores in Australia.

 

Star Fox Studio had released close to 2,000 prints worldwide in the US, UK, Gulf region and Australia. What's interesting is the fact that in many of the international markets the movie was among the top 5 giving competition to the likes of Avatar, Valentine's Day and The Wolfman. In India the movie did extremely well in Delhi-UP, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerela and also in Maharashtra and Gujarat where it released amidst protest.

My Name Is Khan Earns Rs 250m on Opening Day

Controversies notwithstanding, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “My Name Is Khan” has gone on to rake in around Rs 250 million (about $5.3 million) across the globe on the opening day.

Directed by Karan Johar, “My Name is Khan” was released on Friday.

“We are delighted with the performance and audience reactions across demographics. More so, because this is only phase one of the film release,” Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios India, the Indian distributors of the film, said in a statement.

“In addition to the release across 45 countries, MNIK will be rolled out in a phased manner across 25 non-traditional markets from April onwards.”

The film features Shah Rukh as Rizvan Khan who embarks on a journey across America to win back the love of his life, played by Kajol. It shows how, along the way, his personality touches the lives of many and inspires a nation.

The movie is being marketed and distributed by Fox Star in India, in the US by its sister company Fox Searchlight and in the rest of the world by parent group 20th Century Fox International.

In New Zealand, the opening day collection was about $9,727 while in the Middle-East, the movie is already 50 percent higher than any other previous film in Bollywood with the earning estimated at $300,000.

There’s also a huge demand for additional prints in the existing chains across the Middle East and the print count is expected to increase to around 60 by next week.

According to Fox, the film also will be released in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Oman and Lebanon in the coming week.

In terms of paid previews, the movie earned about $193,000 from 89 sites in Britain, which is said to be the highest for a single-day preview there. In Australia Thursday, paid previews collected around $34,000 and it ranked number 11.

'My Name is Khan' grosses record $18 mn worldwide

Mumbai, Feb 15 (IANS) Grossing an estimated $18 million at the box office in its first weekend, Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name is Khan' has broken the opening weekend record for a Hindi film worldwide.

A love story set against the backdrop racial discrimination post 9/11, 'My Name Is Khan' has struck a chord with audience around the world.

'The most exciting part is that the worldwide collections jumped every day from Friday to Saturday to Sunday. This shows that the audience is absolutely loving Rizwan and Mandira,' Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star Studios, the Indian distributor of the film said in a statement.

The film features Shah Rukh as Rizwan Khan who embarks on a journey across America to win back the love of his life, Mandira, played by Kajol. It shows how, along the way, his personality touches the lives of many and inspires a nation.

Filmmaker Karan Johar is ecstatic at the reaction.

'I am overwhelmed by the unprecedented audience response for our film. The audience has the power and more power to them,' Karan Johar said in a press release.

The movie is being marketed and distributed by Fox Star in India, in the US by its sister company Fox Searchlight, and in the rest of the world by parent group company 20th Century Fox International.

In India, despite the issues in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Indore and other centres on Friday and part of Saturday, the film has opened exceptionally well. In states where the film opened normally, including Delhi-Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, the collections have been the highest ever.