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Is SRK going the 3D way with Ra.One?
The wait is over, well partly. Shah Rukh Khan unveiled the first trailer of his highly-anticipated superhero film Ra.One yesterday amidst much fanfare at IMAX in Wadala, an eastern Mumbai suburb.
The King Khan played to the gallery and fielded media queries in his signature style. Shah Rukh, who plays superhero G.One in the movie, was questioned about the name's meaning when he quipped, "G stands for Gauri and 1 is my position in the industry!"
Interestingly, he was all praise for Salman Khan's Ready that's releasing this Friday.
He said, "I saw the promos and I love both the songs. My children are going to watch it this weekend. I think it will be a very nice film."
His own film Ra.One is slated for a Diwali release. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film is a story about a father-son duo. The first teaser of the film was launched in January. The actor says that the promotional videos were deliberately released early as he wanted the audience to have some impression of his new superhero in their psyche.
Talking about the character, Shah Rukh said, "G.One is the life giver, who saves lives. Ra.One is for Random Access Version One but it also stands for Raavan."
SRK added, "Like the legendary Raavan, Ra.One is evil and has the world's 10 most evil brains."
'I was inspired by Krrish and Drona'
While his friends Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra suggested that he change the name of the film to G.One, Shah Rukh stuck to Ra.One. He reasons, "If you see any superhero film or even classics like Sholay or Mr India, the first names that come to our minds are Gabbar Singh, Mogambo or Shakaal, Batman evokes images of Joker. That's the reason I decided to go with Ra.One." said the superstar.
Talking about superhero films, Shah Rukh reveals that he was inspired by Krrish and Drona, but is quick to add, "I don't want to compare my character or my movie with anyone. I always desired to do a superhero film but felt I was too old to play a superhero. I gave it a shot anyway and I am happy that we pulled it off."
In between queries, Shah Rukh also lets it slip that the movie may be 3D in parts. "Yes we are planning to do it. Primefocus is helping us as they have a technology with which a film can be converted into 3D even after it's shot. We are doing a test and if all goes well we might have some parts of the film in 3D." Shah Rukh added.
One of the highlights of the movie is an item number that was composed by popular R&B artiste Akon. The song, still a work in progress, was recently leaked online.
A visibly upset Shah Rukh says, "I was depressed when I came to know about it. Thankfully, the leaked song is not the final copy. As of now I am happy that people are enjoying it and hope people will like the final version even more."
'My equation with Karim Morani hasn't changed'
Cineyug head honcho Karim Morani, who's also a co-producer for Ra.One, was recently arrested for his alleged involvement in the 2G scam. But that doesn't faze the actor. He says, "Not only me but a lot of the film fraternity have a personal relationship with Cineyug and Morani and they have been a part of the industry even before I entered. The matter is currently sub-judice and the law will take its own course." The actor also adds that his equation with Morani doesn't change because of the recent developments.
The actor mentioned that Morani was taken on board for Ra.One as the associate producer because his close friend and one of the main producers Bobby Chawla (brother of Juhi Chawla) fell ill. "Someone had to fill in, so I asked a friend (Morani) and he did a great job," he said.
The enforcement directorate has ordered to look in to all the deals made by the Cineyug in the last five years. Morani had transferred funds to Kalaignar TV and had used the same account to transfer money to Red Chillies Entertainment. When questioned about it, Shah Rukh Khan denied it, saying: "These are all rumours and media is trying to sensationlise the issue by involving me."
The actor also denied that the Moranis had any stake in his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders or that the Morani's had asked Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to buy stakes in the team. SRK too had never approached anybody to buy stakes in his IPL team, "Only Juhi Chawla, Jai Mehta and I have a stake in the KKR team. As for Sunanda Pushkar I got to know her recently," he said.
Interestingly, SRK will launch Morani's daughter Zoa in his forthcoming production Always Kabhi Kabhi.