AFTER SERIOUS ROLES, ARJUN HAPPY TO SHOW HIS FUNNY SIDE

After playing a crooked film producer in "Om Shanti "Om", a gloomy failed musician in "Rock On!" and a lame unenthusiastic gangster in "Don", Arjun Rampal thinks it's high time he shed his serious image and show his funny side in multi-starrer "Housefull".

"This is why I am mixing it all up now. I guess these movies were a great platform for me to showcase my acting talent. Having established that, I deserve to let my hair down now. Due to this I picked a film like 'Housefull'," Arjun said.

"It was good fun to be a part of this riotous outing since it's a genre that I haven't ever ventured into. I wanted to do a lighter film after all the aforementioned films and I am glad I did 'Housefull' even though my character is still quite intense," he added.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sajid Khan, the film also stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani and Jiah Khan. Along with the huge star cast of the film, Arjun had a blast shooting for "Housefull" all over Europe through the months of July and August.

"We all had a lot of fun since the overall atmosphere was so great. Both Sajid Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala made sure that our entire stay was so comfortable and happy. I could feel an overall positive energy that was prevalent all these days.

"It was so significant actually to get the right camaraderie since the film is about so many characters all thrown together in tricky comical situations," said Arjun, who is back in town after shooting for "Housefull", which is almost complete.

The actor has seen a huge upswing in his career over the last few years with movies like "Rock On" (2008), "Om Shanti Om" (2007) and "Don - The Chase Begins Again" (2006) bringing him critical as well as commercial success. And not to forget his performance in 2008 films "The Last Lear".

Even though his recent release "Fox" has come and gone, Arjun has already moved on and is now looking at his future projects. With movies like Prakash Jha's "Rajneeti" and Karan Johar's Hindi remake of "Stepmom" under his belt, Arjun is also happy to finally have a sense of belonging in the Hindi film industry.

"I have been around since 2001 when I had three releases 'Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat', 'Deewanapan and 'Moksha: Salvation', all arriving back to back. After almost a decade in the industry, I can now proudly say that the industry has embraced me," the supermodel-turned actor said.

A young man from Delhi who has managed to find a slot for himself all on his own, he remembers the times when he was a complete outsider.

"At that time a person like me just wished for a sense of belonging. Believe me, it's a lonely and tough journey and you have to slog really hard. I too learnt it all over a period of time. Today, I am happy with the work that I am getting and am finally coming into my own," Arjun said, getting a little emotional.

SRK GETS VISHAL-SHEKHAR, HRITHIK, SHAHID, PRIYANKA, KATRINA FOR MJ TRIBUTE

Some of the leading names from the film industry would be seen paying tribute to Michael Jackson on his 51st birthday. Come 29th of August and Shah Rukh Khan, Vishal and Shekhar, Shahid Kapoor, Shankar Mahadevan, Prabhu Deva, Priyanka Chopra and Yuvraj Singh amongst others would be featuring in a music video titled 'Make it Large- A tribute to Michael Jackson'.

It was Shah Rukh Khan's idea to get a compliment rolling for the music legend that passed away on 25th June this year.

Says Vishal Dadlani of Vishal-Shekhar duo, "The whole world was upset about his demise and so were Shekhar (Ravjiani) and I. We happened to meet Shah Rukh and he also uttered his thought about doing something that would be relevant the stature of the man who entertained us for decades. This is how the idea around the music video was born."

Vishal and Shekhar soon set a task for themselves and began working on the song. It was decided that the music video would be launched on 29th August to coincide with Michael Jackson's birthday. While Vishal also wrote the lyrics for the song, some of the best singers in the industry - Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, KK and Shreya Ghoshal - were roped in come behind the mike.

"For the moment, the idea is to launch the music video across all music channels just for one day. It is obtainable on Red Chillies Entertainment website though", informs Vishal who is currently holidaying in London.

Directed by Samar Khan, a close associate of Shah Rukh and director of films likeShaurya and Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye,'Make it Large- A tribute to Michael Jackson' is also special since it features Prabhudeva who is yet again seen at his dancing best.

Also, the video features testimonials on Michael Jackson from Shah Rukh Khan himself along with Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.

To extend the tribute, Vishal and Shekhar would also be allowing free download of the song at their website beginning 29th August.

"The video wasn't created for making money. It's a tribute and I am sure there are millions out there who would want to grab a copy of the song for themselves. We are more than glad to share our sentiments with the rest of the world", concludes Vishal.

CAST OF 'AGNEEPATH' REMAKE NOT YET FINALISED

Karan Johar clarifies status of project.

There have been speculations about who will play the male lead in the remake of the 1990 hit "Agneepath". While the names of Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan popped up, filmmaker Karan Johar clarifies that no one has been finalised to play the part Amitabh Bachchan immortalised in the original.

"I haven't made any statement whatsoever around the man who would eventually be playing the role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan that was made iconic by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. All I have said is that, yes, we are going ahead with a remake of 'Agneepath' and that's about it," Johar told IANS.

Whether it is Hrithik, Abhishek or someone else, Johar must be having a wish list?

"Well, the wish list is to get the screenplay right. For the moment nothing else is more important than that," he said.

Even though the film is being produced under the banner of Dharma Productions, Johar won't be going behind the camera for the movie.

"True, I would be stepping aside and the film would be directed by Karan Malhotra, who has assisted me on 'My Name Is Khan'. That's the only thing which has been finalised... everything else you hear is mere speculation. We will finalise the cast once the script is locked. Currently, it is still in the process of being written," he added.

Malhotra is not really a novice when it comes to filmmaking. He has earlier worked as an assistant director with Ashutosh Gowariker on "Jodhaa Akbar", Farah Khan on "Main Hoon Na", Farhan Akhtar on "Lakshya" and Raj Kumar Santoshi "Lajja and Pukar" amongst others.

Since it is close to two decades since the release of "Agneepath", would the remake have a different milieu to it?

"Certainly! We are adapting the film from the original, but ours would be a New Age version that would fit in well with today's time. We really hope that we are able to do justice to the original and make the remake exciting for today's generation," Johar said.

Dharma Productions, meanwhile, has as many as seven films that are in different stages of production. These are "My Name Is Khan", "Wake Up Sid", "Kurbaan", "Koochie Koochie Hota Hai", remakes of Hollywood flick "Stepmom" and "Agneepath" and "I Hate Love Stories".

How is he managing it all?

"Believe me, it's not difficult at all. All you have to do is to follow a three-point mantra - delegation, outsourcing and trust. Along with that, if you have the right vision and infrastructure in place, which we do have in Dharma Productions, it isn't difficult to crack it all.

"That's the way you manage things and I have been fortunate enough to have a team with which it has become possible to helm a number of projects at the same time," said Johar.

Among the seven films, three are ready to hit the screens.

"'Wake Up Sid' is all set to arrive on Oct 2. 'Kurbaan' will come in late November. Other than that, we are looking at an early 2010 release for 'My Name Is Khan'. Yes, these have been busy and really exciting times," the filmmaker said.

MY SHOW STARTS WITH SALMAN, ENDS WITH SHAH RUKH

Farah Khan’s TV chat show begins on August 23

Bollywood choreographer-director Farah Khan says it was a mindful decision to start her new television chat show with actor Salman Khan and his mother Salma, who has never given an interview before. And amusingly, the "Tere Mere Beach Mein" series ends with none other than Shah Rukh Khan.

"It was a joint decision taken by the channel and me. They felt that the episode turned out to be very straight and since Salman has never come on a chat show before, it could be a nice way to hook on the audience to the show. So we start with Salman and end it with Shah Rukh," Farah told IANS.

She said it wasn't hard at all to influence Salman and his mother to be her first guests on the show that starts on Sunday (Aug 23) on STAR Plus.

"Salman has never come on a chat show - neither 'Koffee With Karan' nor 'Oye! It's Friday' and not even 'Rendezvous with Simi Garewal'. It's for the first time he's come on a chat show. His mother has never in her life come on a TV show or even given a print interview. And I just had to tell them once. It was very easy to induce them to come," said Farah.

The filmmaker managed to get several celebrities on her debut chat show but couldn't get her dream guests - former railway minister Lalu Prasad and singer-actor Himesh Reshammiya.

"I really wanted to get Lalu-ji and Himesh together for my show. But he (Lalu) had a cataract operation and so things couldn't work out. But I really hope these two people come to my show, if I have a second season," said Farah.

To give her chat show a twist, Farah has a separate theme for each episode. She brought Salman to talk about being a 'Mamma's boy' and Shah Rukh Khan as a henpecked husband. She had Priyanka Chopra talk about her struggle as an actor.

Asked what the theme for the Lalu-Himesh episode would have been, she said: "I wanted to get them in a category of 'I don't care people'. And these two people are such that no matter how much people imitate them, ridicule them or mimic them, they just don't care. They only do their work."

Other guests on her show will include Hrithik Roshan, Asin Thottumkal, Deepika Padukone, Abhay Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kareena Kapoor and cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan.

"Tere Mere Beach Mein" will be telecast every Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.

TOP BOLLYWOOD STARS IN MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE VIDEO

It’s been commenced by Shah Rukh’s production house

Shah Rukh Khan and several other Bollywood stars are set to pay a tribute to King of Pop Michael Jackson through a music video.

The idea to make a music video has been taken by Shah Rukh Khan, who is a big fan of Jackson. In fact, SRK had even cried when he had heard the news of MJ’s death.

The creative heads of Red Chillies Entertainment recently moved toward SRK with the idea of the music video and he loved it and decided to go ahead with it.

Many Bollywood stars other than SRK will feature in the video which will be aired on August 29, which is MJ’s birthday.

Composer Vishal has written the song and the music has been composed by him and his partner Shekhar. They will also perform in the video along with singers Kay Kay, Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal.

Top Bollywood stars such as Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapur, Hurman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Kangana Ranaut will also convey their messages through this music video, which will also feature Prabhu Deva and Yuvraj Singh, among others.

The video, directed by Samar Khan, is currently being shot.

PROTEST AGAINST SALMAN KHAN

A Muslim group took a morcha to Salman Khan's house to protest against his remark on Shah Rukh Khan's custody in the US.

They didn't like Sallu's comments on a TV channel, in response to SRK's cultural profiling in the US. The guys behind the morcha felt that as a Muslim, Salman should raise his voice against them being treated as terrorists in the US.

They said that personal differences should be kept aside as times like these." We don't get what all the fuss is about.

All Salman said was, "It's nothing new. It occurs to all of us all the time." Lay off, guys. He was simply stating a fact. Besides, it's not just Muslims, all Asians are looked upon apprehensively in America.

SHAH RUKH KHAN RETURNS HOME; SAYS DOES NOT WANT APOLOGY

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, at the centre of a row over his custody and questioning at a U.S. airport, said on Tuesday he wasn't looking for any apology.

Khan, 43, one of India's best known actors, was en route to Chicago for a procession to mark the Indian Independence Day when he was pulled aside and questioned at Newark airport on Friday.

"I respect that my name pops up on the computer and I also agree that I don’t need to be treated particularly, I am nobody," Khan told a news conference at his residence a few hours after returning to Mumbai.

"They asked me some questions which I thought was a little awkward. But if a procedure has to be followed, it should be done properly," he said.

Khan's detention caused chaos among fans in India. Newspapers and TV channels termed it an instance of racial profiling and the debate sparked discuss in the media.

"I was really hassled, perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn't let me through," the actor had said in a text message to reporters on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Khan sought to play down the controversy and said he wanted to "move on".

When asked if he would go back to the United States, the actor said he would cut back on trips to the country.

"When work calls me I will go again, I will stand in line again, and I hope that the system which made my name pop up on the computer is not there," Khan said.

The actor also denied media reports that the incident was a publicity stunt for his upcoming film "My Name is Khan", which is about a Muslim man's experience with racial profiling.

"It is not a matter of pride for me that I was questioned at the airport," the actor told reporters.

"I don't want to sound pompous but Shah Rukh Khan doesn't need publicity stunts to be in the public eye."

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER INVITES SRK

Only in America, as the old and famous saying goes.

In a new twirl to the Shah Rukh Khan-Newark Airport hullabaloo, California Governor and Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office has invited him to dinner tonight at Washington DC.

This, after knowing of SRK’s dishonor at the airport and he being made to go through secondary questioning because he has a common name. An upset SRK had said while leaving the US, “They wanted to know if I know anyone in America.”

For now, the Bollywood superstar is back in Mumbai. And he is aware of the invitation but he is yet to decide whether he wants to go back to the US so quickly, mainly in lieu of the recent treatment meted out to him at Newark Airport. So, the dinner with Arnold stands postponed to September 20. It is not known whether SRK will accept it or not.

SHAHRUKH KHAN'S THE KING OF HEARTS

Chicago: King Khan Shahrukh Khan once again proved why he's been given the so called title of "King of Bollywood" as he forgets the bad incident at the Newark Air Port on Independence Day eve and won the hearts of hundreds of his fans even though breaking them.

SRK entertained the fans with all the energy at the "South Asia Carnival" made the place for him in their hearts. It was almost a dream come true for the viewers who were waiting for their superstar since morning.

The smiling Shah Rukh not only shook hands and gave autographs but also, showed some dancing without letting them down.

Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Diya Mirza and bad man Gulshan Grover were also there to attend the event other thean SRK.

SALMAN STILL TAKES POCKET MONEY: FARAH

Director and choreographer Farah Khan is ready to take on her new role as chat show host. Her show Tere Mere Beach Mein gets celebs and the ‘aam aadmi’ together for entertainment packaged with a social message.

Says Farah, “I had been getting offers for such shows for a long time, but I wanted to do something meaningful. I wasn’t keen on doing a typical celeb show also because it has already been done quite well by Karan (Johar, who hosted Koffee With Karan) and Simi (Garewal).”

The director, who has the A-list of Bollywood as her close friends, admits, “For the first season, the channel was keen to get celebs as this would get the show more attention ... and I guess this will help us pass on the social message too more effectively.”

Viewers can look forward to watching several celebrities on the show, like Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty, Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’Souza, Salman Khan and of course, her favourite producer, actor and pal Shah Rukh Khan. But, with a twist! Each show comes with a theme where the celebs are put on the same platform as the common man.

Farah explains, “Shilpa and Bipasha are daughters who have taken on the responsibilities of their families, traditionally a son’s role. With them, we had a girl from a chawl, who is working to pay off her father’s debts even as her two brothers do nothing to help.”

Genelia and Shahid, stars who got a second shot at shining on the Bollywood marquee with Jaane Tu.. and Jab We Met respectively, come in the segment on “second chances” and were accompanied by a paraplegic who had built himself a car which he could race on the tracks without using his legs. “Genelia was so moved that she broke down and we had to halt shooting till she recovered,” reveals the newbie host.

And while Sonam Kapoor and Karan Johar come on the “weight” issue, as individuals who successfully lost tons of weight, Kareena Kapoor will feature in a segment where she talks about boyfriend Saif Ali Khan, and falling in love with someone from another religious community. Priyanka Chopra and boxer Vijender make an appearance as “small-town” folk who hit the big league.

The show will unveil a never-seen-before side to the stars, promises Farah. For instance, in Salman’s segment, we get to know how Bollywood’s superbrat is still a mama’s boy and chooses to lives in a one-bedroom apartment so that he can live next door to his mom. His father also tells us that the actor falls in love with actresses and then tries to find his mother in them!

The star, who is known to be generous to a fault, having recently been in the news for handing out Rs 25,000 to a beggar, also regularly runs out of money. Farah shares, “Salman is constantly distributing his money to help others and then finally ends up taking pocket money from his parents!”

The segment with Shah Rukh has him make an appearance with his mother-in-law and shows him for the “joru ka gulaam” that he is! “People will see him as a regular guy who also has a mother-in-law like anyone else ... on the show, he gives tips to the ‘ordinary’ man on how to stand up to his wife,” says Farah.

And, is husband Shirish Kunder a ‘joru ka gulaam’ too? Contrary to popular perception, she emphatically states, “While a lot of our decisions are jointly taken, Shirish is quite dominating.”

She’s nonchalant, though, on how she manages to manage triplets and a new show, “The show required me to shoot for barely two months for 13 episodes.”

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR SHAHRUKH KHAN ARRESTED IN US OVER MUSLIM NAME

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan was on Saturday (August 15) questioned for two hours at New Jersey’s Newark airport over his surname and was freed only after Indian ambassador interfered.

The Indian government and entertainment industry reacted angrily after the 43-year-old actor, named by Newsweek last year as one of the world's 50 most powerful men, discovered how he was detained and stopped from even using his mobile telephone.

BIPASHA TO HOST SHOW BASED ON US SUPERMODEL'S NEXT TOP MODEL

Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment is producing an American-based reality show in India. The production house has signed Bipasha Basu on, as the host of the show.

It is learnt that the show will go on floors by next month. It has the same concept as America's Next Top Model. A source discloses, "The show will have a number of women fight for the title of the Best Model to get a chance to start their career in the modelling industry. There will be minor changes in the pattern of the show as it is catering to the Indian spectators and the show will be called the Female Model Hunt."

The source continues, "The show in America has gained a lot of fame and has one of the highest TRPs. The American show host in former supermodel Tyra Banks. In India, one will see model-turned-actress Bipasha Basu as the show host.

The show format will have around nine to thirteen episodes and will start with 10-14 contestants. In each episode, one contestant will be eliminated. There will also be a panel of judges which are still under the working process. But the judges to be chosen will be from the modeling industry.

Red Chillies earlier produced The First Ladies with Abu-Sandeep and Knights and Angels. It also produced a drama based serial called Ghar Ki Baat Hai.

SALMAN'S 'WANTED'

Overheard some deal type people discussing that Boney Kapoor's Wanted, directed by Prabhudeva mainlining Salman Khan will get the biggest opening. This may be this year's Ghajini! Dynamic and full masala. Watch out for Sallubhai.

A.R. RAHMAN GETS HONORARY DOCTORATE

Subsequent his two Oscars, it is the third doctorate for him.

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Chandrayaan project director M. Annadurai were on Saturday (August 1) conferred with honorary doctorates by Anna University in Chennai.

Governor and university chancellor Surjit Singh Barnala gave away the honourary degrees at a unique convocation.

The degrees were conferred on Rahman and Annadurai for their accomplishment in the realm of music and space technology correspondingly and on Stalin for his involvement to the state's administration, Anna University Vice Chancellor P. Mannar Jawahar said.

This is the third doctorate for Rahman after he won two Oscars for Hollywood movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The first was from Aligarh Muslim University and the second from London's Middlesex University.

This is the first honourary doctorate conferred on Stalin, 56, a graduate of Madras University.

Honorary doctorates from Tamil Nadu universities are in general given to chief ministers of the state with current M. Karunanidhi, as also M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalitha who have earlier occupied the post, among the major politicians to have been conferred the honour while in power.

ASH RUNNING LATE FOR BHANSALI’S FLICK

Even if Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Guzaarish goes on the floors today, Aishwarya will report on the sets only from tomorrow.

The mishap on the sets of Mani Ratnams Raavana near Cochin is the cause for Aishwaryas delayed schedule.

A source said, The mahout was killed by his elephant and it led to total chaos. The mishap occurred just after the shoot was wrapped up and it even banned Ash and Abhishek from reaching the hotel. As a result, there is a shift of location and the left over shots with Aishwarya will be canned in Ooty. Her earlier schedule had allowed her a day free between the shoots of Raavana and Guzaarish, but not any more.

Confirming the news, a source close to the actress said, Aishwarya was to finish her shoot of Raavana today but due to the unlucky elephant incident last evening, they had to request Sanjay Leela Bhansali for another day to complete her work. The unit of Raavana has shifted to Ooty for the rest of the schedule, which was at first meant to be shot in Kerala. Once she gets back, she will go directly to Sanjay Leela Bhansalis sets.

Aishwarya is very upset about the accident. The source added, She is worried about the mahouts family and prays that they get through this moment of pain and loss.

ALL’S FINE BY GOD’S GRACE: AISHWARYA

It’s general facts that Bollywood’s most romantic couple, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai, pine to spend worth time together.

But the way they were cut off together on Wednesday in the jungles of Athirapilly in Kerala was anything but romantic.

The day started usually and ended up as one of the most disastrous in the couple’s life. Says a source, “Abhi and Ash left with Mani Ratnam in the morning to check out an elephant which was believed to participate in the shooting. Little did they know what was in store.” During the monsoon season, elephants are given a month off by their owners to relax and go for an Ayurveda healing, but for the greedy owners, film shooting means Rs 5,000 per animal.

The elephant went out of control, killing the mahout. It went amok, forcing Abhishek, his wife and the director to hide until people who could rescue the trio could reach. Says the source, “For ten hours, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Mani went without food or water. They just hide from the elephant. Finally, they were rescued late at night. But until then, there was no news of their safety. Abhishek and Aishwarya’s parents were hectic with worry.”

When contacted, a stunned Aishwarya Rai simply said, “All is well, by God’s grace.”

SALMAN’S MOTHER LEAKS THE BEANS

Salma Khan, had son Salman squirming in his seat when she exposed his deep dark secrets on Farah Khan’s chat show.

Her very first interview, Salma was on Farah Khan’s chat show Tere Mere Beech Mein discussing the topic of ‘Mama’s boys’. Apt for Salman as he still lives next to his mother and swears by her cooking. The alpha male actor was left discomfited when his mother went on an exposure spree talking about his love, life and moody behaviour.

Many soon realized that Salma had just taken over Salman’s star occurrence on the telly. Sources on the set went on to reveal to StarBoxOffice saying, “Salman was left red faced by the end of it all, he must have had no idea that his mum would end up spilling all the beans about how he is in real life. The way Salma was speaking to Farah it seemed like she was sitting at home and chatting to a friend, it was a great understanding, not only was it amusing it was so personal at the same time.”

At the same time, father Salim had also recorded a byte which spoke of Sallu’s relationships. He went on to say that that Salman always falls in love with actresses but then wants them to give up all and stay at home much like the most special woman in his life, his mother, who has spoilt him silly.

Farah Khan too admitted to the press that it was one of the sweetest and nicest episodes she had ever seen, much be a part of till date. And we have to say by the sound of it we just can’t wait to see Salman rosy on the small screen, it could be the very first what say?

Farah Khan’s song cut out from ‘Kites’

Choreographer hasn’t been well-informed by Roshans.

Post the birth of her triplets, Farah Khan on the odd juncture choreographs a song. Lack of instance is one of the most important reasons, despite the fact that she does make an exemption for friends.

She choreographed songs in “Billu” as well as “Dostana”, exceptions she made for close acquaintances Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar, who fashioned the two movies correspondingly. The only other song she has choreographed in recent times is for the Hrithik Roshan starrer “Kites”, fashioned by Rakesh Roshan.

The luxurious song, which is a salsa numeral, took two in addition to half days to absolute.

However, according to reports, the song has been chopped from the movie. And, what’s soreness Farah the most is that no one has concerned to inform her concerning this.

Apparently, “Kites” was organization too long in addition to needed a cut. The primary victim of the cut was the song choreographed on Hrithik in addition to Barbara Mori by Farah. On the other hand, the Roshans have yet not told Farah on the subject of her song being deleted from the movie despite the fact that two weeks have approved since the pronouncement was taken.

SRK waxes open as to the doctorate he received

Shah Rukh Khan was conferred a voluntary doctorate in the United Kingdom for his donation to arts in addition to civilization by Bedfordshire University at a formal procedure in London last week. In a pithy chat from London, SRK reveals what the doctorate means to him. Excerpts...

Very, very cool. It's an honour which would make a boy's parents very happy, so I am sure my mom in addition to dad must be very proud.

Everyone gets what they deserve furthermore when they deserve it. I am an immeasurably satisfied furthermore happy person with my life in addition to achievements and always appreciate the achievements of my contemporaries.

The race I run doesn't have a close line. There are no bests in the standards I set for myself. This doctorate is an absolute delight along with matter of pride for me and my relatives and so are all the other awards, but the fun is in management not concluding the race for me.

Preity, Sush in for DU

But it turns elsewhere that a couple of B-town celebs required in addition to obtained admittance in DU after they became Bollywood A-listers. Preity Zinta according to the grapevine enrolled herself for a Bachelor’s measure in English at DU’s School of Open Learning (SOL) for the 2008-09 sessions, but withdrew her permission presently furthermore didn’t sit for the exams. Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen enrolled herself for a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in the 2007-08 academic sessions at SOL, but she also withdrew her admission later.

A source from SOL long-established these facts. Imagine DU’s inspirational value – if they hadn’t reserved their admissions, theoretically, all DU freshers today would have had Preity in addition to Sush as their seniors!