Romantic Shahrukh Khan is trying sci-fi films

The Indian actor Shahrukh Khan whose romantic sagas on silver screen made him a superstar, tried something different with his sci-fi thriller “RA. One”. It is Shahrukh Khan’s most ambitious sci-fi superhero film that is coming out on Diwali Tomorrow. Here are some more tidbits about the much awaited film: * Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film, which also stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in prominent roles, has been made on a Rs.150 budget crore and has already created a lot of buzz. * The film is releasing in more than 3,000 screens in the domestic market in 2D and around 500 screens in 3D. The film has been dubbed in Tamil and Telugu and it will also make inroads in South Korea and Hongkong, where Bollywood movies are not so popular. * The idea of the film originated when Anubhav was watching a commercial about six years ago which showed two children controlling a human with a remote. * Anubhav and Shah Rukh watched as many as 200 superhero films in multiple languages from all over the world before making “RA.One”. * Shah Rukh has roped in Oscar winner Resul Pookutty for the special sound effects. The team went to Los Angeles get the sound effects done for the film. * Jeff Kleiser of 1994 Hollywood film “Stargate” was hired as the supervisor of visual effects. * Nicola Pecorini of “Loathing in Las Vegas” fame is the director of photography, while the film is edited by Academy-award winner Martin Walsh. * It has 3,500 VFX shots, which could mark a new beginning for the use of the technology in Indian films. * The task of adding special effects was outsourced to multiple specialty studios including in London, Paris and Bangkok, as also in the US. * Dolby surround 7.1 system has been installed in several multiplexes in the run-up to the sci-fi’s release. * Chinese actor Jackie Chan was reportedly approached for a role in the film and later Chinese-American actor Tom Wu was signed on to be a part of the film. * Shah Rukh roped in international singer Akon for two songs — “Chammak Challo” and “Criminal” — and both of them are a rage. * The G.One suit that Shah Rukh wears in the film is made of silicon, styrofoam and rubber and is said to be considerably heavy. SRK said he lost 5 kgs after shooting in the superhero suit. * Shah Rukh had to don prosthetic make up for 8 to 10 hours a day without a break which made it difficult for him to even eat and drink. * Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and actress diva Priyanka Chopra will be seen in cameos in the film. * Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has given his voiceover for the film. * The music launch of “RA.One” was streamed live on a video-sharing site for an undisclosed amount. The event’s telecast rights are believed to have been sold to the TV channel for a Rs.10 crore. * Satellite rights of the film have reportedly been sold for Rs.35 crore, while distribution rights have been sold for Rs.77 crore. - IANS