Christie’s Asia-Pacific’s Francis Belin on a New Home at The Henderson, a Diary Full of Pending Auctions, and Emotional Connection

We sit down for an exclusive chat with the president of Christie’s Asia-Pacific on the future of art auctions and more in Hong Kong.

In the epicentre of Hong Kong, a city synonymous with luxury and commerce, legendary auctioneer Christie’s has established its new Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Henderson. This monumental move not only signifies the auction house’s commitment to the region but also reflects a broader trend in the art market, one that is increasingly influenced by Asian collectors and their growing appetite for fine art. Francis Belin, president of Christie’s Asia-Pacific, recently shared insights into this strategic transition in an exclusive interview with Robb Report Hong Kong and what it means for the future of art auctions in Asia.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong

Inside The Pedder Arcade, an Elevated Retail Space For Distinguished Menswear

 

A dream realised, menswear and real estate never looked so damn good.

 

Images can be deceptive, and the photos sent to us of The Pedder Arcade look like set pieces of a film based in New York (Woody Allen’s Manhattan comes to mind)—the elongated ink-blue metallic arches, the high ceilings, and the stellar view of skyscrapers with billboards of American stars peddling the latest threads from designer brands all scream sophistication.

Except, of course, it’s not New York City—it’s the new retail haven in the heart of Central, on the fifth floor of the Beaux-Arts-style Pedder Building. From top to toe, the newly opened Pedder Arcade exudes white-glove perfection and debonair flair.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Top Ten Non-invasive Cosmetic Procedures in Hong Kong

As I was writing this, I knew it would do well online - and its easily my most read feature. Ever.

Where do celebrities, ageing models, ladies who lunch and an ever-increasing contingent of men in Hong Kong get their non-invasive cosmetic procedures done? We asked. They answered. Anonymously

Check out the entire feature at PrestigeOnline here.

There's something to be said about the power of suggestion and the lean to persuasion. After talking to all those people, by the end I was looking at the mirror thinking about what to get done. 

Fortunately better sense prevailed - as someone with an addictive personality, I'd start off getting my forehead jabbed... end up looking like Michael Jackson by 2025. And in debt for millions. Also like MJ... 

Breathe Hong Kong: Counselling Services for an anxious society

Online counselling team offers help for anxiety, depression, coronavirus woes and more, targeting Hongkongers going through tough times

Breathe HK provides easy and private connectivity between counsellor and client, with rates lower than average in-person sessions in the city

The most common challenge during Covid-19 has not been pay cuts or unemployment worry, but the parenting of teenagers during times of stress, the team says

Read the full feature here at SCMP.com - out in Health Post on Monday. 

Cover Story: Megan Fox: Hollywood calling

So I had a long, long chat with... 'the' Megan Fox. Check out my cover story with Prestige Hong Kong at PrestigeOnline.

A Star is Reborn: Sridevi

Fifteen years after she stepped out of the spotlight to focus on her family, Indian film star Sridevi returns with a new movie. P.Ramakrishnan meets the Bollywood legend.

Queen, housewife, journalist, nurse, mystical snake-woman, princess, bandit, goddess, secretary, mad woman, fallen angel, police officer, drug addict, wannabe pop star, dancer, singer, embittered first wife, chief executive, Afghan tribal leader,  falsely implicated drug smuggler and streetwalker – Sridevi has been them all.

Star of  more than 200 Indian films (in five languages) and a member of the haloed pantheon of Bollywood celebrities, Sridevi is a larger-than-life figure.  She had done it all on-screen by the age of 34. With beguiling, sari-clad ease, she’d sung and danced, grieved and raged and cried and laughed on the big screen. As a child star – she won her first award before she was a teen – to a leading lady and screen icon, her cinematic journey was marked with box-office triumph, record-making paychecks and trophies galore.

Then she took a break – for 15 years.

WITH  A TEAR ROLLING down her cheek and a quivering smile, Sridevi faced a 10-minute standing ovation after the premiere of  her comeback film,  English Vinglish, at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14. At the event, her glistening  Sabyasachi  Mukherjee sari ranked her alongside  best-dressed celebrities Zac Efron, Penelope Cruz and Monica Bellucci – and that was before she brought her most potent weapons to bear.

Sridevi at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sept 14, 2012

“Those eyes – when she looks at you, you sort of get lost,” says writer and director  Gauri Shinde, who yanked Sridevi out of her self-imposed retirement. “As a woman, I  [was affected], I can’t imagine what it does to men.

“Meeting Sridevi the first time was surreal. Is this true? Is this happening? I felt like I was in the middle of  Requiem for a Dream, not sure what was real and unreal. I sat there and just watched her.  And she looks like a diva-movie star in her natural state. She was at home in blue jeans and a shirt. She had no make-up on, her youngest daughter was running around. She has this lovely, luminous skin and the most gorgeous, heart-breaking eyes…”

Heart-breaking indeed.  Oscar nominee and  Midnight’s Children director Deepa Mehta, who ran into Sridevi at the  festival where both their films were being screened the same week, tweeted: “There is something very poignant, heart-breaking about a megastar making a comeback after eons.”

Shinde flinches at the word “comeback”: “Oh that expression means nothing to me. The movie was never a vehicle to bring anyone back. My husband [producer/director  R. Balki] was in conversation with Sridevi’s husband,  Boney Kapoor, and casually mentioned that I was working on my first film. Sridevi overheard and was intrigued by the story. She asked to meet me.”

With a background in  advertising, Shinde wrote and directed a slew of  minute-long ads in Mumbai before she took a break and flew to New York to study film.  Her first short,  Oh Man! (2001), was screened at the  Berlin International Film Festival. Her latest script, written in 2008, was penned  without a specific actor in mind.

“My first full-length feature film, with the most famous Indian actress alive – who thinks like that?” laughs Shinde, pulling back copious curls. “I’m certainly not that optimistic. I feel everything fell into place by some miracle, from my DOP [director of photography], music director, crew and cast – that includes  Mehdi Nebbou [seen in  Steven  Spielberg’s Munich and  Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies], I can’t imagine this movie without them. The script   I had written, shooting that in cinematic New York, in Pune, where I grew up, in Mumbai, where I work, it was all a waking dream come true.”

“The script made me want to do the film, and, of course, Gauri,” says Sridevi,  when I grab a few minutes with her at the  JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai. She has just finished a workout and  stands before me in a tracksuit. Her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her unmade-up skin showing few signs of her  49 years. She’s soft-spoken, notably shy, yet easy to smile.  And when she looks at me, I know immediately what Shinde was talking about when she mentioned those eyes …

I zone back in and ask about the reasons behind the 15-year break.

“When I had my daughters, I didn’t want to miss out on anything, so I took a break,” says Sridevi.  “I didn’t want to miss their first words, their first walk, by being on a set while the nannies took care of them. Because of my children, I didn’t miss the industry, not even a little bit.

“But I didn’t think I’d be away for so long. When Gauri gave me the script to read, I loved it. I could relate to it – so I did it. Had she come to me four or five years ago, I would have said yes then, too.”

Born to  Ayyappan and Rajeshwari in  Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu,  Sridevi was first cast in a Tamil film  at the age of four. One film led to another and  her  career as a formidable child artiste grew as she appeared in a spate of South Indian films. National recognition came a little later. Solva Saawan  (Sweet Sixteen; 1979),  her first  Hindi film, tanked  at the box office and Sridevi was happy to never do a  Bollywood  movie again. She’s often said she hated doing the film as she didn’t understand Hindi.  Years later, she gave Bollywood another try. With her voice dubbed by another artist (she learned Hindi years later), she exploded into the national consciousness in  Himmatwala (The Brave One, 1983).

So much has changed in the  15 years  she has been away from an industry that centres on the young, the new and  the endless parade of beauty queens and models with limited acting skills.  In her second act, will the audience find Sridevi as appealing as they did when  temples were created in her name? The premise of  English Vinglish is unlike any  of those that are garnering millions at the box office in India, or  elsewhere, where action-packed flicks and inane, slapstick comedies have been  filling cash registers.

And then, there’s the age factor.  As  Meryl Streep famously said in Vogue after having been offered three parts as a witch: “Once women passed childbearing age … they could only be seen as grotesque on some level.”

When Sridevi left the industry she was pregnant with her first child   and had seen the song and dance numbers peter out. She had been nominated for best actress at the Filmfare Awards – the Indian equivalent of the Oscars – consecutively for five years  and the critically acclaimed film  Lamhe (Moments, 1991) had garnered her nearly every major award, although the box office had not been kind.

If Shinde’s anxious about  ticket sales, though, she shows no sign of it.

“It’s been a blessing that I’ve not had a moment to think about opening weekend box-office figures,” Shinde says. “There’s always a modus operandi in the media to work a phrase into a film: it’s a ‘women’s picture’ – which it isn’t; I’m no feminist, neither is my film – it’s not a ‘comeback film’ – which is such an easy slot to pigeonhole this into – and I certainly don’t think about whether the movie will make a 100 million. I honestly haven’t thought about it as we’ve been working day and night to meet deadlines, firstly to send the final cut to Canada for the film festival, then simultaneously, as the movie is being made in regional languages, we’ve had launches and premieres in different states in India, so all that has to be overseen.

“Thankfully, my husband is Tamilian, he’s been going over all the details for the [southern] states in India.  We’ve not forgotten that Sridevi is one of the last pan-Indian stars. She’s a familiar face everywhere by the sheer volume of films she’s done.”

In English Vinglish, a linguistically challenged housewife,  Shashi (Sridevi), is  married to an educated patriarch  (stage actor Adil Hussain), who is condescending about his wife’s English. A family wedding takes Shashi to New York, where she’s traumatised by the overwhelming city and its foreign cacophony. Encouraged by her niece, she takes up English tuition, joining a class of immigrants.

Having been the leading lady in five regional languages, Sridevi  says, “I’ve always had a problem with language – so when I did this film, I could relate to it instantly. I’m not fluent in any [she says with a laugh].

“My directors used to call me a parrot,” she said in an interview with CNN. “I’d retain the dialogue, emote what was necessary, but I didn’t know what I was saying in the beginning when I did films in Kannada, Malayalam and even in Hindi in the 1980s. Now I’m better but …”

A comedy of errors and miscommunication aside, the film is a gentle probe into class structure, alienation, fear and embarrassment brought on by a world that speaks a common language – but where the lead protagonist doesn’t.

“My mother’s the inspiration and starting point for the film,” Shinde says. “She’s a businesswoman and always felt had she been fluent or at ease with English, she would have prospered much more.  She thinks the film’s about her – but it really isn’t. There’s no Frenchman in her life who comes  and whisks her around New York. She’s happily staying put in Pune.”

How did the Frenchman, played by Nebbou, who is used to working in understated American and European films, feel about his love interest?

“He, like most of our cast, was in awe of our leading lady – my husband calls her the ‘hero’ of the film,”  Shinde says. “Sridevi has this awesome way of being completely true to her character on-screen and then she just switches back to being herself when the scene’s done.   She’s very shy and  keeps to herself, mostly. Well, she did originally and most of the crew – many of us who grew up watching her – were in awe of her. But she made the effort to put her co-stars at ease.”

As the late  photographer  Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who had known Sridevi from her first few Hindi films,  once said: “There are two Sridevis. Two people as different from each other as you can imagine, leading quite separate lives, who never seem to meet even though they inhabit the same body. I first met the off-screen Sridevi. She’s shy, unsure, awkward, an almost simple-looking girl who  talks in barely audible murmurs. Then, there is the screen Sridevi, who appears as if by magic the minute you switch on the  arc lights. She’s a sensuous seductress capable of unblocking your abused arteries with one look from her smouldering eyes.

“No matter how she saps my energy and spontaneity with her obsession for perfection, the Adrenalin spurts back the moment she turns to face the camera.”

At the Toronto  festival, co-star  Adil Hussain said: “Having worked on stage for years, I’m not in awe of stars. When I heard I had to work with her, I thought, ‘Good, she’s a good actor.’ But the one time I was nervous,  was during a scene near the end of the film  when I had to dance with her.” Hussain   covers his eyes with his hands. “Dance with the Sridevi. That day I was full of doubt.”

Says Shinde: “She  doesn’t live in the past, there are no affectations, she’s supremely  … normal. She’s just so calm and collected.”

The film itself has a patina that’s more Westernised than the glitz and glam of  the average Hindi movie. The director’s proclivity for independent films as opposed to mainstream, song-and-dance flicks, is visible  in the trailer.

“I think my film is not ‘filmy’ … Despite having such a glamorous mainstream actress, I didn’t want to fall into that trap. We kept it   suited to her character, there’s no big ‘item’ song number, and this is despite the many people who told us that you can’t have a film with a dancing diva and not make her dance. But I listened to no one. You’ve got to have conviction in your own story, what’s right for her character, it’s pitched that way. There are no jokes per se, there’s no slapstick, there’s humour, drama, emotion, romance, it’s all there, but it’s subtle.

“It’s a different masala.”

English Vinglish is showing on October 5 and 6th at Chinachem Golden Plaza Cinema, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Shows: 9.30pm
Tickets: HK$120 - HK$180
Tel: Morning Star: 2368 2947



NOTES: Have written for Post magazine for years, my first cover story and that too with my fav subject in the world; Sridevi. Every teenage dream of mine came true.

Got a note from Shobhaa De, author and a power-that-be at Penguin India, to write Sridevi's biography. Hmm. Something to think about in 2013...

An archive of other interviews and features of mine with B'wood actors:

Hrithik Roshan, The Master's Apprentice 

Aishwarya Rai: Hooray for Bollywood

Abhishek Bachchan: Heir and Graces 

Priyanka Chopra: My Life 

Sushmita Sen: Universal Appeal 

Amazing to see Sridevi on the cover of Hong Kong's largest circulated magazine (in English). South China Morning Post's weekend magazinee, Post magazine.

UPDATE: Note from Gauri Shinde below. I die! =0)

He's the Boss: Gerrit Ruetzel: Head of Hugo Boss in Hong Kong

As one of the youngest heads of one of the oldest brands, Gerrit Ruetzel looks to the east in his ever-rising career, writes P.Ramakrishnan.

Portrait by Douglas Pieterse.


WITH HIGH-END luxury brands, instant recognition is key. One look at the multi-hue prints on a silken shirt of a man reeks of Versace. The interlocking C's are of course Chanel, and every fashionista can read the monogram print of Louis Vuitton a mile off. But Hugo Boss, with its long history of subtle sophistication, how do you stamp an imprint on the teeming masses? A sophisticated suit, with a conservative...

"No, I wouldn't call it conservative," corrects Dr Gerrit Ruetzel, 37, the newly appointed president and chief executive Asia-Pacific of Hugo Boss. "I think we're everything but conservative. When I think of the word conservative, I think of an older generation, I don't think of a young brand. We've been around for decades, but it's a modern brand. We're not the brand that your grandpa wears."

Indeed, as a series of images from their campaigns, featuring actor Ryan Reynolds and professional racer Lewis Hamilton, unfold, there's nothing octogenarian about the look from this centennial German brand.

"There are a lot of brands that can make a nice suit, but very few that give you a modern look," he says. "With Hugo, we are more fashion forward, so I wouldn't call it a classic either. We want to give our customers options, to let them know they're perfectly dressed for any occasion. We give them a sense of security that you won't stick out in a bad way; at the same time, you're in vogue, you're modern, you are safe in what you're wearing."

Easy to concur with the good doctor (Ruetzel has a PhD in International Management) as the notably young CEO moved to Hong Kong just a few months ago, after a two-year tenure in New York with the brand. Though the brand has been in Asia for years, there are some seismic ripples being made in the Asia-Pacific region.

With a grand re-opening of its signature store in Central's IFC Mall in the coming weeks, a strong presence of Asian models leading its new campaign (Japanese model/actress Devon Aoki having already modelled for them in the past, and Philip Huang appearing in the F/W 2011 campaign), as well as further inroads into China as more stores are expected to open within the next 18 months, there seems to be a heavy Asian focus in Boss' future.

But Ruetzel offers to clear up the notion of China being a new market in their economic strategy: "We've always had a presence in China, so this isn't anything new. And as for using an Asian model, we didn't think of it as a specific strategy to encroach into the region. The casting of Huang was done a long time ago; he came in, we liked his look, he became the model for the global campaign - the same images will be projected in South America, Americas, Europe - the model doesn't change according to the region."

The lifestyle of a young chief executive isn't all about jet-setting across the globe and hobnobbing with celebrities like Sienna Miller (a past brand ambassador). "The best and the worst parts of the job are the same," says Ruetzel. "I get to travel a lot. It can be quite stressful as you're in meetings around the world, but I have the happy position to combine work and pleasure. The glamorous part of the job is hosting grand events and parties, but there's a tough business side too."

The dwindling economy and its volatile share market hit luxury brands hard. But even in difficult times, there was the sweet smell of success. "We had a meeting with our license partner, Proctor and Gamble, not long ago and the fragrances from our company have been amongst the top five brands actually. The perfume business has not developed as much in China as other countries, but we see a steady growth."

Wonder if it's the heroic efforts of the Green Lantern's (actor Ryan Reynolds) new campaign that's creating a whiff in all the right circles? Ruetzel won't say, but he waxes eloquent on the current crop of faces that are creating brand awareness to a new generation.

"Working with successful, confident personalities has been a key factor," he says. "When we first dressed Philip Seymour Hoffman, we had no idea whether he would win the Oscar. We saw this man with great talent; he may not be the image of the Boss man, but we support the talent.

"There is no one prototype man that we're aiming for. It's anyone who's successful and confident."

Flash it, cash it, or stash it: Hong Kong residents get HK $6,000 each!

On a rain-drenched evening, under Times Square’s sheltered entrance, we grabbed quotes from Hong Kong residents who were not only eligible but ready and eager to get their HK$6,000 tax rebate from the government. 

Even those who weren’t going to benefit had a sense of the excitement for friends and relatives who were eligible. Hong Kong’s permanent residents are to receive HK$40.5 billion (the cost to the government, including cash handouts and tax rebates, according to spokesman Patrick Wong). 

Early in March, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah opted to hand out the cash and tax rebates instead of, for example, infusing the pension fund accounts. 

The scheme has been received with much skepticism and criticism. But as the random sampling of opinion below demonstrates, people are delighted that the government is refunding part of an enormous surplus back to the citizens. 

Lam Kwok-yiu, 23 

I heard about the HK$6,000 online, then I read about it in magazines and newspapers, and of course, all my friends were talking about it. It's not yet time for me to get the application papers, but I've already started thinking about what to do with the money - travel, I think. It's nice to get away for a holiday. I've never heard of a government handout like this - it's great. I hadn't heard about the HK$200 bonus if we wait 'til next year. But I don't think I will wait. 

David Mok, 46 

I was very happy to hear permanent residents would receive HK$6,000. I read it about in newspapers first and then followed up online. I'm glad to know I'm eligible. I'm not sure what I'll do with it right now - maybe shop for sporting goods. I have friends and know people who got the money. It went very fast; people spent it almost immediately. No one I know has the patience to wait for an extra HK$200 by applying for it next year. With senior citizens, I heard a man joke on TV that he might not be alive next year, so he wants to get it as soon as possible! 

Lam Hin-tung, 21 

As soon as I can apply for the forms for my HK$6,000 rebate, I will. I was so excited to hear about it. I heard about it first on the news on TV. Then, in the following days, we kept the paper that had the information on how to apply, where to get the forms and how to do it. That's a lot of money to get, and I'm going to go shopping, I think, or travel. It's not enough for a long trip away, but maybe some place close ... I'd like to go to Singapore or something. 

Greg Wong Lok-tin, 21 

As a student, I'm not sure if I'm yet eligible for the HK$6,000 rebate; I've never paid any income tax. But my family has, and they are all very excited about the rebate, especially my cousins. I've been hearing about it more than talking about it as I'm not getting any money. I'm going away to study in the US, so this doesn't apply to me at the moment. But it's nice to think about what you can do if someone just gave you HK$6,000. 

Merylyn Li, 45 

When I first heard the news that we were eligible to get HK$6,000, I was thrilled. I haven't got the money yet - not even the forms. I think we'll get them much later in the year - probably around Christmas - so I'm torn between saving it and buying presents for my family, like my daughter Rioielle. I think it's a wonderful thing the government has done. I've never heard of any other government giving back money to their citizens. It's great to be in Hong Kong! 

Phyllis Chow, 35 

I was very happy to hear the news of the HK$6,000 rebate. I heard about it first online, I saw it on a newsbyte when I logged onto my bank page. I got all the information I needed, how to fill in the forms and when to send them. At first I thought I'd spend it on buying clothes or something for my young son, but after some thought, I've decided to give it to a local food fund. As a mother, I thought of other children who might be hungry somewhere out there. This is a better use. 

Martine Frieser, 27 

I have a work visa in Hong Kong and haven't lived here long enough to receive the HK$6,000, but I heard it about it from all my colleagues and on the news. I wish I were eligible for it. If I did get it, I'd probably invest it or save it. I'm from the Netherlands, and similar benefits aren't unheard of, but it's definitely new to Asia, isn't it? I'm not sure if it's the right thing; there must be a better way to benefit society at large, raising the minimum wage, for example.

An Open Secret: Carlotta Danti's exclusive interview in Hong Kong: Italian lingerie brand Rosamosario

Carlotta Danti unveils sensual luxury for women with all the right curves, writes P.Ramakrishnan.


With the tacit approval of Kate Moss, Lucinda Chambers, Natalia Vodianova, Vanessa Paradis and other fashionable femmes, the Italian lingerie brand Rosamosario, with its signature rosette motif, answers the oft-asked question: what lies beneath?

Petticoats, culottes, bustiers, night robes, corsets, virginal white laces, bold shades of blood-red ribbons, coquettish contours covered in diaphanous damasks that just barely hold the girls in. Rosamosario isn't just haute, it's hot.

"I want to bring to the world the historical heritage of Italian craftsmanship, where hands move to develop the most unthinkable and desirable luxury," says founder Carlotta Danti.

Rosamosario is made in central Milan, where the doors to its boutique and workshop are open daily to customers, "So they can breathe the air of hand-making, like in the old times," Danti says. "Silks and cottons come from Italy, bought rough and hand washed. The lace that is key to our product range is imported from Calais in France, from the main couture houses."

Danti says she likes sensual women, and created Rosamosario for them. Years after Madonna famously brought underwear out, Rosamosario has honed the conical bra concept to a sophisticated sheen. When asked how it came about that her six-year-old brand has enraptured women around the world, she replies: "Being at the right place, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York where we kicked off back in 2005. Having the right product: elegant lingerie and 'lightwear', with just the right girls."

And what girls they are. Their official website can satiate any idoliser of models, with pixel after pixel of near-nude supermodels shot by photographers such as Bruce Weber, Juergen Teller, Paolo Roversi and Mario Testino.

"I remember the day of the shoot with Bruce Weber. He shot just before the sun rose, and then again when the sun went down," says Danti. "His best works are influenced by his great sensibility for natural light. He has this incredible connection with nature, so he shows nudity in a gentle, natural way. I think his pictures can be considered a page of history, and the portraits he made with Kate [Moss] and other supermodels, are an important page of my life."

Inside the company's brochure, there are layers of tulle curved as petals for a bouquet made of fabric. It's centred on a lacy panty worn by Moss. There's another striking image of her in a black lace ensemble next to a ballgown. There's a distinctly cheeky corset, and a topless Moss in a red lace rosette-patterned undergarment, wearing nothing more than patent red leather stilettos and a smile.

Yet amid the fragile beauty and flashes of flesh, there's a distinct lack of vulgarity. "The philosophy behind my lingerie and what I call a 'lightwear' collection of dresses was developed unconsciously from my family, my attention to beauty, female bodies and their movements," says Danti. "I think of the curves of my beautiful young mother, and I always remember her as an Italian Ursula Andress. I wanted to dress women with independent dreams, full of courage and with huge personalities."

In an industry that otherwise pays obeisance to reed-thin girls and teenage whims, Danti looks to real women with curves. Women like a particular Italian actress. "Monica Bellucci has never interpreted the passage of time, her ageing, as a case of abandoning her beauty," Danti says. "Instead, her strong seductive point is her maturing beauty. Italian women are famous for being beautiful as they mature. Women like Monica Bellucci, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren."

Rosamosario's rose-print shoes will be worn by Bellucci in the film Manual Of Love 3, where she stars opposite Robert De Niro, and the screen siren has commissioned Rosamosario to make her lingerie outfits for her seductress role.

"What I like about Monica Bellucci is her interpretation of freedom. She understands that a woman can be sensual and seduce, rather than just being seduced." Danti tried to interpret Bellucci's curves for the shoes. "I created my first ever high-heeled sandals with printed chiffon and satin silks. Since then we have begun looking into shoes and have partnered with our Sicilian partners to create a new page in the history of Italian shoes."

On July 16, Rosamosario opened the doors of its new Hong Kong boutique - its first in Asia. As the brand steps into the East, Danti has been keeping a watchful eye on the region. "The powders, the colours, the flowers, petals and lightness of our materials conceived in our products embody the fragile beauty and purity of Asian women," she says.

If it's all too clear what lies beneath, the inevitable question is, what lies ahead? "We will be launching an exclusive, made-to-measure service for lingerie, for weddings and special occasions, which I will personally oversee," says Danti.

"Ladies will also be able to personalise and custom-make their look, head to toe, from their lingerie to their shoes. Rosamosario is a world, not just a product."

Rosamosario

UG/F, Manrich Court,
33 St Francis Street, Wan Chai

Race Against Time: The Amazing Race is a huge hit in America; It's Asian Iteration Telecasts This Month!

When Francesca von Etzdorf and Sandy Sydney signed up for the first edition of Amazing Race Asia, the reality based show that runs on AXN across the continent, they were new to the game; both the one on TV and their relationship. In unexpected twists and turns, they've met challenges head on and - fans can breathe a sigh of relief - they are indeed still together. So what made them sign up? No, it wasn't just the money (though that didn't hurt!).

By the time you read this feature, you'll be aware of who wont The Amazing Race Asia and the US$100,000 (HK$ 779, 708.38) cash prize that went along with it. Sure, the money was a great incentive to sign up for an express ride across the vast continent, but by looking at the show's American counterpart, surely each contestant is aware of the toils and turmoil that lead to break-ups, pain and suffering, not to mention the personal humiliation that is telecast around the world with uncensored musings, reactions, expletives, flaws and foibles included for all to see, again and again. The nitty-gritty, dirty laundry on air makes for great television viewing, while the contestants' respective 45 minutes of fame (the duration of each episode) leads to a lasting postcard of personal degradation.

Fortunately, for the two individuals representing Hong Kong, model Francesca von Etzdorf and personal trainer Sandy Sydney, there hasn't been too much on screen to make them squirm while watching the telecast of the show at home with friends. 

"It's still fantastic to watch. I find myself yelling at myself - 'No, don't take that one, pick the other option'!" laughs Sydney, who by his sheer size and gym-toned physique seemed to have an advantage over the 18 other competitors. But the physical prowess proved somewhat worthless in the beginning. "When we came in almost last in the first show, we really pulled our socks up. Not for a second did we take this race up for a laugh. We were dead serious and focused."

Agreeing with her partner, von Etzdorf says, "It's hard to believe, but in our deepest fears, when it was a life or death situation, not for a moment did we think we're not going to do the challenge. It wasn't for the camera, it wasn't for our families or friends watching, it became really personal. Both of us were totally committed."

Chosen from amongst 200 applicants in Hong Kong, the pair sent a tape to AXN that demonstrated their skills and how they were the perfect match to represent the city in the race. "We were not really sure that we would be selected but when we got the call, we were excited," says Sydney. "We didn't tell anyone what we were up to, though our very close friends had a hint as we had told them months ago about auditioning for the show. Then we dropped off the planet for about two months! Francesca's lucky that in her profession (as a model), she doesn't really have fixed hours so it was fine, and my employers were great and it all worked out."

Read the entire feature in Kee magazine - out now. 

Photography: William Furniss.

First time I met the divine Ms Francesca who I adore 'cause she's brilliant and beautiful. A combo unique to m'self I used to think! ;o)

Reality Chick: Cara Grogan: Eurasian supermodel Cara G on the modeling scene and more

An exotic mix has its perks for this model, writes P.Ramakrishnan. 

All photos by Hyvis Tong.

According to the reality show America's Next Top Model, the world of modelling is a jet-setting, high-paying, glamorous vocation for the chosen few. Reality TV needs a reality check.

"I was at a casting in Singapore with this sunglasses brand and had to meet these two Italian guys in a hotel room," recalls model-turned-VJ, Cara Grogan. "And this girl came out of the room crying. They wanted her to pose completely nude. I called my agency immediately. Outside the room I saw a long line of girls - most in their teens - waiting in the corridor in a panic, calling their agents. There are some dodgy folks out there."

"Folks" is a euphemism for the word Grogan used but you get the gist. Her ascent from print to television may seem rapid but she's been working hard for the past decade: from the best ("commercials shot in Prague, Canada, Japan with the best team in Asia") to the worst ("I was asked to wear a string bikini that barely covered. I refused to step out of the dressing room").

Grogan's the versatile model whose dimpled smile and flawless skin has stared out of numerous ads, her mixed background working to her advantage in every market she's worked in.

"I had a complicated family history, so at 14 I left home and started working," says the 26-year-old. "I've been working ever since." When she came to Hong Kong seven years ago, it was intended to be a short stint; but she kept coming back. "Now, Hong Kong's definitely where I'm grounded."

Grogan grew up in Australia's Victoria and Gold Coast. The mix of Chinese, Swiss, Irish, German and Arabic has its benefits, language not being one of them. "I speak Australian, American and English! I never picked up any other language despite my travels and mixed origin. Shameful isn't it?" She laughs. "One of the best things about being a mixed mutt is that wherever I land, people think I'm from there. When I was in China, they thought I was Chinese, when in Japan, I was Japanese and so on."

Grogan says that while she has been working hard, jobs do come in waves. "Sometimes you're busy every day, rushing to gigs and other times, well, it's me walking my dog through Soho."

As we sit and chat in a trendy new bar tucked away at the crescent of Hollywood Road and Lyndhurst Terrace, an editor of a luxury magazine strolls by. "We've worked together before right?"

Grogan nods, gives a warm hug and mentions a multiple-page fashion shoot she did with them. They agree to work together on another shoot and the editor makes a note to call her agency. "I think it's important to be nice to the people you work with, the diva tantrums don't work anywhere," says Grogan. "You don't get cast again or recommended if you behave badly. I'm really happy when someone rings me back again for a job."

It was probably this attitude that helped propel her into the limelight at Channel V. "The VJ gig happened by chance," says Grogan. "I had auditioned several times before but never gotten through and, on a lark, a friend of mine asked me to audition again. I hesitated a lot, having been rejected so many times before, but they said to me `You're older now, it's a different look; you'll have a lot more to say than before.' So I did go back - and got the job."

Grogan enjoys working on screen, and says her love of music helps her to think on her feet. Perks of the job include meeting the biggest names in the music industry, award shows and of course, travel. Her first modelling job was also something she landed by chance, during her travels around Asia. "I was in Bangkok and I sent a message home saying I was modelling and no one believed me. `Bet you're a hostess,' they laughed."

According to Grogan, she was far from the prettiest girl in class when she was growing up. "Not even close! I wasn't a thin teenager at all, I was pretty chubby - there's a photo my mother put up on Facebook and my boyfriend didn't even recognise me. No one ever found me in a mall and said I had to be a model," she says, laughing. "Then the weight fell off, no crash diet or exercise. Just in the genes I guess, but even then, I didn't have any pretensions of being Elle Macpherson."

Having done countless editorials and worked around the continent, there are a few tricks of the trade Grogan's picked up. "I always know when a shoot's going to go bad," she says. "When there are a lot of people hanging around a set doing nothing, there's trouble ahead. They won't know how to style and just throw everything into one shot. The best photographers work with the best hair and makeup artists; it's a package."

-- April 2011, Interview for Style magazine, by South China Morning Post. 

The Reign of Rykiel: French Designer and Icon's Interview

Most have only seen that shade of startling red and particular coif on the crowned heads of Europe; Queen Elizabeth I had that shade of rouge in her frizzy bob and it was all the rage circa 1558. There are other portraits of various European royals with similar gravity defying cuts too in erstwhile eras. Surely no less than royalty, "The Queen of knits" Sonia Rykiel, is the uncrowned doyenne of Parisian fashion. She speaks exclusively to P.Ramakrishnan about her Asian visits and influence, prior to the unveiling of her latest collection.

Images courtesy of The Swank.


In an age that extols thinness, there is no greater model for the sartorial styling of Sonia Rykiel than the designer herself. With a bone structure that models dream of and photographers lust after, a slim silhouette that drapes her signature knits in ways that Twiggy couldn't pull off with as much panache, her dreamy eyes and insouciant smile all make for intriguing images.

To label her merely a 'designer' is a near insult; singer, writer, artist, inspiration, icon, novelist, social commentator, thinker, mother, actress and so much more, conversation with the legend is typically French-cryptic, loaded with double entendre (and not in a vulgar way for she's never done anything vulgar in her 77 years). In saying little, she says much.

A profession that constantly demands new samples of creative fecundity every season, Rykiel has been in the business for nearly 40 years. To be precise, it is 38 years since she sent back a sweater (eight times) during her second trimester in 1968 when she couldn't find chic, comfortable maternity wear. She simply says, "I became a designer by accident, it was not planned."

Her husband owned a shop and she created a few items, mostly for herself, but when ELLE magazine put one of her knit ensembles on its cover, there was no going back to her original plan, which was "to get married and have 10 children."

Through an unprecedented career that still finds renewed and constant interest, Rykiel's knitwear is a signature look that she can't escape. If the showing at her namesake store in Central was anything to go by, the ones doling out their black Amexes were happy to embrace her latest inspired collection of shirt-dresses, minis, boat neck sweaters - all in short and loose silhouettes. As Suzy Menkes said of Rykeil: "She has a way of embracing the new without changing her merry romps on the runway, where the models exude an ooh-la-la cheerfulness."


The surprise for those who sat in the haloed front row of her Spring/Summer 2007 show in Paris was the fact the models were smiling their way down the catwalk in colourful ensembles. The colour wasn't the innovation, but getting the feline models to Cheshire grin their way through to the end of the catwalk was, as instructed by Rykeil's team as she presented a joyful collection unlike her counterparts and their grim and theatrical runway shows.

The novel idea of happy models culminated with the designer and her daughter Nathalie coming down the runway laughing, skipping and nearly dancing their way to the end. It's one of many innovations that Rykeil has placed on the catwalk. For example, she was one of the first few to put words across the front of her sweaters, with unequivocal statements like "Je deteste le cinema" ("I hate the movies" - a proclamation that came soon after Robert Altman did a caricature of her in his film Pret-a-Porter).

Not satisfied with writing a few letters on tops and behind jerseys, she penned novellas like "Les Levres Rouges" (Red Lips) and "Je La Voudrais Nus"(I would Like Her To Be Naked), and a book of fairy tales Tatania, Acacia among other books and articles. The lover of words famously said in the international Herald Tribune, "I feel more like a novelist than a fashion designer. Someone who writes a new chapter each season, including everything I see around me."

So who is the woman wearing a long sweater with the words "I Love Black" across her breasts?

"Any woman who wants to wear fashionable clothes and can manage to wear them, as long as she is able to to play with it," she responds. "These clothes are made for a woman of no specific age, any woman can wear them as long as she knows herself and her body well. It is also a fact that our customers are becoming younger, as the collections are improving a lot. But the clothes can fit any woman, a woman with a body like mine, or like Nathalie's."

Describing the kind of women she wants to sport her emblematic creations, Rykeil says, "She is not defined. She is mysterious, intelligent, attentive, and she likes to play. She is also involved in today's world and issues, politics and all the ecological problems."


But do the warm, wool peasant tops with matching voluminous skirts in baby pink fit the climate, political or environmental, of our city? "We already changed some fabrics and colours for the climate. The wool is fresher, and there is a lot of cotton, and light fabric. The clothes are very easy to wear," she assures. "It's very important to me that I know my client, the worldly woman who dons my clothes."

For someone whose work influences international fashionistas, the French icon has never even dreamed of moving to New York, London, Milan, Tokyo or any of the capital cities that she's wildly popular in.

In her monarchical splendour, she once said, "You can create fashion everywhere in the world, but the place where you are crowned is Paris. It's where you are the queen."

Published in Kee magazine. 

The Master's Apprentice: Hrithik Roshan: Bollywood Superstar in Hong Kong: BTS of film

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan has been in Hong Kong to study under one of the world’s most sought after action choreographers. P.Ramakrishnan tracked them down during a break in training. All images by Oliver Tsang.



It’s been the city’s best-kept secret. Even among the 300,000 Indians living and working in Hong Kong, only about 20 knew that one of the subcontinent’s biggest film stars, Hrithik Roshan, has been living in Kowloon.

Maybe the secrecy has been a good thing. Back home in Mumbai, Roshan is never far from his four gun-totting security guards, as hoards of screaming fans shadow his very move.

But in Hong Kong, it’s been a different story. Making his way into the gym along Peking Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui last week, the 31-year-old barely raised an eyebrow.

The first thing that catches Roshan’s eye as he survey’s the cityscape is a poster for the Stephen Chow Sing-chi blockbuster Kung Fu Hustle. And behind the poster lies the reasons for his trip to our shores. He says he recently got a chance to see the film – but he didn’t just watch it, he studied it. “The action scenes were mind blowing,” he says.

Roshan is in town to work under the expert eye of Tony Ching Siu-tung, the action choreographer on the Oscar-nominated House of Flying Daggers and the box-office smash Hero. Ching is preparing Roshan for the sequel to last year’s Bollywood hit Koi Mil Gaya (I Found Someone). For four to six hours a day, Ching has been unveiling the mysteries of wushu to Roshan at the Pacific Club gymnasium.

“I didn’t make an announcement about coming because I’m here to learn and it’s been nice getting around, making a few friends,” says Roshan. “Everyone here is busy doing their own thing and so am I.”

Seated on a mat during a break in training with his translator/assistant by his side, Ching syas: “When the producer/director Rakesh Roshan [Hrithik’s father] first came to meet me last year with the proposal of working on an Indian film, I agreed immediately.

“I’ve seen a few Indian films and really enjoyed them. They like good action, as do we. So it’s a good mix. Even before we negotiated terms, I wanted to do it, just for the opportunity. I went to India on a location-hunting trip with the crew and I had a great time.”

Roshan Jnr is hesitant to state when shooting begins, but, as it’s his father’s film, he will be actively involved in all aspects of the production.

“I’ve been behind the scenes for many years, even though I always wanted to be an actor, I’ve been assisting my dad for a long time so I know what it takes,” he says. “This is my third trip to Hong Kong over the past 14 months and we were here working with the local film fraternity, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to promote Bollywood film production in Hong Kong.”

Unfortunately, though, this is one production which will not be shot here as the filmmakers have decided to split their time between India and Singapore. “The reasons were simple – we were giving more incentives to shoot there, “ says Roshan. “It wasn’t as economically viable to shoot here, and the location there suited the script so it’s been settled in Singapore. But we still wanted to work with talent like Tony, to give the film a Hong Kong flavour, so all the film’s action scenes will be choreographed by him and his crew.”

While Roshan’s foray into film could have been predicted – Rakesh Roshan was an actor in the 1970s/80s, and is one of the most successful producer/directors working today – the amount of success he’s enjoyed has surprised even the most seasoned of Bollywood watchers.

Hrithik Roshan's first film in a leading role was 2000’s Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Say There’s Love), which was the year’s box-office champion and won its star both the best newcomer and best actor honours at the Filmfare Awards – India’s equivalent of the Oscars. Koi Mil Gaya followed in 2003 and history repeated itself; the film was box-office gold and Roshan walked away with the critic’s choice award for best actor. “Now I can afford to wait for good films to come around,” he says. “My next meal doesn’t depend on how many films I have at hand. Choosing the right film for me is a luxury.”

Roshan’s regime is rigorous. He has started from scratch and is spending hours a day under the command of Ching and two of his trainers. “I don’t know what to expect when he first came to lessons, I’ve never worked with an Indian actor,” Ching says. “But he's been dedicated, focused and hard-working.”

Three hours into the session and Roshan is still going full throttle. During one air-swivel exercise, Roshan’s sword clips a trainer’s ear and he smiles apologetically, mildly embarrassed at the goof.

“I’ve had so many injuries,” he says. “Every muscle in my body has been pulled, stretched, hurt. I’ve damaged muscles I didn’t know I had. My wrist,” he says pointing to bandages, “I don’t think I’ve broken it… but it hurts.”

Rehearsals are taped and Roshan rushes to review his progress during his break. Ching has it all on tape for different reasons. “I’ll go back and watch it all again to see what suits him,” he says. “We’ve had limited time, as we do with any film, so I have to work with what we have. He’s been an excellent student and on camera we will focus on what he does well and those are the things I will choreograph into the film when we begin shooting.”

Ching and his team are now busy preparing for a trip to Mumbai for further work on the film. “With CGI, wire-techniques and other effects, it’s like working on an international film – we’ve had no restrictions on what we can do,” he says.

The Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001), the blockbuster Devdas (2002) and Gurinder Chadha’s crossover Bride and Prejudice (2004) have opened the world’s eyes to the charms of Bollywood And to the possibilities of co-productions. But Roshan says problems remain.

“Calling it a leap of faith would be appropriate,” says Roshan. “With the first film, we used the same special effects team as used in Independence Day. In this film the action is being coordinated here, we're working on getting the sound recorded in Australia and the same American team who worked us earlier is keen to work on this film. The aim for any good production unit is to make the film better than the last and my father is taking a huge risk, but we’re all hoping it’ll be worth it in the end.”

Published in South China Morning Post, Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Feature on Hrithik Roshan from 2021 here.

Behind the Scenes:

- Got more calls from Indian girls about meeting this dude than anyone else. Ever.
- Hrithik is alarmingly nice, helpful and all that's good that's said about him rings true. He's too humble... to the point that I don't believe it's real. But I'm jaded!
- The funniest bit in the interview was when we were trying to get the names of the assistants; the guys came and told Hrithik their full names in Chinese and Hrithik just blanked. He later whispered, "Can we just call them Joe?!"
- He blushed every-time he goofed during rehearsals. He was so embarrassed for himself and he had an archaic 'aww shucks' attitude. He worked non-stop, smacked himself on the head too! All on tape!
- He wanted to see the pics Oliver took and wanted a copy. At one point, while scrolling back, he said, "Eeeee I look bad!" Oliver said there wasn't a single bad shot.
- The entire Hong Kong crew was amazed how quickly he learned his moves. We got many mid-air shots but those got cropped as we've seen those in print all the time in HK, but not in India.

Reflections on the Hindi Dream Factory: Book Review of Bollywood Boy by Justine Hardy

BOOK REVIEW
Bollywood Boy
by Justine Hardy
John Murray HK$235

Review by P.Ramakrishnan

TRUTH BE TOLD, we do judge a book by its cover and the assaulting pink backdrop and floral brocade of this novel ensures sore eyes on sight.

It is a travelogue of sorts that follows the author's quest in nabbing an interview with Hrithik Roshan, one of the biggest Indian actors working today. In turn, the author finds herself on seamy sets of B-grade Bollywood flicks or at home with besotted teenage girls, desperate for an autograph of the elusive star. It all adds up to a humourous glimpse at the ingredients and audiences that feed the Hindi film factory.

But the author fails miserably to provide any real insight into the multi-billion-rupee industry that entertains more than one billion Asians (subtitled Indian musicals reach Malaysian, Thai, Russian and Singaporean audiences).

Scratching the surface of Indian celluloid, the vacuous conclusion derived is that there is some inexplicable order in the chaotic sets of the "fantasy factory" - a phrase repeated throughout the book. We are informed it's a superficial dream world - hardly groundbreaking stuff. Why some stars hit the big league with their first film (as the cover boy does), while others end up in poverty and prostitution is never fully examined and after touching on the premise, we cut to meeting an actor on a set.

When not describing and deifying the screen hunks she's seen outside a Mumbai club ("his shirt flew open for all to see. His chest rippled, his torso gleamed"), the book rolls along well. The pathos-filed ambitions of an unknown and struggling actress, the supporting artists she meets on the set of Snip, an Anglo-Indian movie, and the residual fame that illuminates the author as she reveals to others her appointment with the star, are very funny.

Written primarily for a Western audience, she wheels out far too much local lingo (italicised, of course) to highlight how well she immersed herself in the kitschy culture of popular cinema. Without an English translation for the novices and using the simplest syntax in Hindi, I wondered who exactly she was trying to impress?

The book is peppered with pictures of various Indian stars with astute captions, such as "Hrithik's hair-do had been puzzling me", just about encapsulating how seriously one needs to consider this 262-page ode to a muscle-bound, all singing-all-dancing hero and the phoney land he rules.

There is much tongue-in-cheek humour that provides a good read and plenty of laughs, but I often wished she'd kept her tongue in check instead.

Published in South China Morning Post

Laughing matter: Interview with Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan

Tommy Tiernan is a favourite on the comedy circuit abroad. Now, locals have the chance to check him out, writes P.Ramakrishnan.

Stand-up comedy when bad, can be grotesque: think of stale punch lines from sitcoms, infantile innuendo, slapstick and simple caricatures. But throw into the mix a true raconteur, a keen wit and genuine observer of our times, and you get a gem like Tommy Tiernan, who single-handedly reinforces one’s faith in traditional stand-up comedy.

Already a familiar face to those who follow the British comedy Father Ted, Tiernan’s stage shows have received praise from the toughest audiences; the British media and the Irish public.

Winning the Perrier award for comedy (in 1998) and standing ovations at a host of comedy festivals, including the Montreal Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tiernan’s reputation has landed in Hong Kong before he does.

He may be funny when he’s working, but, whatever you do, don’t sit next to him in a bar and ask him: “Say something funny – go on.” It has happened.

This is a question and answer conducted during Tiernan’s breaks from a film shoot in Britain:

Have you been to Hong Kong before? “Only in the movies.”

Have you performed in Asia before? “No.”

Is there a subject that you find universally travels well? “Just the barren landscape of my own head.”

In the same vein, does humour travel well? “I would certainly hope so.”

Your material derives from your own life experiences - observational humour. Is there any topic that’s taboo for your? “Other people’s life experiences.”

Do you enjoy your on camera gigs? “Ah, yeah.”

Do you have any say in the script – do you change any lines? Ad lib? Or are you locked into the material handed to you? “The material was fairly locked in, but I had a bit of say about the clothes and my own hair.”

Do you ever get nervous before stepping on stage? “A little.”

Any 'must do in Hong Kong' plans? “Find some trees.”

He’s obviously saving the humour for his series of Hong Kong shows.

“Most stand-up comedians are a bit like that off stage,” says John Moorhead, organiser of the Punchline shows. “But he’s one of the best on stage.

“I’ve seen a whole new world of stand-up recently and this year we have a lot of brilliant comedians coming to Hong Kong for the first time. Apart from Tommy Tiernan, we have (fellow Father Ted star) Aral O’Hanlon later in the year.”

During Tiernan’s live shows in Britain, his seemingly random steams of consciousness have been peppered wit four-letter words as he tackles well trampled subjects such as sex, religion, school days and history.

The New York Times was impressed. “He bring to life everything from a taxi driving duck to small children to a visually challenged schoolmate to an African priest to a woman in the wailing throes of an emotional meltdown," it wrote. “A bright original and refreshingly funny import.”

Moorhead says live comedy is no longer the niche attraction it used to be. “Well, we have former chief secretary Anson Chan (Fang On-sang) on our mailing list, so things are changing. It’s still a predominantly western art from in Hong Kong and will remain so, but we do get a small portion of local people coming now, which is great.”

Any final words from Tiernan? “I’m a clown in a collapsing car. I hope you find my distress as I drive by amusing.”

Of course we will.

Published in The South China Morning Post,
April 14, 2005

Screen Studies: Shahrukh Khan: Interview with a Bollywood Icon, South China Morning Post

In Indian cinema, there’s no one quite like Shahrukh Khan. Khan’s unprecedented hold on top of the box office remains a feat unmatched. With the advent of Rab Ne Bana De Jodi, will he strike box-office gold… again? P.Ramakrishnan was in conversation with a King. 

"I honestly don't know where I'd be if that film wasn't made," says Indian actor Shahrukh Khan, referring to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (which translates to The Brave Heart will Take the Bride). The 1995 film was Aditya Chopra's directorial debut and it defied the skeptics' predictions in Bollywood and eventually ran in Mumbai for almost 10 years, earning a record 700 million Indian rupees (HK$110.43 million) and 10 Filmfare awards (India's equivalent to the Oscars). It also propelled Khan to phenomenal stardom. 

He would eventually become the most well-known actor to have emerged from Bollywood in recent years. His popularity has since spread far beyond India through films such as Don and Om Shanti Om. He has a solid fan-base in Hong Kong, for example, where he's been dubbed the "Andy Lau of Bollywood!". 

With the same film production unit that produced Diwale [DDLJ], Khan hits cinemas again after a year-long absence from the big screen with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (God Brought the Duo Together), in which he plays a simple country bumpkin from northern India who gets married to the most desirable girl in his village - much to the young woman's distress. It's a remarkably different role for an actor who is more well-known for playing hunks and there's no swanky cars or designer duds to be seen anywhere. 

It doesn't matter, as Khan says, it will be "one of the funniest films" he has ever done. The 43-year-old - now with more than 60 films under his belt since his movie debut in 1992 - is adamant that the all-singing, all-dancing slant of his commercial films has more value than gritty cinematic affairs. 

"You know when you see a so-called serious cinema offering and fall asleep in the theatre? And about 30 people saw it? I'm not mentioning names, but the director has then failed completely to make a compelling story. That's it. It's as simple as that," he says. 

Despite having won numerous awards, the Bollywood star says box office take is more important to him. "It's always fun and great to get awards but nothing beats box office success. If the audience hasn't been won over, then you've failed somewhere along the line," he says. "I think it's an easy excuse when directors or actors say the film could have been a big hit but it was released before its time and it would do well today. That's just bulls***. You didn't know what your current audience wanted, and made a film that didn't work." 

He adds, laughing, that his past four movies produced by him have not done so well at the box office. "I know what I'm talking about. I've cried when my films have failed." 

As for his upcoming movie, he's confident it will do well. "In a way, I'm undoing what Dilwale did. That movie created this urban, yuppie character Raj, the cool dude," he says. "This movie Rab Ne, is demystifying the character of Raj. You have to take my word for it, I'm shy, an introvert, who essays characters that are cool. I was never cool. I act cool but that's not me. I rarely socialise, I rarely party, I was never trendy. When wardrobe stylists send me clothes, I wear them. "When my character is supposed to be the popular jock, I walk the walk, but deep down, I've always been shy." 

So, as he portrays the bespectacled, white pajama-wearing, tech-nerd Surinder Sahni, is that the real him? "Yes... in many ways. It was so much easier to play that part and I had so much fun doing it," he says. "I tell everyone, don't be fooled by my image. When people ask me to go and hit a party, my reaction is, and then what? I'd rather be home with my wife and two kids. To me, a party is on the set. I was destined to play the role of Shahrukh Khan." 

Rab ne Bana Di Jodi screens in Chinachem, TST East.