Shahrukh Khan was conferred an honorary doctorate in the United Kingdom for his contribution to arts and culture by Bedfordshire University at a ceremony in London last week. In a brief chat from London, SRK reveals what the doctorate means to him. Excerpts...

Other Indian stars to have been given honorary doctorates in the UK, including Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar and AR Rahman. Do you think your doctorate has come too late?
Everyone gets what they deserve… and when they deserve it. I am an immensely satisfied and happy person with my life and achievements and always appreciate the achievements of my colleagues.

Is an honorary doctorate better than the many awards you have received as an actor?
The race I run doesn't have a finish line. There are no bests in the standards I set for myself. This doctorate is an absolute delight and matter of pride for me and my family and so are all the other awards, but the fun is in running not finishing the race for me.

The university received your nomination from Routes 2 Roots, an NGO that works towards people-to-people contact across the subcontinent, especially India and Pakistan. Are you aware about what they do?
Yes I am. They explained to me all the work they do and why they felt they should nominate my name.

You've said that you aim to use the award to help educate underprivileged children. How will you do that?
First comes the thought of making your life more meaningful, then the direction you want to take to fulfil the thought. The plans and modalities will follow after that. It is too early to give you the system and processes of the same but I will try and create an environment in my office and people to bring about education opportunities especially for little girls — and do it with as little show and publicity as possible.

Though you got the best student award from one of Delhi's top schools with you never finished a Masters degree. Do you regret not having gone in for higher studies?
Studies and trying to figure out things never end. It would have been good to complete my Masters degree but unavoidable circumstances led to it not being finished. But I don't regret it though.

What subject did you love and hate the most in school?
Biology was my favourite and so was English (Shakespeare). Mathematics was a horror especially as I was terrible in it. I did very well in Physics, Chemistry and National Income Accounting.

What does true knowledge mean to you?
The belief that the more you learn the more you know, the more you know the more you forget, the more you forget the less you know, the less you know the less you forget, the less you forget the more you remember, the more you remember the more you know… and the cycle keeps on going. There is no end to seeking and absorbing knowledge. True knowledge is unfathomable, uncapturable, unknowable… like life. but we got to keep living and just like life that we have to live, we have got to keep striving for knowledge without knowing what it leads to.

Interview With Deepika Padukone:
Shahrukh Khan
, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan - Deepika Padukone is pretty much working with the best in the business across diverse age groups. With too much happening in her life in too little time, Deepika is already staring at her fourth release in less than two years since she made her much hyped debut with Om Shanti Om. On the eve of the film's mega release, Deepika talks to us about her years gone by in Bollywood, Imtiaz's narrative approach, her songs, styling and the generation leap that the film takes.

From Om Shanti Om to Bachna Ae Haseeno to Chandni Chowk To China and now Love Aaj Kal - There is a visible transformation in you, right Deepika?


Yes, I have indeed opened up a lot during last two years. Of course experience does set in and you tend to become a lot more confident with every film you do. However, one can't forget that one of the major contributors to the entire transformation process is the script of Love Aaj Kal. The character too plays a major role in the way you come across on screen.

Add to that the 'Imtiaz factor'....?

Yes, I was coming to that. The entire combination as I stated earlier can never be complete until and unless the director at the helm of affairs ensures that all of it comes in just the right proportion. He is one director who really brings out your real potential. Credit it to him that I am so 'khulla' today!

So are we looking at an out and out light hearted entertainer in Love Aaj Kal? Or are there some serious dramatic elements embellished in the narrative as well?

Yes, there are some serious elements as well. They do not become too heavy though. There are pensive moments but not 'bhaari-bharkam' enough to make you feel cheated since everyone is expecting Love Aaj Kal to be a fun outing. At the heart of it, Love Aaj Kal is a complete entertainer that will certainly leave you smiling as you exit the theaters. Love Aaj Kal is a complete entertainer that will certainly leave you smiling.

Well, Pritam, Imtiaz and Saif have promised that with 'Aahun Aahun' which comes in the end credits roll!
'Aahun Aahun' is a riot for sure (laughs). But then you must not forget 'Dooriyan' as well which is the only sad number in the film. It has been amazingly picturised and gives an altogether different dimension to the film as it carries the story forward. My personal favorite though is 'Chor Bazaari'.

Talking about 'Chor Bazaari', you seem to have gone through a complete costume makeover for Love Aaj Kal.

Credit it to Anahita Shroff Adajania, my costume designer, and Imtiaz. They came with an entirely fresh take on costumes and styling. They complimented each other and brought in Indian as well as Western sensibilities. Both were very sure about they wanted from me and the costumes I wear. My character also goes through a gradual transition from the first half into the second half so the overall styling did help to bring out that aspect as well. Anahita and I have been working together since my modeling days and she is very well aware about my body structure and what suits me most. That really helped.

Coming to the film's narrative, since the film moves across two generations, was it a little tedious to shoot for the film?

Of what I know about the narration that Imtiaz has adopted for the film, you will never feel the jerk in it even though the story moves back and forth in time. It is pretty seamless actually and all scenes blend in well with the spirit of the movie. In any case Imtiaz is not someone who believes in bringing in unnecessary technical jargon and he has in fact kept it all quite simple. Once you see the film, you will realize it for yourself!

You will never feel the jerk in the film even though the story moves back and forth in time

Since the film also tells the story of Rishi Kapoor, do you also have any scenes with him?
I have just one scene with him!

So all in the family?
(Giggles away)

Despite negative reviews and some malicious campaign against the film, Kambakkht Ishq has turned out to be a box office success. It may not have gone ahead and re-written records as was the case with Singh Is Kinng or Welcome but the fact remains that Akshay Kumar has managed to get his audiences back. While he is already looking forward to the release of De Dana Dhan, Blue and Action Replay, he is currently busy with a non-stop two month shooting schedule for Sajid Khan's Housefull.

Buzz up!
Talking to us from London, where he is currently stationed, Akshay Kumar talks about how he is comfortable working in multiple films and why, in spite of bringing in huge moolah into the industry during last five years, he still finds the entire Number 1 game quite amusing.


Your strength seems to be the fact that you complete your films in quick time, hence doing 3-4 films a year. That in some very good ways is a very good preposition for your producers as well, right? This way they can release their film in quick time, isn't it?
Yes! I am quite fine working on multiple films a year since most of them are shot in a start to finish schedule. We all work very fast on my films. And that way, I get to take a holiday every six months with my family as well! So, it all works out quite well in the end.

For how long do you wish to continue operating in the same mode? Don't you feel like taking a breather somewhere?
I can run faster than anyone else on the treadmill. Where is the time for a breather?

One look at your filmography over last five years and it is crystal clear that you have brought in maximum money inflow. Isn't that a testimony to the fact that a couple of flops here and there haven't quite impacted your box office stand?
The collections are out there for all to see. I have always believed in letting box-office to speak .When figures talk, what's the point of anyone else talking? Rest is just noise.

From Mujhse Shaadi Karogi to Bhagam Bhag to Welcome to Singh Is Kinng to your recent release Kambakkht Ishq, your films have netted as astonishing sum close to Rs. 600 crores just from India. Were you aware about such huge numbers? Now that's HUGE by any standards.
Thanks for the compliment. My producers are aware of all these numbers and that's why they repeat me film after film. That's hope for me!

In the same period, Shahrukh, Aamir, Salman and Hrithik have brought in far lesser money. Any comments?
Please don't create a controversy here .We are all here to work, I am not running a race.

Akshay, you have been shying away from the battle for top position. However, isn't #1 actor, the one who delivers consistently, brings in maximum moolah at the box office, is termed reliable and has a following in India as well as overseas? In that sense, don't you actually fit in the bill?
That's for you guys to decide. I am just doing my work. I shy away from the number game. Numbers are for calendar not for superstars. When I read about, who is Number One and Number Two, it amuses me. I feel like, we are still in school and anxiously waiting for our report cards. Haven't we grown up since then?

But industry is all about the Numbers game, isn't it?
Come on guys; don't make it sound like we are in a class room. If some want to fall prey to it, it's their problem. I firmly believe that I still have a long way to go. It's very lovely at the top and honestly I don't want to be lonely, I am happy the way I am. I am number one for my family and fans and that's enough.

Bizarre has a new meaning and it's called Kambakkht Ishq. Of late, Akshay Kumar has earned the reputation of making you laugh in film after film. You expect Kambakkht Ishq, his new outing, to transport you to ha-ha-land, given the smart-n-chic promos of the film. Kambakkht Ishq belongs to the same family of films which have wooed the masses, such as Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng and Golmaal Returns. The prime motive is to entertain you for the next 2 hours, logic be damned.


Buzz up!Yet, Kambakkht Ishq is different because it depicts the battle of the sexes, a theme that's rarely depicted on the Hindi screen. The lingo is poles apart, so is the attitude. In fact, this is a modern take on relationships, with the two hours divided between laughter and emotions, frivolous and reality.


Let's get this straight. Kambakkht Ishq works in most parts thanks to the kind of star power and energy that the two actors pack in -- Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. It would've been difficult to hold the film from falling apart had the two actors not been competent enough to carry off their respective parts. Also, the presence of Hollywood stars -- Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards -- the first on the Hindi screen, is an added bonus. 1 pe 2 ka offer; Bollywood stars ke saath Hollywood free!

The focus is on the entertainment quotient. There are moments when you laugh so uncontrollably that it gets embarrassing and there are times when you continue smiling, even during the most ordinary scenes. But Kambakkht Ishq dips in its second hour because you expect it to be as frivolous as the first hour, but it changes tracks and gets emotional. Things would've gone wrong had the end stumbled and fumbled, but it doesn't. The finale, in fact, takes the film back to the level that one expects from a film of this magnitude.

To sum up, Kambakkht Ishq offers you value for time and also, value for money. It offers loads of entertainment in those 2 + hours, loads of glamour in those 130 odd minutes, from start to end. Sure, there are blemishes, but they're trivial when you look at the larger picture. Kambakkht Ishq explores the relationship between two individuals who are as different as chalk and cheese. Viraj [Akshay Kumar] is a stuntman in Hollywood, who lives by the mantra 'women are only good for two things'. Simrita [Kareena Kapoor] is a firebrand who is more than able to stare down the most arrogant male with her caustic wit and sardonic tongue.

So what happens when the two people who hate each other the most meet at Simrita's best friend Kamini's [Amrita Arora] and Viraj's brother Lucky's [Aftab Shivdasani] wedding? A wedding that both Viraj and Simrita are violently opposed to and desperate to stop. Sparks fly... the battle of the sexes in on.

Director Sabbir Khan's motive is simple: Entertain for the next 2 hours. The entire first hour moves at a lightening speed, making you enjoy the war of words between Akshay and Kareena at regular intervals.

The first half abounds in terrific moments, but I'd like to single out at least three...

* One, the church wedding of Aftab and Amrita. When the battle lines are drawn.

* Two, the sequence at the operation table, when Akshay spots Kareena.

* Three, the interval point. The pendant connection. Howlarious sequences all!


The post-interval starts with a bang, with Akshay hearing the 'Om Mangalam' chant just about everywhere -- while sleeping, in the shower, in the rest room, even at an award function. The award function sequence is a double whammy. You get to watch Stallone and also the scene is superbly structured, executed and enacted.

Things are smooth sailing till the emotional angle comes up. The narrative dips in those 20 odd minutes. The mood suddenly shifts from laughter to sadness. The makers may argue that a twist in the tale is justified from the writing point of view, since the emotional track is vital for any love story, but the fact remains that one does miss the entertainment quotient here. In fact, the dip in the second hour erodes, to a large extent, the impression that the first half had built so magnificently.

Director Sabbir Khan picks up a theme that may catch you by complete surprise, but marinates it in entertainment, garnishes it well and presents it like never before. The review would be incomplete if we failed to highlight the grandiose look and the lavish production values thanks to the no-holds-barred expenses by producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Each frame looks ostentatious and glitzy.

Music is up to the mark, with three interesting tracks -- 'Om Mangalam' [RDB], 'Lakh Lakh' and 'Bebo' [Anu Malik]. Cinematography [Vikas Sivaraman] is magnificent, with the DoP doing complete justice to the production values. Kambakkht Ishq belongs to both, Akshay and Kareena. Akshay is dynamic this time. He received a lot of flak for Chandni Chowk To China and there was this nagging feeling that the negativity would spill over to Kambakkht Ishq. But Akshay is in terrific form here and delivers, without a shred of doubt, a bravura performance. If you loved him in Namastey London and Singh Is Kinng, you'd fall in love with Akki and his comic timing all over again this time.

Kareena left an indelible impression in Jab We Met and creates a similar impact, albeit in a different role. Her role has shades of 'Poo' in K3G, but the glam looks combined with that rare confidence takes this performance to dizzy heights. Clearly, Kareena is miles ahead of her contemporaries as far as talent goes and this film proves it yet again.

Aftab and Amrita are perfect for their parts. Vindu Singh supports well. Javed Jaffrey doesn't make a mark because the role has no connection with the main plot. Kirron Kher is getting typecast. Boman Irani is hilarious in that lone sequence. Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards are well integrated in the narrative.

On the whole, Kambakkht Ishqwill strike a chord with the youth and those who relish zany and madcap entertainers. The first half is tremendous, while the second half takes a dip, with the film picking up towards the climax. At the box-office, the film will see an earth-shattering opening weekend and a historic Week 1. It remains to be seen how this film fares in its second weekend/week, given the massive number of screens it has opened globally [2,000 +]. However, the timing is most appropriate [the viewer is thirsting for a biggie] and the hype is tremendous, which should prove very advantageous for the film.