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Bollywood’s Badshah is coming
By Esther Williams
Shahrukh Khan is coming to town. The thought of actually seeing the Bollywood heart-throb is an exhilarating prospect for his many Sri Lankan fans- for he is the stuff that dreams are made of - the ultimate romantic hero.

Temptation 2004, the extravaganza that promises all the fun, passion and fantasy of Bollywood movies, is the event that is bringing Shahrukh and the other Bollywood stars to Colombo. This mega-show will be held at the Race Course on December 11 at 7 p.m. with a highlight being Shahrukh's promised interaction with the audience.

A measure of the Bollywood star's popularity is evident in the fact that Veer-Zaara, one of his latest movies is now showing to packed houses at the Savoy. Also featuring Bollywood's hottest stars like Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta (the latter also due to appear in Colombo at the show), the movie is another offering from prominent film-maker Yash Chopra.

The popularity of Bollywood movies is growing in Sri Lanka, with their appreciative audience extending to the rural areas as well. The English or Sinhala sub-titles have increased their appeal and made the heroes of these films household names in the country. So not surprisingly, Shahrukh fans too are legion from Colombo to Jaffna and Hambantota.

"Everything about him is attractive - he is so gentlemanly and can carry off any role. As a hero he is perfect and if he is a villain, you forgive him," says Shahrukh fan Dru Edirimuni who claims she has been waiting for 16 years to see him in person and is now saving up to buy a ticket to his show.

Explaining her enchantment with Hindi movies, Dru says: "From the time the credits go up to the end, the movies are attractive. The actors look good and there is so much attention paid to sets, shooting of songs -- aspects not found in our commercial movies."

Although unrealistic, the presentation of the story, she thinks catches the attention of viewers. Further dance sequences are well coordinated as also the attire which is magnificent, she says.

Anushka Jayasuriya waxes eloquent about Shahrukh's acting skills and looks. "He does not have the conventional pretty boy look - but there's something appealing about him - his voice, his face, dimples and smile." Many others like Anushka think that when he is in a movie it is a hit, drawing crowds to the cinema.

Back home in India, Shahrukh is considered the incredible star or the Badshah of the Box Office (King of Kings). The Hindu of November 26 reports that he and his son Aryan are now lending their voices to the animated characters in 'The Incredibles' renamed 'Hum Hain Lajawab', a Hindi version of Disney/Pixar Animation produced by John Walker and directed by Brad Bird.

It is a new frontier for this versatile actor. The Indian version is expected to reach Indian shores on December 17.

The show
Appearing with Shahrukh in Colombo at Temptation 2004 will be:

Preity Zinta, Indian model turned Bollywood actress of Veer Zaara and Kal Ho Na Ho fame where she starred opposite Shahrukh. Preity will do her famous 'It's the time to disco' number amongst others.
Son of two famous personalities, Saif Ali Khan has several hits to his credit including the recent Kal Ho Na Ho and Hum Tum. An aspect that endears him to the public is his ability to make the audience laugh.
Celina Jaitley is ready to take on the world, with fists flying and legs a-kicking, a mix of 'Charlie's Angels' and the typical Rajnikanth-style moves.
Many have seen former Miss World Priyanka Chopra as a model or actress, but not as a singer. Currently signed up for many new movies, the actress has a string of fans.
Bollywood's new kid on the block, Zayed Khan came into the limelight with his role in Mai Hoon Naa. His sword routine at the event is a must see.

The show is produced and managed by Showdiff Worldwide, scripted and directed by Moranis and Soorma and choreographed by Ganesh Hegde.

Temptation 2004 has been on a world tour, having performed at 52 venues in the US and 10 in Europe. Tickets for the Colombo show are moving fast. Priced at Rs.10,000, 5000, 2500 and 1500, tickets are available at Cargills, Taj Samudra and Delifrance.

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