A TRAIN RIDE WITH SRK

Shah Rukh Khan had one mission in mind when he got onto a train to promote his film Raees -to get closer to his fans. But hedidn't anticipatethat his stardom would spell trouble for his admirers, inside as well as outsidethe train.

For many, it would have been a dream-come-true to know that their favourite star wasjust a couple of carriages away from them. But itsoonturned into a nightmare, with bulky bodyguards cordoning off an entire carriage for the star, the frenzy around his presence in the train, and the inability of passengers to get on or off.

Trains have been an intrinsic part ofShah Rukh's movies (Chaiyya chaiyya, Di/wale Dulhania LeJayenge, Chennai Express). Perhaps that was the reason he decided to takea train from Mumbai to Delhi to promote hisnewfilm.After starting off on the right note, the train ridegot engulfed into controversy due to the death of a fan on Vadodara station, and injuries suffered by others.

As the fans went berserk and got out of control, actorSunny Leone who was on board, rightly described the train as 'a tightly packedsardine can'.That it truly was.

For me, thejourneybeganmuch before the 5:40 pm start.To many, the ideaof taking a Delhi-Mumbaiflight, only to take a train back, may seem senseless,but it made totalsense with Shah Rukh for company.

I channelled Kajolfrom Di/wale DulhaniaLeJayenge, running against time to make it on the train. Only,Shah Rukh was not waiting at the gateand I was instead wading through a maddening crowd.

The euphoric tunes of Udiudijaye, the garba track from Raees, added to the jubilant mood. Luckily, the actor, who is infamous for being lateat events,was on time this time.

His planinvolved waving to the crowd at ninestops,Vapi,Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Ratlam, Kota and Mathura.

Everywhere it was the same fan frenzy - peoplejumpingon to tracks, climbing on the topof the train,bangingon windows - without thinking of their own safety. Other people huddled together on stairs, and upsome poles as well. The craze was there for all to see, with people's shoes loitered all around the platform as they ran amok looking for SRK.

It left us pondering on theextent to which fans can go for the screen idol.

Inside the train, we hoped and prayed that no one would be hurt. Sunny, peeping out of the window with curiosity, was heard muttering: "I don't want anybody to get hurt. Oh, there's a guy with a stick Please don't hit anybody. I will start to cry."

Alas, everyone's fear came true with the news of one fan- a relative off a female journalist travelling in the train - dying at the station. There are conf icting theories about the death: some claim he had a cardiac arrest, others that he was suffocated to death due to the stampede-like situation.

The fun of the train ride soon faded away, casting a pall of gloom.

SRK has beenblamed for themayhem, but we saw him on his toes trying to pacify his team. He appeared shaken as hestepped in for a chat with scribes very late at night. There was no stardom to be seen as he spoke to us straight from the heart.

Consoling thejournalist who hadjust lost a lovedone,Shah Rukh organisedfor members of his security team to accompany her andher mother back to Vadodara. Could this major publicity event havebeen plannedbetter? Probably.

Is SRK to blame?Probably not.

SugandhaRawal

HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO AS ACTOR: NAWAZUDDIN

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui may be basking in the appreciation coming his way for his performance in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees, yet he believes his journey as an actor hasjust begun.

"Even though I havebeenin the industry since 2000, my acting career kind of took off in 2012 and it has been a very satisfying journey so far. But it hasjust begun and I have a long way to go," Nawazuddin said recently.

With Rahul Dholakia-directed Raees, he has worked with all the three Khans. He starred with Aamir Khan in Sarfarosh and Talaash, and with Salman Khan in Kick.

Looking back at the experience of working with the three leading actors, he said: "It's from them I learnt how to sustain one's position for long, with a variety of roles.The learning has beenimmense because of their vast experience.They are all great entertainers and that's proof to their popularity."

Nawazuddin's performance was much talkedaboutin Raees, with most critics highlighting that he overshadowed King Khan.

Prod the Raman Raghav starabout this opinion, and pat comes the reply: "I beleve my performance was enhanced due to Shah Rukh's presence. Acting is a process of give and take. Had he not given me the scope and platform to perform, I wouldn't have done so well. He understood and respected my character, thus allowing my role to hog the limelight."

Not willing to take any credit for film's success, he said, "As actors, wecomplemented each other very well. Our theatre background helped us discovernewfacets.The love-hate relationship we share in the film didn't reflect on paper, but we made it work because we understood each other."

" t's unfair to single out a performance. Peopleare enjoying the film and not just my performance. All of us involved in the film deserveequal credit," he added.

With an interesting line-up offilms in his kitty this year, Nawazuddin is kicked about playing Urdu writer Sadat Hassan Manto in Nandita Das's upcoming biopic.

"I'm working very hard to get a grip over the character Manto as a writer was way aheadof his time andhis writings have strong contemporary relevance," he said.

He will be seen playing an astronaut in Chanda Mama Door Ke, which goes on thefoors in June this year.

"This project will be very big in terms of scale. I will have to undergo special training in zero grav ty room and also under water," he said.

SOHA ALI KHAN: MODERATELY FAMOUS

Bollywood is getting into books. We've just had Karan Johar and Rishi Kapoor release their books in recent weeks, and actorTwinkle Khanna is becoming better known for her writing than she ever was for herfilms. The atest toJoin the publishing bandwagonisSohaAli Khan.

Her soon-to-be published book is tit ed The Perils of Being Moderately Famous. It is described as a collection of humorous, and sometimes bizarre, stories on her life as an erstwhile royal princess and a "moderately famous" celebrity.

Penguin India hasacquired the debut writer's novel.

Soha, however, warns readers, "Ifyou are hoping I will reveal the secret behind Kareena's glowing complexion or how bhai(Saif Ali Khan) trains for an action film, then I am afraid you are barking up the wrong book."

BHANSALI INCIDENT IN JAIPUR BIG BLOW TO RAJASTHAN'S TOURISM: NIHALANI

Condemning the recent attack on the filmmaker inJaipur, CBFCChairperson Pahlaj Nihalanisays the incident is a big blow to Rajasthan's tourism.

ActivistsofShree Rajput KarniSena misbehaved with the crew ofBhansali's upcomingfilm Padmavati and vandal sed the set in Jaipur last week.

Describing it asa shamefulact of violence against the finest living filmmaker in the country, Nihalani said, "Sanjay Bhansali has taken our cinema toevery corner ofthe world. He is celebrated as a genius all over the world.And look at how much he has done for tourism in India. H s Khamoshi: The Musical and Guzaarish were shot in Goa and promoted the beauty ofthecoastal paradise. Hum Di/De Chuke Sanam and Goliyon KiRaasleela Ram-Leela promoted Gujaraticulture. Bajirao Mastanitook the Maratha warrior's story all over the world. And now, Padmavatiis all set to open anew chapter ofour rich heritage andculture in Rajasthan. But will the lumpen elements allow Bhansali to shoot in Rajasthan? Will he ever go back there?This is a big blowto Rajasthan's tourism.Once the state government had agreed to letBhansali shoot in Jaipur, it was their responsibility to providehim protection."

Nihalani questioned why must filmmakers face danger while shooting outdoors in India.

;'Fiji, Mauritius andSouthAfrica provide every safety and subsidy for Indian film shoots. In India, forget subsidies, even the well-being of your crew and equipment is not ensured," he said.

Bhansali, a NationalAward-winning director, was accused of "distorting" history in thefilm about the medievalera Delhi ruler Alauddin Khilji, who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati.

AjitAndhare, of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, the producers ofPadmavati, said the incident is a "huge low in the relations between politics and creativity".

"We are celebrating the glory ofthe queen. We are dismayed atthe ugly turn ofevents," headded.

Veteran actor ShabanaAzmialso condemned the "reprehensible attack on Bhansali".

;'Is it a mere coincidence that the attack on the film Water many years ago was also in a BharatiyaJanata Party-ruled state?The guilty must be punished and the film industry should standfirmly together and do whatever it takes to ensure that such an incidentis never repeated.Thishas reached flash point," she added.

Lyricist, screenwriter and ad guru PrasoonJoshi called Bhansalia "stalwart and a gentle soul". "Violence can never be the solution.The ideaof democracy is notto feed the animal in us butto nurture human values."

FilmmakerSudhir Mishraaskedthe film industry to stand up together and demand forjustice "Whenyou slap Sanjay, you slap all of us and we should nottake it lying down."

I LOVEDAUSTRALIA: SUNNY PAWAR

Child actorSunny Pawar who made his debut in acclaimed Hollywood film Lion said that he enjoyedfilming inAustralian citiesand developeda greatbonding with his co-actorDev Patel.

"Although we shot in Bhopal and Kolkata I loved shooting inAustralia. The place was so beautiful. There were so many places to roam and play, we went there aftershooting and I loved the place," the young actor told !ANS.

Sunny, a Year 3 student at Air India Modern School, Kalina, lives in a slum withhis parents and two young siblings in Mumbai. He went through an audition to bag the role.

"I went to the audition where they gave me some lines and asked me to saythem looking into the camera. I did that, and then I gotto knowthat I am

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

PRIYANKA CHOPRA or KENDALL JENNER in OLCAY GULSEN?

+ Shareyourviews with us on our Facebook page /lndianLinkAustralia selected for the role," Sunny said.

Recalling thefirst day of the shooting, he said, "Director sirjust asked meto run, and I ran! No, I did notfeel any pressure of facing camera or shooting firsttime."

While thefilm received six Oscar nominations for the 89thAcademy Awards, little Sunny has already has bagged Grand Jury Prize (Special Mention) at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and he is very thrilled about the fact thathe walkedthe red carpet wearing ablack suitlike his "new friend" Dev Patel at theGolden Globes in Los Angeles.

Asthe shooting went on for more than a year, though he found it little tough to manage study and acting both, Sunny enjoyedthe process throughout.

Sunny said, "After the shooting Dev and I wou d play cricket and would goof around on the set. It was so much fun."

Was there a language problem?

"No, there was no language problem. Dev spoke to me in English, and I spoke back in Hindi."

The youngAjay Devganfan wou d liketo continue in films. "My teachers congratulate me and they encourage meto study. I want to act, but I like my studies too. Mathematics is myfavourite subject."

Whattweety Bird Told Us This Week

Can you match the tweets tothe stars who tweeted them? Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan,AmitabhBachchan

Proud moment for all of us. PINK now available on @TheFilmPink #Pink #PinkOnNetfix

Just a little shout of love for all the praise for my#KaabilETareef team!

Thank you !!!

Beyond thrilled & overwhelmed with the amazing response & reactions to #Se renaUnger!#xXx:ReturnOfXanderCage

Thank You for all the LOVE!

Be warned, Summer brings Victoria Leeds. #BeBaywatch @baywatchmovie

On train & listening to the new song from Raees. Dhandhe Ka #Dhingana

What's the chitchat between DEEPIKA PADUKONE and ELLEN?

Send in your responsesto win@indianlink.com.au and win asurprise prize

What's the chitchat between LION stars DEV PATEL and SUNNY PAWAR here?

Dev: Slumdogstreet stars are a lucky omen for me. Bringthe Oscars on, 2017!!

SUMANA RAO Ashfield NSW

Sumana wins a ticket to new Hindi release Raees