I don’t know how much I earn: SRK

Mumbai: He came, he mouthed dialogues from his super-hit films and he conquered. In his own signature style. And very few can say ‘Kem cho Amdavad’ with so much of warmth. Well, when you are talking about superstar Shah Rukh Khan, everything has to be in perfect harmony. And yes, he didn’t forget to promote his friend Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots. “3 Idiots is a very nice film, I want each one of you to see it,” says Shah Rukh who came to Ahmedabad after a decade. “I hardly get time to go on a holiday, I travel only while I am shooting. The city roads are very beautiful here. I have friends here whom I call Jaybhai and Juhiben,” he laughs. And he loves his share of “khandvi, dhokla and theplas. I love Gujarati food.” Talking about his forthcoming film My Name Is Khan, SRK who was in town to inaugurate a miniplex in the city says, “It has got nothing to do with my real name. My last film was Billoo. It is the subject of the film and this is the name that suits the film. It is just a co-incidence.” clarifies SRK. And after years, he’s back with Kajol on the silver screen and the entire nation is waiting to see them together. And when the film is directed by Karan Johar, it has to be more special. “They (Karan and Kajol) both are talented. I am working with Kajol after years — she is marvellous and beautiful. Karan feels a lot for me — whenever he wishes to cast me, he writes a film for me,” he says.
The film is different from what he has done in the past. So is it a conscious decision to do such a film? “I am not someone who believes to doing a film just because it is off beat. There is something special in every role I do. The essence is that I leave something of me in every role — not 100 per cent. This role is very special as it is more technical and I had to learn a lot about it,” he says.
And he dismisses all talks of reinventing himself as an actor. “I am the same old actor. When people question me I really look back and think but I feel people love characters like Rahul or Raj because they are different. Every role is different and I am not reinventing myself as an actor,” says SRK.
In the midst of talks on films and success, he adds, “I wasn’t supposed to work for nine months after my surgery but I did work on a slow pace. I believe the show must go on. This is also the price a star has to pay. But the good thing was that I got to spend a lot of time with my kids. Both my children boss over me and it is meant to be like that. My strength to work in such situations comes from my family and people who love to watch me,” he says.
And how does he see tomorrow? On a philosophical note, he says, “I am where I never thought I would be. I got much more that what I had expected. I am strong believer in God, hard work and honesty. My family and my close relationships keep me grounded and they are more important than my career. My family likes me as a person and not because I am an actor. I never mix the two. I don’t know how much I earn or how many awards I have received.”
And yes, the man who has ruled many hearts across the world has a word of advice: “Money is a good thing to run after. It is very important to be financially stable but you have to keep your wrongs and rights in mind. Don’t shy away from earning but without selling your soul.”

iPad, the latest from Apple,

San Francisco: The iPad, a touchscreen tablet computer unveiled by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday, is the latest device from a company that has introduced products that have become cultural milestones:

Here is a look at some of the best-known products from the Cupertino, California-based company: Macintosh computers: The first Macintosh computer was launched in 1984 and the line has grown to include iMac all-in-one desktop machines as well as stylishly sophisticated MacBook laptops. 

The iPod: The iPod was introduced in 2001 and the hip MP3 music players led a lifestyle shift in portable digital entertainment that has culminated in a touchscreen iPod Touch.
 
The iTunes Store: Launched as the iTunes Music Store in 2003, Apple's online shop sells music, movies, and television shows for computers and its mobile devices.
 
The iPhone: Apple introduced its first iPhone in 2007, combining iPod features and Internet connectivity in a touchscreen smartphone that swiftly became the mobile device of choice.
 
The App Store: Apple began letting outside developers customize applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2008, opening an online App Store now stocked with more than 100,000 fun, functional or hip mini-programs.
AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010

'Avatar' soars to new box office record

Los Angeles: Science-fiction epic 'Avatar' soared to a new global box office record, taking 1.85 billion dollars and sinking 'Titanic' to become the biggest earning film of all time, figures showed on Tuesday. "On Monday, January 25, 'Avatar' officially passed 'Titanic' to become the highest grossing film in history at the worldwide box office," 20th Century Fox studios said in a statement. Remarkably, "Avatar" director James Cameron had only himself to beat, and by Monday his groundbreaking 3-D blockbuster had taken in 16 million dollars more than his own 1997 film "Titanic," leaving him with the two biggest movies of all time. "Avatar" had taken 1.859 billion dollars, compared with the box-office total for the Oscar-winning "Titanic," which took 1.843 billion dollars, the studios said in its statement. "It's official: the king of the world is the king of the world again," box office analyst Jeff Bock told AFP. "Like the ship itself, many observers thought 'Titanic's' record box office was unsinkable. Not so. Leave it to the captain of the ship, James Cameron, to sink his own vessel and resurface with a whole new world."

The 500-million-dollar epic has been hailed as a cinematic milestone for its use of state-of-the-art 3-D cameras and motion capture technology which Cameron was instrumental in helping to develop. Set on a distant planet called Pandora, in the heart of a vast tropical forest, it recounts how strife erupts between an indigenous tribe and an Earth-based consortium pillaging for a precious mineral. "I see it as a broader metaphor, not so intensely politicized as some would make it, but rather that's how we treat the natural world as well," the Canadian-born Cameron said at last month's premiere in London.

"Avatar" walked away with the best picture and best director at the Golden Globes this month, cementing its status as a front-runner for the Oscars, with the nominations due to be unveiled next week. "We are deeply gratified that so many millions of people around the globe have embraced Avatar," 20th Century Fox said. "The themes of protecting the environment, respecting life, and yearning for a peaceful planet have united moviegoers worldwide." The futuristic fantasy tells the story of paralyzed war veteran Jake, who is sent on a mission to Pandora where, through his genetically engineered avatar body, he falls in love with a blue humanoid named Neytiri of the alien Na'vi race. Instead of helping the US military to extract the valuable mineral from the ground, Jake (Sam Worthington) and a crusty doctor, played by Sigourney Weaver, decide to help the Na'vi defend their homeland. It was Cameron's first movie since "Titanic," which starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet, scooped 11 Oscars at the 1998 ceremony. But box office analyst Bock pointed out that "Avatar" rocketed to its record in just 39 days, while "Titanic" sailed across screens for 41 weeks to reach its total. He added that 72 percent of the global box office had come from 3D venues.

Cameron accepted his Golden Globes speaking partly in Na'vi -- the language spoken by the blue-skinned peace-loving alien heroes of the film invented for the movie by a University of Southern California linguistics expert. "Cameron is that rare combination of movie magician and master tactician. his films aren't just unspooled, they are unleashed. In the end, they are spectacles and you have to see them to believe," said Bock.

"His films don't follow the worn path, they blaze trails and become part of the cultural zeitgeist of the day."
AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010

Fan sends 22 gifts to Kangana

Mumbai: Kangna Ranaut is understandably ecstatic. After winning the National Award for Best Supporting Actress in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, she has reason to party as hard as she works.

She was delightfully surprised when yesterday evening at around 4 pm, Sameer, a Delhi-based fan, sent a huge gift hamper to Kangna’s place. Inside were three boxes – one with 22 wine bottles, another with 22 cakes of different shapes and sizes and the third loaded with 22 accessories including earrings, bracelets, and bangles. There was also a sweet note from the fan accompanying the parcel saying, “22 because you are a 22-year-old and a National Award is no mean achievement at such a young age.” Atta girl, Kangs.