Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan talks of his family being against his entering films, how he has no plans to shake ‘King Khan’ from his pedestal, visiting cinema halls to catch audience reaction and more. Below is the transcript of the interview on CNN’s Talk Asia.
Your most recent film Ghajini is now the biggest Bollywood success ever. Did you have any idea that it would be quite as huge as it is?
Aamir Khan (AK): You can hope that, you can hope that for all of your films. But you can never really tell until you see the film with the audience, how it’s going to play with the audience in the theatre. So I think in Ghajini what we set out to make we were in fact able to achieve that. I realised that I’m making a hardcore mainstream film after really long, which is Read the full story

One week after the Golden Globes and Slumdog Millionaire, Shah Rukh Khan talks to BT about going to LA and walking on stage with lead actress Freida Pinto in hand to present Danny Boyle’s film on Mumbai with the prestigious award. “It was a historic moment and I felt proud to be an Indian,” said the actor who was introduced as the King of Bollywood and who…yes, had rejected the role in the film that subsequently went to Anil Kapoor!
How different was the Golden Globes from our award shows?
The people are very gracious and are genuinely happy for each other’s success. In India we go to such functions only to collect our own awards and sneak away. There people stayed back and shared the happiness in the get-together.
Were you intimidated by Hollywood’s biggies?
No, I felt confident like always. Given a chance, I would have shown them some Bollywood pelvic movements!
What stopped you?
I don’t know how they would have taken it, they are not familiar with our humour, it would have been a little out of place.
How are Hollywood’s A-listers?
Usually I am very anti-social. But that night I was taken around and it was Read the full story

(Universal City, (Hollywood)
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan spoke to NDTV at Universal city in Hollywood just as he was stepping out for the Golden Globe awards.
He spoke about the honour of being called on to present an award at the Golden Globe and of the darling of the event — the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ — that’s based in India.
NDTV: Shah Rukh Khan, you are usually at the receiving end at such events, today you are giving away the prize, the first time for an Indian actor at the Golden Globes- Hollywood’s biggest award night, second only to the Oscars. What does this mean for SRK and for Indian cinema?
Shah Rukh Khan: Now, you are making me nervous. I am not being humble, but I truly believe that the Western audience is now looking at the Indian cinema. I am one of the faces of Indian cinema at this point of time, and they picked on me and asked me to come and represent the country. It is a great honour. A lot of graciousness on the part of the Golden Globes. I am representing the country, which is a great honour. I get to present Slumdog Millionaire. It’s even more heartening because A R Rehman is there, it is shot in India. I have presented Kaun Banega Crorepati. I would take it as a rehearsals for Indians to present awards here to start with and inshahallah in the future, bring some films here and at the Oscars and win some of them during my time, so I can come and attend some ceremonies and clap for our own films.
NDTV: What does this mean for SRK, the brand. After all, the Golden Globes is watched in over 160 countries the world over.
Shah Rukh Khan: I have never understood this SRK brand. Every body always asks me that. I am just an actor trying to get some emotions right. I have been working for 20 years now. These big events always make me realize how long I have been working. It’s a good thing. I believe that I can represent the country. I believe in hope, happiness, goodness, smiles, entertainment, and freedom. If somewhere along my line of work, I have to represent my country then I believe my country stand for all that. And I hope, I do not let it down. I do not know about my own brand, I am not too much of a net worker or socialize. To be honest, I get embarrassed about wearing a suit and going on the Red Carpet. That is the simplicity that I have always maintained in life. I am just going to go there and do what they tell me to. Personally, I do not know what is happening to SRK brand but the brand of India I think is going to make waves in creativity and the film fraternity as the years go by.
NDTV: And your thoughts on the contenders for best film? On one hand you have the big studio products with big names like Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button, and on the other the underdogs, the small budget Indie productions featuring actors many may not have heard of.
Shah Rukh Khan: It’s nice to have a mix I think, I’ve seen Benjamin Button, I love Brad Pitt, for an actor of his caliber to start doing the kind of stuff he’s doing now, certainly so different from what you know Brad Pitt for, also the film with the Coen brothers, I think that was really good, he acted fantastically in that, it’s very heartening to see stars like him, and on the other hand I think Slumdog Millionaire is a brilliant film itself, it’s set in India. So I feel really closer to it, it’s got Anil Kapoor, it’s got AR Raman, and I think if anyone deserves an award it’s AR Raman from our country, so I hope I’m not the only the first Indian on stage for Golden Globes, the second one joins me soon and wins an award inshallah. But yeah, it’s always nice to have this mix, and perhaps this is the kind of stuff, which should happen for the awards in India too. You have an interesting mix of cinema and films, and you don’t know which one is going to take off that night. Because it keeps you on your toes and also it keeps variety alive. So it’s really nice that you have big names, like you mentioned, and you have relatively unknown people who won’t be unknown, I think Dev Patel is really good in the film, Danny Boyle is not unknown, I’m a big fan of Danny Boyle, so all that put together is exciting because there’s variety and you don’t know who’s gonna win till the last minute. Something like this should happen in the Indian awards also. The Indian awards, I feel, run on one level. They become predictable. Thought I win most of them that is the only predictability I do not want to change.
NDTV: The last few months the world has seen two images of Mumbai. One the terror attacks and the other one at the Box Office with Slumdog Millionaire. What do you think of the portrayal of your city in the film?
Shah Rukh Khan: We cannot isolate the attacks only on Mumbai there are attacks taking place all over the world. Different cities get targeted unfortunately at different times. It has happened in Delhi, Gujarat we have suffered everywhere. It is a reality we have to live with and fight. On the other hand cinema gives you hope. Films like Slumdog Millionaire, within all the grime and the dust and hardships of India and Mumbai there is a lot of hope and love. It seems like a Hindi film to me when I see Slumdog Millionaire and that is what we stand for. The country stands for that despite all the stress and hardship, problems the cash registers will flow because we are warm and loving people. If you want a comparison, Indian cinema stand for just that. Slumdog Millionaire stands for that. It leaves you with the thought that what ever happens in any part of the world it is happening all over the world and what we do not let go of is hope and happiness.
NDTV: A R Rehman has been called the Mozart of India but now he has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Is Rehman putting us on the map, finding global acceptance that was long over due?
Shah Rukh Khan: Absolutely, I think some of the Miss Worlds and Universes- Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, I am talking only in terms of the media, creative world and the modeling world. We got very far on the world map because of the presence of these two ladies and then further on lots of girls have done very well for us. I think Rehman is a true genius. He has been working hard for years and has been going some really different kind of music. I have been working with him and am very fond of him. I think that is time that some one like Rehman, if he is recogonised internationally it would be rightly so, deservingly so. If there is some one who has to get a golden globe from India for the first time then there is no one better than Rehman to get it so inshahallah. Even if he does not get I think he is the Mozart of the world not just of India.
NDTV: Shahrukh, you mentioned being nervous about going on to the Red Carpet. The last time Aishwarya Rai was on such an international stage she got a lot of flak for what she was wearing, what designer she chooses etc, is that the same with men?
Shah Rukh Khan: I am going naked, I have decided not to wear any clothes because no clothes means no criticism. I do not know what to wear. I have spoken to Karan. I have a black suit that I have been wearing for the past seven years. I take it out, get it dusted and ironed and I wear that. It is the safest. There are many wonderful people at the golden globes who are telling me that I should wear Indian clothes but my son does not like me wearing Indian clothes. So I am just going to wear a black suit and a black tie and hope I do not look like a waiter there. I hope that they will recogonise me and I pass off normally. It is the safest thing to do when you are in America and Europe.

Brand ambassador for the Nakshatra brand, Katrina Kaif arrived at the launch of the new TV commercial which is quiet an achievement according to Bollywood standards.
The TV Commercial that was unveiled to the media has Katrina performing a cosmic ballet of sorts and controlling the cosmos.
Speaking about the ad shoot, Kat said, It was a little difficult for me to shoot this ad. I was in the US for three months shooting for the Yash Raj film with John and Neil. After I arrived back in Mumbai, I headed straight for Nakshatra’s shoot.
I basically had to do these weird hand moments and was surrounded by a blue screen all around for the special effects to be incorporated. My friend Ahmed Khan (choreographer) was a great help though. But when I saw the final result I felt it is simply awesome.
Aishwarya Rai was earlier the brand ambassador for Nakshatra. You replaced her?
Well I guess it’s the people who own any brand know better as in who suits for a particular product and who does not.
I have been seeing the Nakshatra ads featuring Aish since the time they came on air. I have loved them all. I now feel lucky to be a part of them. But I guess it’s a part of the industry that one replaces the other. Tomorrow someone else shall replace me too.
Mehul Chowksi, Chairman and MD Geetanjali gems pitched in between, “We felt she is the perfect representation of the young, trendy and fashionable woman that Nakshatra targets.”
We asked Mr. Chowksi how replacing Aish with Katrina how had it affected the brand?
“Our sales have improved considerably since we introduced Katrina as the new brand ambassador.” he revealed.
When asked Kat what was her criteria for selecting brands? She said, “So many offers come my way every time but I am very choosy. That’s why you see I feature in so less ad films. I lick to pick and choose.
I take my own decisions about selecting my brands and don’t consult anyone. I go by my gut feeling. If I zero down on a particular brand, I also do my own little research and if I feel satisfied then I go ahead with it.”
Having been voted the sexiest woman twice, what was her take on it?
“Any woman may feel nice to get compliments but you know what? When I am feeling very low and having a very bad day going on, it feels really nice when I realize that time, that hey I am the sexiest woman around! It makes me cheer up(smiles)” replied the beauty.
Akshay too was recently voted as Asia’s sexiest man, what did Katrina have to say about it? To which she said, “Well I hear everyone saying we both make a wonderful onscreen pair. Basically its fun working alongside him on and off the sets and our comfortablity perhaps reflects onscreen making it look so natural.”
Her recent release Yuvvraaj failed at the box office. Does she think her fans didn’t like her romantic pairing with Salman?
To which she replied with a smirk, “Well may be.”
When asked what her new year plans were and whether would she be performing?
She replied, “I have no plans as of now. But I definately won’t be performing on the New Year’s Eve after what has happened in Mumbai recently. I would also like to take this opportunity to tell all the women of India that they should not panic in situations like this.”

New Delhi: Soha Ali Khan has dabbled in a variety of roles in her four-year-old career but says it is the spunk factor in a character that attracts her the most.
“Generally, female roles in commercial films don`t offer much scope to showcase talent. While choosing my roles, I make sure that the role has some spunk in it,” Soha told IANS.
She will soon be seen in an unusual pairing with seasoned actor Irrfan Khan in the light-hearted comedy “Dil Kabaddi”. Releasing Dec 5, the film will see her as a cosmetic surgeon armed with a compulsive cleanliness disorder.
“When you have done one kind of role, you obviously want to do something else. My idea is to play a character or to have a scene or an emotion or a moment in a film, whereby you can perform or do something different,” she said.
On being asked about the kind of roles or films she is inclined towards, Soha said: “It`s difficult to specify one thing, but I appreciate working with directors like Rituparno Ghosh and Sudhir Mishra who make female-oriented films.
“All their women are strong, ambitious and passionate and that needs to be more accurately reflected in Indian films. Bollywood is slowly perhaps getting there but still not there.”
The young actress, who was noticed in films like “Rang De Basanti”, “Khoya Khoya Chand” and more recently “Mumbai Meri Jaan”, added she misses the days of yesteryear actors like Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rehman.
“In those days, they were really worshipped heroines. They used to play strong roles but such strong portrayals of a woman are rare in today`s films,” she said.
Though Soha lamented the dearth of quality cinema nowadays, she is happy with the work she has been doing. “I have been quite blessed to work with good co-actors and directors,” she said.