10. Sonam Kapoor – Hi! Living

Sonam Kapoor is known for her impeccable fashion sense and wonderful magazine covers, but this year it was her black & white classic portrait that set her apart from the typical.

9. Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif – Filmfare

Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif have grown from strength to strength this year, gaining incredible popularity. Their fresh pairing gained accolades for its sizzling chemistry and this Filmfare cover reflects just that.

8. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Verve

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been a favourite for magazine covers and this out-of-the-box look for Verve garnered praise for the most beautiful woman in the world.

7. Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Prateik Babbar – Filmfare

Seeing living legend Amitabh Bachchan on the Filmfare cover alongside his Aarakshan co-stars Saif Ali Khan and gen next Prateik Babbar was a treat for fans young and old.

6. Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma – Hi! Blitz

Though Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma have yet to star in a film together, this Hi Blitz cover had all of their fans wanting more of this sweet and fun jodi. Needless to say Vishal Bharadwaj’s next Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola with Imran and Anushka is being impatiently anticipated.

5. Katrina Kaif – Vogue

Katrina Kaif has captivated the audience with her roles in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and more recently her ‘Chikni Chameli’ item number. This Vogue cover remains memorable for giving Kat a darker edge with a sexy grunge styling.

4. Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol – Man’s World

The boys of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara captured our hearts and this cover united the three heroes Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol. Just like the film, this cover was a fan favourite in 2011.

3. Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Sharukh Khan and Kajol – Filmfare

The Filmfare Awards are always a high-point during the year for the industry. This year the award issue cover was graced by some of the greatest actors of our time – Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Kajol and Amitabh Bachchan. To get these four superstars all together for a shot is memorable indeed!

2. Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor – Filmfare

Though the film Mausam may not have set cash registers ringing, the pairing of Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor was greatly appreciated. The Filmfare team had fans vote to choose which of three potential Shahid-Sonam covers would ultimately become the cover shot for this issue and fans smartly chose this adorable capture of the pair.

1. Hrithik Roshan – Filmfare

Almost a year later and this extremely hot Filmfare cover of Hrithik Roshan still sticks in our minds. Maybe it`s the Greek God good looks, or maybe it`s his continued success throughout the year with both Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara as well as his television show Just Dance, but we haven`t been able to get Duggu – or this fabulous magazine cover – out of our minds!

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Born November 2, 1965 in New Delhi, who knew that he had such great potential ahead of him?

While I was just entering the world in 1988, Shahrukh Khan’s career was also taking its fledgling steps. He began on TV with the serial Fauji, and from there, his life took quite a turn. For the better.

He made a few small-scale films and played supporting characters for a short while. He did receive a good amount of limelight in his small roles, such as his movie Deewana in 1992, but it he didn’t strike big until 1993 with Yash Chopra’s Darr, where he stole all the accolades from Sunny Deol, and became the true hero of the film.

Baazigar, in 1993, was Shah Rukh’s first movie where he was paired opposite Kajol. This jodi went on to become one of the most beloved pairs in Bollywood to date, and the highest-grossing on-screen couple ever.

His popularity continued to rise, not quite topping the other big stars like Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. It wasn’t until Yash Chopra’s son, Aditya Chopra, took a stab at directing and created the longest-running film in history. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge paired him with Kajol once more. The movie that caught the attention of many NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) shot both Shah Rukh and Kajol to super stardom overnight. Shah Rukh’s old villainous image was thrown out the window, and the audiences eagerly embraced his new romantic avatar. The movie single-handedly brought back pure romantic Bollywood films, and also created a scope for Bollywood viewers outside of India.

The years went by, and he continued to give amazing hits to the industry. In 1997 he gave three consecutive hits with Yes Boss, Pardes and then Yash Chopra’s next film, Dil To Pagal Hai. In 1998 he was in three diametrically different films: a comedy with a double role, Duplicate, a romantic love triangle with debutante director Karan Johar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and a more serious art film with renowned director Mani Ratnam, Dil Se.

He also took up the role of producer along with long-time friend and co-star Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza. Their company, Dreamz Unlimited, produced their first movie, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, starring both Shah Rukh and Juhi. The patriotic film did not fare well, and Shah Rukh began to experience the lowest point in his career. Though, in the same year, he had the superhit Mohabbatein to his credit, many labelled him as an overseas success, rather than an Indian superstar. It was quite obvious that his appeal overseas was substantial. With younger actors, such as Hrithik Roshan entering the fray, Shah Rukh’s days seemed to be numbered.

Shah Rukh is not the kind to give up, though. He and Juhi created another production company called Arclightz & Filmz and produced a less commercial film, Asoka, starring Shah Rukh and Kareena Kapoor. Once again, this film flopped and created losses for Shah Rukh, yet his overseas audience remained strong.

This strange phenomenon made many producers and directors take notice of the financial opportunities outside of India, and there began to be an influx of movies geared towards NRIs. Today we see there are many movies that do not do as well in India as they do overseas, and marketing overseas has grown to a much larger scale.

Shah Rukh’s career starting getting back on track in the latter part of 2001. His good friend Karan Johar decided to direct him in his second venture, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. This time, the cast was huge, with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor all being main protagonists. The film did exceptionally well, both overseas and in India, but the masses still questioned whether Shahrukh deserved any credit with such a huge star cast involved.

Proving them wrong once and for all, Shah Rukh gave the industry a financial hit and critically acclaimed performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s opus Devdas. It was his only release for the year, but it was also one of very few movies that succeeded in the slow year. Everyone was amazed by the aesthetic and emotional film.

But if you thought Shah Rukh’s career had reached its peak, you are mistaken. Devdas was the beginning of the end, and there was no more looking back for Khan as he began to give the industry consecutive hits.

In 2003, his production company Dreamz Unlimited came back with the hit Chalte Chalte. Unfortunately, at this time, he found that he had a back injury and needed to have surgery done. Many movies were postponed and scrapped while Shah Rukh took a break from filming for a few months. Thankfully his back recovered, and his career got back on track.

He ended off the year with the modern yet emotional hit Kal Ho Naa Ho. Everyone in the industry wanted to work with the Bollywood Baadshah! He began to rule to roost once again.

2004 marked the debut of choreographer Farah Khan as a director, and she decided to cast her good friend Shah Rukh as the lead. He also worked as the producer of the film under his Red Chillies Entertainment company. The movie Main Hoon Na defied all sorts of conceptions; an action-comedy from a female director. The movie went on to do very well, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. But there was more success in store for King Khan.

Yash Chopra returned to directing after seven long years with the love legend Veer-Zaara, a movie that broke many national records. Shah Rukh, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee glowed under their vast amounts of success. If financial success wasn’t enough, Shahrukh went on to do Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades and received a great amount of critical acclaim as well, even from his worst detractors.

Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan co-produced the multi-starrer Kaal, and SRK even appeared in an item number for the movie. In 2005, Shah Rukh’s Paheli, under the Red Chillies production house made a lot of money overseas, and also bagged the honour of being selected as India’s Oscar nomination.

In 2006, Shah Rukh collaborated again with close friend Karan Johar for the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, co-starring Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. The film, which was about extra-marital affairs, created quite the furor and discussion among audiences about the content and message portrayed. Despite the controversy it was a successful venture, especially in the overseas market.

Next, Shah Rukh teamed up with well-respected director Farhan Akhtar to remake the classic Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Don. Another controversial move, many critics and fans alike worried that the cult film would be ruined if it were re-imagined with a new actor, but SRK added his own style and substance to the film. He, along with Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal, had a hit film on their hands.

2007 was one of the most successful years in Shahrukh Khan’s career to date. Firstly, he starred in the sports film Chak De India. It was a risky move, as the film was women-centric, focused on field hockey (not a sport as rabidly popular as cricket) and besides SRK there were no big names in the cast. But word of mouth and a great product led Chak De India to an amazing run at the box office and Shahrukh won every single acting award that year. On the other hand, he tasted great financial success beyond compare with his second Farah Khan film Om Shanti Om, which broke all records overseas and in India when it released on Diwali. His acting chops and his six-pack had fans and critics alike enchanted.

It was at this point that SRK slowed down the frequency with which he released films. In 2008, he starred alongside debutante Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, a film that performed very well at the box office. In 2009 his only release was Billu, a home production from Red Chillies where he was enacting a cameo role rather than the title role, which was in fact essayed by Irrfan Khan.

2010 was an important year for Shah Rukh Khan as he took on his most difficult role yet in My Name Is Khan. In this film he was re-united with favourite heroine Kajol and director Karan Johar. Shahrukh portrayed a man with Asperger syndrome. Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time in the overseas market. Khan won his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal, thereby joining Dilip Kumar as the record holder in this category.

Only last week Shah Rukh released his superhero magnum opus Ra.One, another home production, co-starring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, where Shah Rukh plays a superhero. The film boasts of amazing VFX and has been released in 3D. It is making great waves at the box office worldwide. And in less than two months we will be seeing SRK on the big screen once more when he returns in the sequel Don 2. From the most good-hearted hero to the most villainous baddie, he will be giving the audience exactly what they want to see. Exciting times for King Khan’s fans!

Not only is he a great actor and entertainer, but Shah Rukh Khan is also a family man, with his two kids, Aryan and Suhana, and his wife Gauri. So much is known about Shah Rukh’s family, simply because they are related to the superstar, and they have become celebrities in their own right.

Shah Rukh Khan strove to break into the film industry, though he was an outsider. The shock of losing both his parents at a young age motivated him to keep working harder and become the star he is today. Happy 46th Birthday! Hope you keep on entertaining the world for years to come!

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From New York Times to the Hollywood Reporter, reviews have been coming in and the film has received a resounding thumbs up. “Anubhav Sinha’s exhilarating fantasy “Ra.One” is Bollywood at its best. It has energy, spectacle and humor, song and dance, but razzle-dazzle special effects and action stunts never overwhelm its story of enduring love that unfolds amid an intricate and inspired sci-fi odyssey.” says Kevin Thomas, a top critic from the Los Angeles Times.

Even the ever-so-popular standard for quality movies, Rotten Tomatoes, seems to have earned a higher rating for Ra.One than in India. The film has a total critics’ rating of 78%, which is most definitely Fresh. And when you factor in only the Top Critics in the ratings it is raised even further to an 83% freshness! This is much higher than current Hollywood box office darlings such as Real Steel, Paranormal Activity 3 and Footloose.

Ra.One was also screened at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where SRK addressed the audience before the film was shown. Academy Award winning Sound Mixer Resul Pookutty tweeted that they received an “overwhelming response from the fraternity here”.

It seems that the western world has really taken a shining to Shahrukh Khan’s superhero magnum opus Ra.One. In the words of Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter “RA.ONE nicely serves two masters — good family values and good capitalist instincts.” And that seems to suit our overseas neighbours just fine.

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Opening day was the second-highest ever for a Hindi film, earning 18.25 crores. Considering that the film released on Diwali itself and that many celebrate puja in the evening, it was unable to match the first day record of 21 crores set by Bodyguard. For those wondering, the Overseas market was also taken by storm, earning 6.5 crores for Ra.One on Wednesday. This led to a 25 crore total net on the very first day itself.

Wednesday started off with tremendous momentum only to hit a block due to Diwali puja but Thursday built upon the great opening numbers and blew them out of the water.

The film is recording full houses at multiplexes and single screens across the country, breaking almost all of the records in various circuits all across India. The second day collections on Thursday 27th October were even more impressive with the film raking in Rs. 36 crore gross with a net of Rs. 25.10 crore making it the highest collection ever on a single day for an Indian film. Also in the overseas market, the film has shown magnificent performance being the highest collections for any Indian film so far.

So what’s the total so far? Ra.One has garnered a gross collection of Rs. 62.50 crore in its opening two days of Diwali and New Year

Commenting on the opening, Nandu Ahuja, Sr. VP, Distribution, Eros International Media Ltd said, “We are witnessing unparalleled collections across the country with record breaking figures from different territories. Business usually gets hampered on Diwali day in the evening due to Laxmi pooja, despite which Ra.One has performed exceptionally well across the country and has proved to be the biggest ever Diwali day release. The film has opened at 95 to 100% collections from most territories and is a sure sign of one of the biggest blockbusters in the making in Bollywood. The second day figures have also broken records for the highest collections for a single day for an Indian film.”

Kamal Jain, Group CFO, Eros International Media Ltd added, “Majority of the film’s costs have been recovered before the film hit theatres and the box office numbers are exemplary giving major boost to profitability. We are extremely happy with the box office performance of the film as the same is very much in line with our expectations.”

We at Bollyspice look forward to the continued success of Ra.One and will bring you all of the record-breaking action at the box office.

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As the premiere was announced many of the fans wanted a glimpse of King Khan. Tickets for the premiere went on sale this past Friday and the response is extremely outrageous. One of the sales managers was quoted saying “It’s not just the South Asian community buying tickets but people from non-south Asian communities who are also wanting to meet the King personally.” The ticket is priced at $200 dollars and this will allow you to walk the red carpet as well as watch the screening of the movie amongst the KING himself SHAH RUKH KHAN.

A press release was made by Mr. Altaf Kassam of Esquire Entertainment and Dr. Shahid Bhatti of the Star Mantra Entertainment Group regarding a Ra.One movie premiere in Toronto. ” We are looking forward to making this an unforgettable experience.” Was the statement given by the duo.

Ra.One is touted as the most expensive film in Bollywood history and is set to transform the Indian film industry with its ground-breaking visual and audio effects. With all the hysteria behind Ra.One, Toronto, Canada seems to be a perfect mix for a film premiere as it has emerged as a Bollywood hotbed in recent years. With the success and exposure of the 2011 IIFA awards coupled with the hundreds of thousands of Bollywood and Shahrukh Khan fans in Toronto, this event will definitely be one of the most exciting events ever for Bollywood fans in Toronto.

It will be quite a special evening with King Khan at the Bell Tiff Lightbox and as an added bonus the Toronto Premiere will be screened in 3-D. This is a night Shahrukh fans will not want to miss out on. With all the lights, glamour and theatrics planned for the evening, it will be a night truly fit for a super hero.

Please visit www.mybindi.com/raone to purchase your tickets today!

BollySpice will be there to bring you all the Exclusive news, a full report and pictures too so watch this space for more!

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The producers are planning to take the movie to their fans across the world with multiple premieres. Bollywood aficionados living in London, Dubai and Toronto will be ecstatic to learn that the superstars Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor will be attending world premieres of the magnum opus.

Though there are rumours that Kareena will be unable to attend the Toronto premiere due to commitments she has already made for the Aamir Khan starrer Dhuaan (Kareena is allegedly doing underwater training in preparation for a special sequence in Dhuaan), Bebo is adamant that she at the very least be present at the Dubai and London events, as this is the biggest film of the year for the actress.

And though there were rumours abound saying that Lady Gaga would attend the London premiere of Ra.One that too was simply only the baseless buzz of the media.

The premiere in Dubai is set for October 24 at The Grand Cineplex, the premiere in London on October 25th at The 02 Cineworld and the premiere in Toronto on October 26 is at The TIFF Bell Lightbox. Seems that Bollywood is taking a globe-trotting trek and bringing G.One to our hearts and homes this Diwali.

Bollyspice.Com will be bringing you all of the latest from these premiere events in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

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Joining Farhan Akhtar will be Mehra’s favourite Sonam Kapoor, which has added even more buzz to the film as this is a pairing that has never been seen before on the big screen.

Farhan will be undergoing training for the role in order to look the part of an athlete such as Milkha Singh. Farhan recently met with Milkha and his family in Punjab to gain more insight on the role. Filming will begin in February of 2012.

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The party kicked off on Friday night, day before the premiere of the Indo-Canadian biggie Breakaway (aka Speedy Singhs in India). Leave it to producer Bollywood star Akshay Kumar to leave no stone unturned in ensuring the film gets a resounding reception at TIFF by throwing a party like no other at MUZIK night club.

The celebrities descending upon Toronto in a fantastic flurry, ranging from Canadian sensation Josh to UK favourites RDB. Other popular South Asian artists such as Jassie Sindhu, Bohemia, H-Dhami and Veronica came out in full support of the film’s release.
Director of Breakaway Robert Lieberman arrived along with his wife and son and also an optimistic outlook on the film. “I am so enthusiastic to be screening the film in front of an audience tomorrow. We had an industry screening this morning and it went very very well.” Lieberman was also very grateful for the honour of being selected as a TIFF film. “It’s a particular honour to have my first Canadian film as a Canadian director honoured at a Canadian film festival.”

The glamour quotient would not be complete without the presence of a few big-name stars. Rap legend Ludacris made his way into the venue to show his support for the film where he not only makes a cameo but also has collaborated with RDB on the track ‘Shera Di Khom’. Last but not least was Akshay Kumar himself alongside beautiful and talented wife Twinkle Khanna, who caused an uproar everywhere they went. The golden Bollywood couple looked stunning and extremely excited for the film’s imminent release.

Inside the venue, the audience was treated to a number of outstanding performances by Josh, H-Dhami, Veronica and Bohemia. One of the major highlights was Jassie Sindhu performing his tracks from Breakaway, ‘Veer da Viha’ and ‘Rail Guddi’. To say that the crowd was in love with his bhangra performance would be an understatement.

Russell Peters, who plays a great comedic role in the film, entertained the audience by showing off his own DJ-ing skills. It was impressive to watch the world-renowned comedian spin some beats. Next up was lead actor Vinay Virmani who dazzled the crowd with his dance moves and proved why he is being touted as “the next best export from Canada”.

Last but not least, RDB took to the stage and enthralled us all with their renditions of ‘Shera Di Kaum’ and ‘Sansar’ from the film’s soundtrack. Every member of the audience – whether or not they were Punjabi or Indian or even familiar with bhangra music – was on their feet.

Director Lieberman puts it best when he says, “I think [Breakaway] captures the heart of this country. Not just in the sport of hockey, but the heart of a very diverse cultural nation.” With such a strong an relatable selling, I am certain Breakaway will be a rousing success!

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Though trigeminal neuralgia is not a rare disease, it is a very painful one. It is characterized by intense pain across the face during various activities such as chewing food. Khan has seemingly been dealing with the pain for some time, though it is harsh enough occasionally to cause him to scream. “While shooting for Partner seven years ago, Lara Dutta touched the right side of my forehead. I felt I had been struck by an electric current.” He has been on painkillers ever since, but “I just can’t bear the pain anymore. Even talking or eating’s unbearable.”

Most patients with trigeminal neuralgia can get by with medications, but may need surgery after a few years, as is the case with Salman Khan. Some other methods of treatment are either using radiation-based tool called a gamma knife or an invasive method of untangling the mass of nerves and blood vessels that are the root of the sensitivity and pain.

To complicate matters further, surgeons in the US will only be able to tell what kind of procedure they will be carrying out on him once they have him on the operating table. “At present, I really don’t know if it is going to be a non-invasive surgery or a surgical one. I will know on the operation table.”

Salman Khan’s physicians are taking extra precautions, as an arteriovenous malformation that has developed into an aneurysm in the lowest part of his brain has been revealed through imaging and will also need to be treated surgically to stave off the risk of resulting micro-bleeds.

As a student in medical school I have learned firsthand that the triggered electrical shocks of trigeminal neuralgia are one of the most excruciatingly painful conditions a person can get. In fact, the pain is known to drive patients to the brink of suicide. It is amazing to see what a brave front Salman Khan has put on up to this point. We at Bollyspice.com wish him all the best and a safe recovery.

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