Shahrukh Khan - "Sourav Ganguly and I are good friends"

It has been in the news recently that King Khan is mad with the performance of Kolkata Knight Riders, in the IPL. In a recent interview, published on Rediff Shah Rukh Khan has put to rest all rumours about a rift between Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly, and himself.

He said "Sourav and I are good friends. There is no problem between Sourav, John & me," he says.

"Certain sections of the press have misquoted me on this. I do not think that I need to justify that we are a team. I am too old in this business of winning and losing. I do not think that I need someone coming and telling me about anti-corruption after 40 days into the tournament. I own the Knight Riders and I have paid them to win. Now, if they are losing, does that mean that I am paying them to lose? "

"There is more to life than just winning. I read somwhere that I was kicking chairs. I have seen too many victories and losses, and I'm too old in this game to react like this," he continues. "When we won, it was said 'Prince and King ruled.' Now that we are not doing well, they assume that somthing must me wrong between Sourav and me. I would like to clarify that nothing is wrong."

"Saurav has sent me messages asking me to clarify to all that we are friends. We are not fighting, the team is not going to be sold. John is not angry with Sourav. Sourav is not angry with me. I am not kicking chairs. There are no issues. Yes, I do have certian issues with the IPL on the code of conduct. That needs to be clarified. Only then will I go to the matches."

My take on it would be, if SRK is mad with them for not playing well, its justified!! But i'm sure by now SRK himself knows, that its a long term investment and his pick will bring rewards in the near future. So, why bother with a few crores when there are billions to make :-)

Bhoothnath - A Cranky Ghost

We've all grown up watching the Big B do a lot in his own funny ways yeah - funny faces !! Be it as a drunkard, an English-ignorant annadi, or a paan-chewing inspector. Therefore, while it is more than saddening to see him in roles that really demand nothing more than a casual performance and standard issue face-pulling. The makers of Bhootnath can at least rest, assured that they have the best actor for the part.

The movie starts off 'sweetly' enough, and once you realise that Bhoothnath is a kids' film that isn't even trying to be anything else, the first half pretty much works. All is likeable enough right till the third act, where the movie abruptly turns into the kind of handkerchief-friendly melodrama we have come to associate with BR Films.

The film's lead is a natural enough young fellow called Aman Siddiqui, who plays local mischief maker, Banku. Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla play his parents, who have just rented a Goa bungalow, and while daddy (SRK) works on a cruise liner, Mommy(Juhi Chawla) has her hands full force-feeding Banku breakfast and unpacking the furniture on her own because no maid would venture close to the place. It's haunted !!.

After many rumours of Nath Villa being haunted, Banku confronts his mother with the Ghost Question. There are no ghosts, she says, before filling his head with some sweet stories about angels. Sure enough, Banku comes face to face with a ghost and refuses to accept it.

The rest of the film, predictably is about this kid and the equation he develops with this ghost. And while there is absolutely nothing you haven't seen before in many many films, both the Old Ghost and Easily-Angered Young Man play their parts with warmth and enthu and, in Bachchan's case, even grace.

The problems, arise in the film's third act, where we suddenly confront Bachchan's life, and flashbacks start ruminating on not just his death, but delve into an entirely needless backstory involving his wife, his neglectful son and lots of boring stuff.

In a nutshell, Bhoothnath is more than a bit of a drag, despite the lead players trying hard to make it stick. The rest are just okay. Satish Shah makes white-bread sandwiches look yummy, Rajpal Yadav appears to be playing himself, Shah Rukh Khan looks like he's just bid Knight Riders players Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting goodbye, but it is Juhi Chawla, whose performance ends up as the most laboured one and lethally drags Bhoothnath's, spirit, down.

Aman Siddiqui himself is quite good, sparring with the old ghost and doing immensely well in the film's penultimate scene, on a rooftop. As for the ghost himself, here isn't much to say but that director Vivek Sharma is a lucky man, for Amitabh doesn't just pull a face, he often saves it. Or at least he tries.

You can read more on http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/may/09bhoot.htm