"SRK gave me the canvas I wanted" - Roshan Abbas

Radio Jockey. Television host. Theatre person. Roshan Abbas is wearing a new hat these days, that of a director. For those unaware of what Roshan has been up to, well, he's giving finishing touches to his directorial debut - ALWAYS KABHI KABHI - which is produced by none other than the superstar himself, Shah Rukh Khan. Surprisingly, the project in question doesn't star SRK in the lead, but four new faces - Satyajeet Dubey, Aly Fazal, Giselli Monteiro and Zoa Morani.

It all began while a show in Dubai, featuring SRK and hosted by Roshan, got delayed. "We got talking. He asked me what I was doing and I replied that I was planning to start a film on teens, with freshers enacting pivotal parts. It didn't require the presence of big stars, but it did require a big production house to back it. We met again in India, had our round of discussions on the project and he stepped forward to produce it." Prior to that, Roshan was in preliminary talks with Ritesh Sidhwani and also with the people at Studio 18, but as luck would have it, Roshan's directorial debut was destined to be produced by SRK.

ALWAYS KABHI KABHI is based on Roshan's 1999 play 'Graffiti'. "But it took time to develop it into a full-fledged screenplay. Shah Rukh pointed out two things. One, cinema and play are two different mediums and the written material had to be more cinematic. Two, it had to be contemporary. Also, I'd like to clarify, though the film revolves around teens, it's not inspired by 'Archie'. It actually borrows from real life experiences," Roshan divulges.

Did SRK offer suggestions, give inputs, recommend actors? "But he never imposed his ideas/suggestions," he interrupts, "He'd say, this is what I feel about a particular thing/issue/person, it's up to you to accept it. He gave me the freedom to make the movie I had envisioned and visualized at the outset. He gave me the canvas I wanted," he adds. Was it tough giving shape to his dream? "Not really! Initially, I wondered, will I get the grammar right? Will the cinematographer translate my vision on celluloid? But it wasn't tough. All you need is the right atmosphere to translate your ideas on celluloid," Roshan reveals.

Roshan's dream will unfold on the big screen on 17 June this year. "I have truly enjoyed the experience of making ALWAYS KABHI KABHI. And I wish to continue chasing my dream," he smiles. We're equally sure Roshan, you will have many interesting stories to tell in times to come.

M.F. Husain revives 'Mughal E Azam' through paintings

Noted painter M.F. Husain has paid his personal tribute to K. Asif's epic film "Mughal-E-Azam" by recreating the movie's fabulous scenes in a series of exquisite paintings.

"I love India. I loved the film and really wanted to show the grandeur and the power the film shows," Hussain said in a 22-minute documentary on K. Asif's timeless classic.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan presented the documentary made by his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, at JW Marriot hotel Thursday night.

The documentary shows how the film was transformed from black and white to colour and preserved for future generations.

The documentary was an initiative by K. Asif's son, Akbar Asif, to keep the cinematic treasure alive. Along with Sharoopji Mistry, he had released the coloured version of the epic film in 2006.

Shah Rukh said: "There are lots of such classics in the archive. But being stacked for a long time, the prints and negatives of those timeless films are decaying."

"My motive of making this documentary is that lets all come together and spend some money to revive or preserve these films."

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who played the role of Salim in the film, is the only actor alive among the whole cast and he would be shown the documentary, said Shah Rukh.

"I have to go and show him the documentary. He would love to see it," he said.

SRK gets tattooed for Deepika

The 'D' tattoo on SRK's arm have got people thinking...

Saif Ali Khan may have inked Kareena on his arm, but the latest one to be showing off his love is Shah Rukh Khan who has been sporting a prominent 'D' tattoo on his forearm these days. This has got one and all speculating. He is constantly being asked whom the daring 'D' is for, and SRK at his wittiest best, replies "It's for Deepika Padukone!"

Of course, Deepika has reason enough to be flattered. However, the 'D' denotes SRK's love for 'Don 2'. His character in the 'Don' sequel has 'D' tattooed on his arm. And the 'D' is meant to denote Don!

The tattoo is obviously not a permanent one, but Shah Rukh says he likes it, although a permanent tattoo is not a part of his to-do list right now! However, most of his contemporaries like Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal have permanent tattoos showing off their love and faith, but SRK likes to keep it clean.

Salman Khan more 'worthy' than SRK

Actor Salman Khan seems to be having the last laugh. After top league actors bask in titles such as Badshah, Shehenshah, and Khiladi, Salman, who wasn't given any such title, is suddenly described as 'Dabangg' as he rules the roost today. Extremely 'wanted' in films or then on the small screen, Salman Khan's popularity seems to have become so huge that everyone wants a part of him.

In fact, with him having successfully hosted Bigg Boss Season 4 - a reality show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty in the past, Colors has already roped him in for season 5. As if that isn't enough, Sony is keen that Salman hosts Dus Ka Dum, too.

Talks have it that Salman Khan is being offered big monies for his (hosting) services, even more than what a Shah Rukh Khan is getting for 'Zor Ka Jhatka' or what Hrithik Roshan is charging for being a judge on 'Just Dance'. We are told that Salman Khan, at this point, is leading the pack, and is being paid heavily for it!

Priyanka Chopra demands a clarification off SRK

Famous as he is for his clever one-liners and snide remarks, SRK said something that shocked the media as well as the pretty Priyanka Chopra who was on the sets of reality show to promote her film `7 Khoon Maaf`. “We spent a lot of nights together”, said SRK, stunning Priyanka. Soon, he clarified that he and Vishal Bharadwaj had spent a lot of nights together when Vishal went o Berlin to promote his film. Piggy, however, wanted SRK to explain the situation in details… we guess she didn`t want to come back home to an inquisitive Shahid! He, he, he!