Bollywood film Om Shanti Om brought in about $1.8 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend, which puts it at a respectable #11 on the U.S. chart (on only 114 screens). It’s certainly the highest U.S. opening for a Bollywood film I’ve seen in recent years; it may be the highest ever (anyone know for sure?). The film also did very well in India and other markets, coming in ahead of the Tom Cruise war flick, Lions for Lambs, internationally.
Serious cinephiles (and some not-so-serious ones) have reviewed the film and dissected its merits and flaws. But the director, Farah Khan, has essentially credited the film’s success to one thing — Shah Rukh Khan’s exposed torso:
“The entire credit for the film’s success goes to Shah Rukh,” director Farah Khan told Reuters over phone on Sunday. “He is the film’s main attraction and the shirtless song is definitely one of the main reasons for the film’s hit. It is the scene to watch out for.” The bare-chested act by the 42-year-old actor who underwent rigorous training sessions to develop a six-pack, has helped the song “Dard-E-Disco” reach the top of the charts across television channels and FM radio stations. (link)
See the following hard-hitting report from Star News, for a more behind-the-scenes look at Shah Rukh’s abs:
The segment opens in Hindi, but after about 30 seconds there are English subtitles. It’s worth staying at least until Shah Rukh makes that comment about his cleavage (!); there’s also a sneaky little insinuation about Karan Johar there at the end.
Sonia, I’ve watched four different postings of Dard-E-Disco on youtube and still see no booty crack. Link please?
I really want to see this film but one of the commercials I saw had a scene where Ritesh Deshmukh introduces SRK’s character as having acted in ‘Madrasi’ films, upon which a ‘hilarious’ sequence highlighting south Indian cinema’s ridiculousness ensues. I mean, I know south Indian movies are even more over-the-top and simultaneously more low-budget than Bollywood sometimes, but 🙁 .
Well then SRK is also nowhere near Tom Cruise in terms of craziness. Not to mention fastly deflating star power.
For this I give you props for not taking a crying one-year-old to the movie theater.
Uae intern, butt-crack sighting about midway through during the splash scenes when he stands up in the water facing away from us.
Maybe that’s the cleavage he’s referring to? 🙂
Regardless, dang, he looks good.
Bollywood Buff, link and minute/second sequence of above mentioned scene please. I’m still not seeing it.
PG, here you go.
He looked damn good in “Chak De”!
Anyone else find it hilarious that apparently in the film, the reincarnated SRK and Deepika Padukone’s character might have a problem with their relationship because her character is much older? I mean, considering that SRK is 21 years older than her…
Amardeep, Come on – haven’t you been to a desi flik before? just drag the little one along – he’ll enjoy it – and desi crowds are far more forgiving of screaming infants and toddlers (and their parents) than you know who.!
No, I’m a big SRK fan. I’ve seen him up close in person when he was filming KANK in New York. Today he looks totally different. His facial features have changed (jaw, eye sockets); his body seems differently proportioned. He’s actually a rather small fellow. Adding mass is difficult. He just doesn’t look like a fitter or more buff version of his old self (which was fit and mildly buff). Now he looks freakish. I’m worried for him.
Enough with Tom Cruise – Shah bin Aurangzeb Rukh Khan comparision.
One guy acts in great action movies (Minority Report, MI: 3) and dramas (Rain Man, Magnolia) and has recieved international acclaim and the other dances around 75% of the time like an inept mental patient. If anything Akshay Kumar is Indias Tom Cruise, he looks exactly like him and at least hes done some decent action movies.
Oh god, i saw a clip of some song on YouTube out of curiosity. I am staying far far away from this movie. It is some song where the lead actress gets out of a car at some red carpet thing and Shah Rukh and some doofus sidekick are staring at her, and the song goes on and one in other settings. Sounds like one of those silly boring bland Taiwanese pop songs from the 90s.
By the way, if you look at YouTube, they got related links to some Rishi Kapoor song Om Shanti Om. It is silly, but a lot more watchable for its wonderful cheesiness. He lands on a revolving record from a giant needle and arm contraption you find on record players. As silly as that song is, at least it is not bland.
hilarious! i thought there was some sarcasm in his comments, which made it all even funnier!
Why does he have such long hair? It’s not like he has enormous ears that need covering up.
I have to agree with Preston in #59. I also saw him up close and in person in Chandigarh during the filming of Veer-Zaara back in ’04. The SRK in the Dard-E-Disco video bears some resemblance to the SRK I saw, but he’s like a pumped up caricature of himself – not just a guy who decided to start working out more. Sadly, I do wonder about steroid use…
when i see the McCarthy-esque exclamations of ‘steroids!’ I tend to worry about substance use on the part of the commentators.
Muralimannered,
That will also explain the commenter’s handle also 🙂
Hey, they say it takes one to know one, right? 🙂
Maybe I heard something different…but I thought his interview was clearly tongue firmly planted in cheek! The comments were clearly meant to be irreverent and spoofing the T&A nature of bollywood films. As far as Steroids…he is just not that big. He looks more John Travolta in Staying Alive then a roided up. If you are looking for roids, look no further than Salman Khan. He looks like a WWE wrestler, 5’7″ and 210+ is tough for anyone.
There’s lots of other internet chatter about SRK and steroids, though for the record he claims not to have used them. It’s a reasonable question and doesn’t imply some nefarious agenda on the part of the questioner.
Right, and the point i’m making is that such conjecture is made by people totally unaware and ignorant of the visible effects of steroid usage, let alone the dosage and supplementation regimes that users employ.
the alarmingly different face and body are easily explained by his apparent body-fat levels (necessary to bring out any details in the abdominal muscles) and the training/diet regimen he currently follows. He may certainly be taking steroids, but it wouldn’t be necessary to achieve the look he has now. This reflexive ‘steroids’ response is what I abhor.
It’s not a reasonable question, it’s gossip and should be identified as such.
fyi there are muscles in your hands and after I made my initial big weight-gain, my hands were visibly thicker, especially in the area between thumb and forefinger, and there were blood vessels visible near the base of other digits.
also gaining mass is not difficult for everyone, there are plenty of people with the genetic gift for gaining mass quickly, once the proper stimuli are introduced (training, nutrition).
pingpong said: “My bottom half” would be an excellent way to introduce one’s same-sex spouse at social gatherings. Unless one is not really on top of things.
That is one of the funniest comments I have read in a while.
See Abs in action. He looks good for his age, now if only I can motivate my hubby ;).
Are the white girls in afro wigs and animal print clothing a spoof too? Also, why are the ugliest white girls portrayed as beauty queens in India? Just wondering.
soon he will expose his torso in every film and it won’t be a big deal anymore. that is assuming, of course, that he can maintain his six pack.
In a land where you used to be conquered by white people, it is a great achivement to be able to bang one of them, no matter what they look like. It’s sort of like, “My great grandfather used to wipe this woman’s great grandfather’s ass and now I am banging his great granddaughter! How you like me now racist angel in heaven looking down upon his great grand daughter banging the hell out of a sand person?”
the SRK movie was mentioned in Salon today – http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/11/14/shah_rukh_khan_om_shanti_om/index.html
Sepia was cited too- yaay! 🙂
From ronit, I haven’t like his four abs pack .
I did not like this movie of SRK. Reincarnation with same looks etc is far from reality. SRK must read scripts and then choose movies. Total time and money waste.
Priya http://www.goforads.com
GOT TO KNOW THAT SRKS ABS NOT REAL BUT JUST A SHORT TERM MAKE BY OPERATION IS IT TRUE??
I mean plastic surgery Lipouction abs.. say whatever hez still a cutie 😛
Wat rubbish…m sure it was natural abs. He had worked almost for year for those abs just like aamir did for Ghajini.