Here’s one more reason why Shah Rukh Khan is where he is. His Mannat bungalow has become the venue for lavishly hosted fun parties (board games like Trivial Pursuit are a big hit on such occasions). There have been at least six huge parties ever since Diwali week, the last one being the baby shower he hosted along with Karan Johar for Farah Khan on Tuesday night.
Farah has been at the receiving end of Shah Rukh’s bear hugs and TLC right through her pregnancy and she’s going to miss all this attention once she delivers her triplets in February.

While most guests slept through the next morning, host Shah Rukh was at the studios, shooting for Rakesh Roshan. “He’s doing an item song for my film Krazzy 4 ,” confirmed Roshan. No, he laughed, Shah Rukh won’t be taking off his shirt for this one but it’s designed to be a crowd-pulling item number. It’s a song Rajesh Roshan has composed and since Farah Khan is out of action, Ahmed Khan has choreographed this one. Rakesh Roshan is not officially directing the film (long time assistant Raja is at the helm) but he’s there all right, on the sets, ensuring that Krazzy 4 is packed with everything that will draw in the audience. While Shah Rukh’s item number will be in Krazzy 4, son Hrithik Roshan will shoot a promotional song next month which won’t be a part of the film. At this moment, plans are for using it only in the promos. With his sharp business acumen, Rakesh Roshan has got both the best-selling item number boys — Shah Rukh and Hrithik — to turn his Arshad-Irrfan-Juhi comedy into a hot commercial proposition.

By the way, Shah Rukh has not done the item number because of his friendship with Hrithik Roshan. It’s payback for the great equation he has had with Rakesh Roshan the film-maker before Hrithik the star was even launched. Years ago, Rakesh had signed the unknown Shah Rukh Khan for a film called King Uncle (it had starred Jackie Shroff in the title role) and had followed it up with lead roles in Karan Arjun and Koyla.
After the baby shower, Farah Khan went home with enough presents to fill an extra room. Being straightforward, anybody who asked her what she wanted was happily told to pick from a list so that there was no unnecessary duplication. For instance, Chunky and Bhavna Panday asked and were told that a nappy changing station would be welcome, so that’s just what they got her. Such a pragmatically Western approach. I love it.

If Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat sees a lot of generous hospitality, the only actress who sort of matches that is — surprisingly — Bipasha Basu. While most actresses are renowned for holding on to their earnings, Bipasha hosts dinners for her select friends at the drop of a hat. Whether it is close friend Suzy’s marriage or her own I’m-going-away-to-Calcutta-for-a-month dinner, Bipasha keeps throwing parties. Last heard, she celebrated her being voted the sexiest woman in Asia by having a great pyjama party where guests had to come in their night suits. Oh, yeah, John was there too in his pyjamas!

Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Sonam Kapoor, who dropped 30 kilos from a 90-kilo-frame to become Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s heroine, has set off a trend. Juhu neighbour Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of Shatrughan and Poonam Sinha, has also shed all her puppy fat. Looking tall and trim, Sonakshi is secretly thrilled that dad Shatru has been asking her, ‘Should I start looking around for scripts?’ Take this as advance information — the Sinha girl will be the next celebrity kid to go before the cameras.

Meanwhile, there’s a buzz that all’s not well on the Sushmita Sen front. Colleagues and friends are horrified that they’ve been receiving communication, including New Year greetings, from ‘Ms Sen’s office’, run by a bunch of hired staff. Whatever happened to the warm, effusive Sushmita who believed in the personal touch? She’s buried — under mounds of production work for Jhansi Ki Rani, the film Sush is producing and starring in. Apart from a team of researchers and writers who’ve been at it, one now hears that Sushmita is seriously considering taking on the role of director as well! Delusional, say a few who know her. All this strain has supposedly left her not looking her best any more. Come back to reality, Sush — that’s a message from well-wishers.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is managing editor of Movie Mag International