Why I Love Salman Khan

Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Biwi No.1, Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, No Entry and Tere Naam. What do these great movies have in common? They all star the amazingly popular, the surprisingly talented, and the disgustedly good looking Salman Khan.

While the heartthrob of millions may not have a line of awards on his mantelpiece, or belong to the any ‘filmi camps', he still makes girls sigh at the sight of him and makes guys sign up for year long gym memberships. Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham may proudly parade around in their no-shirt-low-jeans look but Salman was the original bare-chested hunk of Indian Cinema.

Labelled a megastar from an early point in his career, Salman Khan has astonishingly maintained that status through the last decade. Whether it's was “O O Jaane Jaana” or “Just Chill Chill”, he kept everyone is sync with their hips and feet, moving to his trademark catchy numbers.

While the average celebrity is challenged by box-office failures, divorces and relationship rumours, Salman has been thrown head over heels in relationship dramas, encountered hefty legal battles, suffered the wraith of media, and has been shunned by a good portion of the film fraternity. Despite all the chaos, the man emerges as a legend. The demand for his reign on the silver screen remains intact, his fan base has neither shaken nor stirred. How is this possible? It is a mystery.

But enough about the rough and victorious journey of our broad-shouldered muscle-man and let's focus on what new magic he will be casting on the world of entertainment. After the high concentration of romantic comedies such as Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Jaan-e-maan, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, and No Entry, Salman is returning in this month's most anticipated release, David Dhawan's Partner, where his co-stars are the rib-tickling Govinda, the luscious Lara Dutta and his supposed real life partner, Katrina Kaif. That's not the only spell he has up his sleeve. While Aamir Khan is geared for his Hindi remake of Tamil blockbuster Gajini, Salman Khan is to play the lead in the Hindi remake of the immensely successful Telugu action-drama Pokiri. If this was not enough to raise the blood pressure of Salman fans, he will be starring in a Hollywood project titled Marigold opposite the sexy Ali Larter of TV's no.1 sci-fi drama, "Heroes". He also has a string of special appearances lined up, including one in Sanjay Leela Bansali's eagerly awaited Saawariya.

Ladies and Gentleman, the Salman Khan space shuttle has had a ferocious blast-off, blinding everyone in the light of his brilliance, choking the critics in the raging fire of his talent and deafening everyone with the words, ‘East or West…Salman is the best!' What is his destination? Into the hearts of the audience and to the top of the world.

Spotlight on Govinda

"I believe in miracles. That I'm a successful actor is the biggest of them all." ~ Govinda

Govinda is one of Bollywood's most enduring stars. He can do both comedy and drama, is considered one of the best dancers in Bollywood, and presents a naturalness on screen that contributes to brilliant performances. His career has had it ups and downs, but with his new film Partner set to release on Friday, we thought we would turn the spotlight on this great actor: everyone is falling for Chi-Chi all over again!

Govind Arun Ahuja was born in Virar, Maharashtra, India. While growing up in the chawls of Mumbai, he used to go the movies: "The filmy bug bit me then and I wished to enter films. There was a theatre right opposite my house and I saw two shows everyday." At the young age of 15 he would go to Rajshri Studios to try and get a part in a movie but he was rejected because he was so young. He then had a brilliant idea of making a film reel that showed photographs of him as well as scenes of him dancing and delivering lines. It was an innovative idea to get himself noticed and seen as a talented actor. This is a standard practice nowadays but then it was something never done before.

It is difficult to enter Bollywood without having a "godfather" or the backing of the big banners in the industry. Govinda had to struggle to be accepted by the industry. He eventually made his debut in the film Ilzaam in 1986. The film was a success and his career was off and running. It was Govinda’s time to shine. He went on to be moderately successful in the following years and gave some hits, such as Love 86, Khudgarz, and Hatya. (The latter was directed by his brother Kirti Kumar.) It was at this time that he put forward his tremendous dancing ability and he was considered a rival of Mithun Chakraborty at the time!

In 1989 he worked for the first time with director David Dhawan in the action film Taaqatwar. This would be the beginning of a successful partnership that would last through many films. He worked with Dhawan again in Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen. These films were not only successful but they also showed Govinda's talent in comic roles. They had super hits including Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) and Jodi No. 1 (2000).

Govinda also had hits at the box office with: Khuddar, Karz Chukana Hai, Jaan Se Pyara, Aadmni Khilona Hai, Hero No.1, Dulhe Raja, Bade Mian Chotte Mian, and Kyon Kii...Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta.

To date he has made over 120 Hindi films, working with many of the luminaries in the industry such as Amitabh Bachachan, Anil Kappor, Juhi Chlawa, Hema Malini, Neelam, Karishma Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rani Mukerhjee and Anil Kapoor to name just a few.

In 2000 Govinda portrayed a negative role for the first time in the movie Shikari. His performance was critically acclaimed, but the movie did not do well at the box office.

After this, his career seemed to be on a downslide and he was not as popular with the theater going audiences. He made a few more films but then in 2003 he decided to go a different direction in life. He ran for and won a parliamentary seat for Mumbai. He had success and some controversy as an MP but he is very proud of the work he was able to accomplish. He is still working hard on many issues that he feels are very important including; making the railway system in India better and next will turn his focus to education.

But once an actor always an actor, and after a 3 year hiatus Govinda was ready to enter Bollywood again. His first film back was Bhagam Bang, he was very well received in the role of Babla.

His second film on the comeback road was the multi-starrer Salaam-E-Ishq and about that film he said, "I got to play a purely romantic character only in my 126th film, Salaam-e-Ishq. Since people loved me in it, I will continue doing more such roles."

He is ecstatic to be an actor again and is making the most of his second inning. He calls Partner his "proper comeback film", again teaming up with director Dhawan. The film also stars Salman Khan, and he gets to romance Katrina Kaif with love advice from Salman Khan's character. Salman said of working with Govinda,"I would look at his film posters and say that if I could achieve even half of what he has, I will be successful. And I can't believe my luck today, I'm working with my favorite actor". Govinda said, "Apart from being a fantastic actor, Salman is a great human being. We belong to the same school of acting. In Partner, we bring our 20-year experience in Bollywood."

Partner is said to be a hysterical comedy and the team of Salman and Govinda a great match up! This film is set to make Chi-Chi a huge star once again.

Interesting facts:

A little known fact is that Govinda began taking classes from the veteran choreographer Saroj Khan, who was impressed enough to ask him to teach at the dance academy.

One of his most memorable moments is "The day I bought my mother a saree from my first pay-packet, the day I bought her a flat and the day she predicted that I'd be a star within a year."

Philosophy of Life: Worship your mother and respect your father and guru.

He once commented that if he was a burglar he would want to steal "people's hearts".

He was also asked what role he would "give his eyes and teeth for" and responded "No role can be worth that much. Who would want to see a blind and toothless Govinda."

He had a narrow escape from death on January 5, 1994. While traveling to a studio for the shooting of Khuddar (1994) his car hit another car, resulting in injuries to his head. After treatment, he worked on the film until midnight.

Govinda was a playback singer on several movies including Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Dulaara (1994), Aankhen (1993) Shola Aur Shabnam (1992).

His awards and nominations include:

* 1997 - Special Filmfare award for Saajan Chale Sasural 1998 Lux Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for Dulhe Raja
* 1998 - Special Videocon Screen award from Jury for overall performance
* 1999 - Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
* 1999 - Filmfare Best Comedian Award, Haseena Maan Jaayegi
* 2000 - Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for Haseena Maan Jaayegi
* 2001-Nominated for Screen Weekly Awards Best Performance in a Negative Role for Shikari. Also nominated at the Filmfare awards of that year for Best Comedian for Kunwara (2000) and Best Villian in Shikari (2000)
* 2002-Nominated at Filmfare Awards for Best Comedian for both Jodi No. 1 and Kyo Kii…Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta (2001). He also won the Popular Award at that years Filmfare for Performance in a Comic role - Jodi No. 1
* 2003- Nominated for Best performance in a Comic Role for Akhiyon Se Goli Maare (2002)
* 2007 - "Excellent Comic Actor" Award at the Star Gold Comedy Honors

Govinda will always be a popular and loved actor because of his rags to riches story and the fact that he has had to work hard for his success. He is a one man entertainment show, he can do it all: dance, drama, comedy and looks like he enjoys every minute he spends on screen. We applaud him for the roles of the past, look forward to seeing Partner and for all the performances he will give us in the future. We are under the magical spell of Chi-Chi again!

Spotlight on Akshaye Khanna

"I may be wrong but I think talent is in-born. Then there are those who work hard and become good actors with time and experience. I think I've got what it takes to be a decent actor. Plus, I work hard. But please, I'm not a brilliant actor or anything. I pass muster."~Akshaye Khanna

Akshaye Khanna is one of Bollywood's most well-known and talented actors. He has an aura about him that literally jumps off the screen. Whether in just a special appearance or as a leading man, your eye is always drawn to him, and not only because he has a brooding sensuality. We thought with his new release Gandhi, My Father opening on Friday we would shine the spotlight on this amazing star.

Akshaye Khanna was born in Mumbai in 1975 and comes from an acting family. He is the son of Bollywood star of yesteryear Vinod Khanna, and his brother Rahul is an actor, too. He went to school at Bombay International and then at Lovedale School in Ooty. Even at school he already had the acting bug, performing in many of the school's plays.

Once Khanna left school, he decided to follow the dream he always had of being an actor. "I thought I could contribute, I could make a mark. I thought I could be good at what I do. And, most of all, I thought I would enjoy it. Being part of the film family, I had a little bit of experience about how the film industry functions. I knew the life, the profession, what it would be like. I liked it. I did not train much. A little bit of dance, fight, acting, just to get the feel of it, but nothing serious. With some people training would have helped but as far as my case goes I don't think any amount of training will make me a better actor. Acting is not something you can teach. It's life. When you are acting you are creating or recreating life. You have to have a flair for it and then that flair can be cultivated. But that will be mostly done by yourself. It's an individual kind of cultivation. It's internal, not external. I am my best trainer. You have to keep watching yourself and improving."


His debut role at the age of 22 was as Abhay in Himalayputra. For the film, which was produced by his father, he won the 1998 Screen Weekly Most Promising Newcomer - Male Award. Unfortunately the movie did not do well at the box office. About facing the camera for that first shot Khanna said, "It was great. Life began. I was always quite confident that I could do the job."

Next came a defining role for Khanna in J.P Dutta's Border. To Khanna, playing this role was an emotional experience: "The role of Sgt. Dharamveer Singh in Border was far more powerful than any other role I have ever played." In an article about the star one reporter wrote, "With a stunning characterization of a sensitive soldier who is left dying on the border of Longewala, audiences would have this scene burned into their souls long after the film's run ended in theatres." For this film he was nominated for and won many awards including: Lux Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Newcomer Award. The film was a box-office success and firmly established Khanna as one of the finest actors in Bollywood.

After that success he was in several more movies including Doli Sajake Rakhna and Kudrat. They did not do so well, but in his next film Aa Ab Laut Chalen audiences loved him as Rohan Khanna. About his roles in these films, whether hit or flop, he said, "Being Vinod Khanna's son was enough to pile on the pressure. It was obvious that people were going to draw comparisons between me and my dad and I couldn't let them down. It is important to me to choose the right people to work with and, most importantly my role. All the films I've done so far, I've chosen on the basis of all these factors put together."


He got rave reviews for his performance in Subhash Ghai's Taal; one stated "Akshaye demonstrates that he is one of the most sincere actors on the Hindi screen." The film also starring Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor was a hit with audiences.


The year 2001 saw Akshaye in another tour de force role as Siddharth Sinha in Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai. He was nominated at several awards ceremonies including the Zee Cine Award and the International Film Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His outstanding performance won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor and a special Jury Award for Best Supporting Actor at the Screen Weekly Awards. He won critical acclaim as well with one review saying, "Akshaye Khanna stuns with another subtle and mature performance, and all one can ask is why he does not do more films. (If one had to single out a character and performance that makes the movie the best, Khanna's is it.)"


In 2002, he got to play "bad guy" Karan Malhotra in Humraaz. All applauded his performance and it earned him a nomination for Best Villain at the FilmFare awards and he won the IIFA's award for Best Villain. Also that year he was in Deewangee and he received a nomination for the Screen Weekly Award as Best Actor.

Throughout his career, Akshaye has played an array of characters including the romantic hero, dramatic roles and comedy. His comedic talents were brought out in Hungama (2003) and Hulchul (2004) and they both were very well received.

He had leading roles in Shaadi Se Pehle, 36 China Town and Aap Ki Khatir in 2006, but they did not do as well as expected at the box office. Earlier this year his performance stood out in Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer, Salaam-e-Ishq but that film also failed to charm audiences. Then he had Naqaab, just about a month back, directed by the well-known duo Abbas-Mustan. Taran Adarsh said about Akshaye's performance, "Naqaab belongs to Akshaye, who delivers yet another powerful performance. He's splendid, the real scene stealer, the soul of the enterprise." Even though Akshaye delivered a great performance in the film, it failed to set fire in the box office as well.

All this may change this coming Friday though. The highly anticipated film Gandhi, My Father will be hitting screens then. In this groundbreaking role, Khanna plays Gandhi's eldest son Harilal and presents the story of their relationship. Producer Anil Kapoor praises the actor saying, "He is born to play this role. You have to see it to believe it, the kind of work he has done." If word is to be believed, then we can expect to see one of the best performances of the year out of Akshaye Khanna in this film. It is all set to be a landmark film for him, and everyone is anticipating it greatly, since there is so much hype surrounding it. Akshaye's fortunes are definitely looking good with the release of this film.

Also in the pipeline are the films Race, Shortcut and a special appearance in the Madhuri Dixit comeback film Aaja Nachley.

Some interesting facts:

Nickname: Akshoo

Once was in a commercial for Godrej Cinethol.

In Bhai Bhai he was an uncredited dancer in the song 'Tera Naam Loonga'

He once said in an interview, "I want to be the editor of Filmfare magazine."

He is Bollywood's 'shatranj ke khilari' (player of chess). He loves chess so much that on both the sets of Naqaab and Race he was playing chess with the cast and crew.

For Aap Ki Khatir he is listed as a playback singer.

In his brother's film Bollywood/Hollywood (2002) he made a guest appearance as himself.

In Naqaab, he and Urvashi Shrama dance the Salsa, an extremely sensual dance: there needs to be chemistry and a comfort level between the dancers. Raju Khan choreographed the dance sequence and said that it was not difficult for him to train Khanna to get the steps right.

For his fans he has this message, "The most difficult thing to do in life is to do what your heart tells you. Be yourself, and do things the way you want to, always go where your heart leads you!"

We have to disagree with Akshaye Khanna when he says he is not a brilliant actor, because he is truly one of the most talented actors in Bollywood. His screen charisma is outstanding but he also is very natural so you do not think he is acting and that is a very hard thing to pull off. He is adored by fans (including this reporter) because of his talent, his mystery and his good looks. Since he is always striving to do more, learn more and be better at his craft we can only imagine that we have just seen the beginnings of excellence in this star.

Reflecting on his decision to become an actor Khanna says, "And now when I think about it, it's the best decision I made. All I ever want to do is to act. A lot of people spend an entire lifetime in professions they don't really want to be in. At least I don't have such grief."

We whole-heartedly applaud this fine actor and cannot wait to see his new movies and the ones in the years to come!

Remembering Divya Bharti

The 90s begin like any other decade, promising to bring lots of surprises. One of them was Divya Bharti. Who can forget that beautiful girl singing "Saat Samundar" when she made her debut in Bollywood world? I was only a little girl but I can still remember, running to the nearest TV whenever the song was on and mesmerized by her. I wasn’t the only one. The song was from her debut Hindi movie, Vishwatma.The movie didn’t do well in the box office but Divya got noticed for her talents. At that time, everyone predicted a bright future for this nearly 17 year old actress and they were nearly right but nobody could have imagined how her career would come to a sudden end.

Divya was born Divya Om Prakash Bharti on February 25th, 1974 to Meeta and Om Parkash Bharti in Mumbai. According to tabloids reports, Divya had a traumatic childhood. Om Parkash left his parents house, his wife, and children to marry Meeta, Divya's mother. But Om Parkash's first wife didnt leave Divya and her family alone. She would curse and rave them and maybe that is the reason, Divya's parents were constantly fighting and were so busy with themselves that they had no time for Divya. Her father was an alcoholic while her mother used to be too busy with her kitty parties. Divya felt unloved and unwanted and maybe because of that matured beyond her age. When she was 10, she decided to become economically independent and walk out of her parents' house. She hated school and her only other alternative was films. Her father, unsuccessful stage artist himself, pushed Divya to fulfill his dream and make her out to be the golden goose. In a March 92 issue of Stardust, Divya firmly denied the allegations and said with "teary eyes" that she is not ashamed of anything in her life especially her past but she wish she could avoid talking about it because "it is too personal and private".

Divya first got her chance when in 9th grade, director Kriti Kumar met her around 1988 in a Mumbai Video Library and approached her to play the lead role opposite Govinda in "Radha Ka Sangam" but was later dropped. But later on, the famed Telugu film director, Mr. D. Rama Naidu, approached for his movie "Bobbili Raja" which went to become a super hit and broke all previous records in the Telugu film industry. People started to compare her with the biggest star of the time, Sridevi. Soon after more hits followed with Assembly Rowdy, Dharma Kshetrain, Rowdy Alludu which all went to become hits in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. The popularity of Divya in the South made Bollywood finally notice her and Rajiv Rai signed her for Vishwatma. Even though the movie was a flop, nobody can forget the song "Saat Samandar". Her talents were noticed by everyone and soon after Dewaana with newcomer Shahrukh Khah, and Shola Aur Shabnam with Govinda followed and went on to become super hits and has signed 14 other movies. By then Divya also became a tabloid's darling and was not only famous for her talents but also for her mood swings and childish behavior well forgetting that she was only 18. Her outspoken personality gotten taloids with reports about how she had problems with from Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, J.P Dutta, to Farah Khan. How she misbehaved on the sets and was never on time and how she had drinking problems also graced the tabloids pages. In one of her last interviews she explained her drinking problem by saying she only drinks on some occasion and has no problem whatsoever with it.

Not only was her professional life was on a rise, but so was her personal life. In May of 1992, she secretly got married to film director Sajid Nadiadwala. The marriage was kept a secret to protect her ever rising career. But that did not stop the tabloids from linking her with every co-star she worked with and calling her a "man-eater" which to she answered that if she was indeed a man eater, where are all the bones? She openly accepted the fact that she did indeed have a relationship with Sajid but denied the marriage allegations. In one of her last interview for Stardust in March of 1993, she said there will be a big announcement the following January relating to Sajid and her relationship. The announcement will never come.

Vishwatma, Dewaana and SAS were not her only movies in 92, 7 other movies: Geet, Dil Ka Kya Kasoor, Dil Hi To Hai, Dil Aashna Hai, Dushman Zamaana, Jaan Se Pyara and Balwan also followed making her the youngest successful star in Bollywood and earning her the Outstanding Face Of The Year at the end of 92. More hits followed her in 93 with Kshatriya and Andha Insaaf. Everyone was convinced she was going to be the biggest star in Bollywood but nobody had any idea what the fate will bring.

On April 7th, 1993, a 19 year old girl, dressed up in a bridal suit was surrounded by hundreds of people in a Mumbai suburb. But instead of being taken to her future home, she was taken to a cemetery to get buried. The girl was the ever successful, Divya Bharti. Her tragic end came on April 5th, 1993, when around midnight, she fell from her husband's 5th floor building ending her ever growing successful career and most importantly her life. The circumstances behind her death were considered suspicious by the media with some saying she was pushed to her death, some saying she committed suicide and some saying she was heavily drunk and slipped. However, despite an investigation, police found nothing. To this day her death remains a mystery.

Her body was only released on the day of her funeral to taken to her father's house who after hearing of his daughter sudden death, suffered from a mild heart attack and only released from the hospital on the day of her funeral. Her husband, Sajid also fainted and was taken to the hospital and was only released on the day of her funeral and after lightening the pyre, was overwhelmed by emotion and once again collasped. Around 500 people included her funeral with the likes of Anil Kapoor, Amrish Puri, Raj Babbar, Yash Chopra, Jimmy Nirula, Sudhakar Bokade, Mukesh Duggal, Raza Murad, Vikas Anand, Ram Mohan, Javed Khan, Raj Kanwar, Nitin Manmohan, Pehlaj Nehlani, Hema Malini, Karisma Kapoor, Sangeeta Bijlani, Sridevi, Manisha Koirala and Asha Parekh, offered condolences to the bereaved family members at their residence. They were not the only one, the Mumbai streets were filled with fans of the young actress coming from all over India trying to get one last glimpse of the beautiful actress. Despite being only 6, I remember her last photographs of her in a bridal suit in front page of a newspaper.

After her death, her final two movies, Rang and Shatranj were released and dedicated to her memory. Movies like Mohra and Ladla were left unfinished and she was later replaced by Raveena Tandon and Sridevi. After showing clips of Divya in Ladla and comparing to Sridevi, many people felt that she did a much better job. Unfortunatly it was not meant to be. If still alive today, she would have 32 and without any doubts one of the biggest name in Bollywood along with Madhuri, Sridevi, and Kajol. These days, not many people know her but those who still remember her, consider her to be one of the best actresses to ever set foot in Bollywood.

Why I Love Shahrukh

Bollywood’s Baadshah; Shahrukh Khan is famous for a numerous amount of achievements, all of which any actor should be proud of. Shahrukh Khan started at the bottom and is now right at the top; what a tough journey for Shahrukh Khan it’s been.

Shahrukh began his career when he starred in numerous television shows including Circus, Fauji and In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones. He made his debut Bollywood film in 1992 with Deewana in which he starred alongside Divya Bharti and Rishi Kapoor. Deewana turned out to be a hit at the box office which helped launch his career in Bollywood. He also won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for the film in 1993. This achievement was then followed by his award winning performance as a murderer in Baazigar and box office hit as an obsessed lover in Darr.

As Shahrukh’s career moved on, 1995 proved to be a historical year for him, in which he starred in my forever favorite film, Adtiya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge which turned out to be a box-office success; The move is now running for its 12th year in Mumbai Theatres; raking in over 12 billion rupees. It seemed as if Shahrukh only knew his way up the ladder soon after he gave us an outstanding performances in Yash Chopra’s; Dil To Pagal Hai and Subhash Ghai’s; Pardes. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai won Shahrukh him his third Best Actor award at Filmfare. 2000 turned out to be a spectacular year for Shahrukh with Mohabbatein and Josh doing well at the box office. That same year, Shahrukh partnered with Juhi Chawla to produce a production company known as Dreamz Unlimited. However their first production, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani did not do all that well at the box office; nevertheless they soon made up for the loss as Shahrukh released his second production Asoka in 2001. In 2002, Shahrukh became well known for his phenomenal role in Sanjay Leela Bansali’s Devdas, followed by Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Na Ho in 2003.

Even though I have seen the majority of the above films, Shahrukh really became my main focus in 2004 in which he began his second production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, which was the banner for director Farah Khan’s debut Main Hoon Na, in which Shahrukh played an army officer in the search of his step brother. Shahrukh then became well known for his Punjabi character Veer who sacrificed years of his life for his Pakistani love in Veer Zaara, which won Shahrukh numerous awards. Shahrukh then tackled the poverty in India as he transformed himself into Mohan Bhargav in Ashutosh Gowariker’s; Swades. 2005 was a quiet year for Shahrukh with only one release, Paheli from Red Chillies Entertainment in which he played a double role.

2006 brought along what I thought of as Bollywood’s most controversial film, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. KANK touched upon a subject I felt only the bravest of directors in Bollywood could dare speak out on; extramarital affairs. Shahrukh played the role of Dev, who is a professional football player whose career is cut short after an accident. Even though he is married with a son, happiness isn’t something Dev is aware of until he meets Maya. For me, KANK brought the reality check many Indians of today needed. However not everyone shared the same thoughts and feelings as me. KANK seemed to be one of Shahrukh’s most questioned roles in which he had to defend himself and the movie in numerous amount of ways, including starring on NDTV’s We The People. KANK is definitely one of my favorite all time Shahrukh Khan films. In the same year he brought us a remake of the hit Don, and much to Amitabh Bachchan’s disappointment, Don proved to be a worldwide success.

Shahrukh for me has worked in a wide-range of movies, although many people would disagree. Even though Shahrukh is well known for his romantic hero films, he has managed to wow the crowds at certain points in his career playing various roles.

A major part of me being a Shahrukh Khan fan is his much loved on screen chemistry with Bollywood Actress Kajol Devgan. For me their chemistry is greater than any other couple seen on screen today; starring alongside each other in Karan Arjun, Baazigar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, DDLJ and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Stupid as it sounds, when I was younger I actually used to think they were married in reality. Their chemistry is sizzling on screen and off. They share a great friendship and I know Shahrukh has great respect for her as a co-star. They are favored by many Bollywood lovers and we await their next movie.

Other than movies, Shahrukh has become popular amongst our TV channels as a host of the third series of Kaun Banega Crorepati. A program I never clapped eyes on until he took over in 2007. As well as becoming a Branding King endorsing products such as Pepsi, Compaq, Tag Heuer, Airtel, Santro, ICICI, Sunfeast and Lux. Lux brought along another controversy for Shahrukh, as he was bashed and questioned about his sexuality when he dared to star in a feminine bathing ad, bringing out his metro-sexual side. I, for one, was very proud that Shahrukh looked past the sexist views of today and realized that guys do take baths and use soap.

He has achieved numeral recognitions such as his waxwork in Madame Tussauds, Rajiv Ghandi award for Excellence in the Field of Entertainment, Padma Shri Award, and Best India Citizen Award. Then again he deserves it.

As well as a great actor, Shahrukh is frequently mentioned for being a great papa. With two adorable kids, who wouldn’t be? He dotes on them, spoils them and always has time for them even with his hectic schedule. 9 year old Aryaan and 7 year old Suhana are really the light of Shahrukh’s life. Lets not forget his wife Gauri as well. Unlike most actors, Shahrukh is settled. Alongside his wife and kids, Shahrukh also looks after his older sister known as Lala Rukh making him what I call the perfect family man.

With upcoming films, Chak De India and Om Shanti Om, I await to see what else is to come Shahrukh’s way.