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29 March 2024

Self-acclaimed superhero with a heart...

Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan at a 'Ra.One' promotional event. (AFP)

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

As a breed, us journalists may have broken every rule in the book under the guise of getting the news out, but even we get the book thrown at us when it's a celebrity press conference at stake.

And rules most certainly don't matter when the celebrity in question is none other than Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently in Dubai for the world premiere of his magnum opus, "Ra.One."

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Are you ready Dubai? Shah Rukh is here...

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The media melee, the fan frenzy and the delayed proceedings follow King Khan in his wake, and today's press event was no different.

But did anyone mind? Most certainly. Did they let it show? Absolutely not. After all, it's Khan himself, with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. So the need of the hour was to get that perfect soundbite, and the actors didn't disappoint.

Khan dazzled everyone with his wit, promoting his film with the words: "I'm a superhero with heart."

But when quizzed what makes him a superhero in reel life, he laughed: "My eyes and my dimples."

The film has been part of marketing blitzkrieg like no other, and when Emirates 24/7 asked if that ensured "Ra.One's" ultimate box office outcome, Khan said: "After all the tears, hype, anger and strife, what is ultimately left is a simple story; that is what forms the backbone of a film.

"Marketing gimmicks are important today because you have so many channels and avenues available to provide information, and ultimately, "Ra.One" is such a different film that the audience needed to be educated about it.

"In Bollywood, only "Krish" and "Drona" can compare, so our choice to get the message about "Ra.One" out was through marketing."

The marketing cost, which Khan didn't reveal, has merely added to the overall price tag of what is being touted as Bollywood's most expensive film, with an estimated budget of Rs1.5 billion.

He added: "I won't compare "Ra.One" to any other Indian superhero film, especially Rajni sir's "Robot" considering the film was offered to me first and I knew the script to be very different from my own project.

"Also, the time of comparisons is over as the movie will finally be seen today and everyone will know how different it is from "Robot". The only link is that Rajni sir has been kind enough to do a cameo as Chitti, the character of his other film."

The movie, in Khan's own words, has been five years in the making, with several production delays due to his back and knee injuries.

"It was time for "Ra.One" to release now and there is no better time to bring this film out than a festival season that teaches us about good's triumph over evil."

"Ra.One", which goes on general release on October 27 in the UAE, is already touted to break records this Diwali season, with nearly 5,000 prints being distributed globally.