After a bitter fight that used Twitter as its stomping ground, Bollywood's fight club starring Shah Rukh Khan and Shirish Kunder has taken a time-out. Here are five facts on the story:
The truce was reportedly called today after Farah Khan, who is married to Shirish, visited Gauri and Shah Rukh Khan at their Mumbai mansion, Mannat. The peace broker was Farah's brother, Sajid Khan.
Sajid says that he decided to take matters into his own hands when it made the headlines in national newspapers rather than in gossip sections. He said, "they all had masala dosa together which Gauri prepared."
Farah says that even Shirish has made his peace with this, after all its a 20 year friendship at stake and Farah also mentioned that it was a family affair and not a publicity stunt.
But what's the fight about?: Shirish Kunder and SRK were both at a high profile party at Mumbai nightclub Aurus hosted by Sanjay Dutt, fresh from the success of Agneepath. Shirish, who has taken repeated potshots at SRK and RA.One on Twitter, continued to sound off against the star and the film at the party. He left the party in the early hours of Monday morning with a swollen face and accused SRK of having assaulted him. He later said: "When someone attacks you from behind and comes prepared with a set of bodyguards to protect his own self, you don't really have a choice, do you? "All I feel is that if at all there was so much pent up anger in him, he could have gone verbal. Getting physical hasn't reflected well on either of us." SRK, on his part, has admitted to an argument but denies assaulting Mr Kunder. He says Mr Kunder was repeatedly asked to stop making the remarks he was making, but refused to do so. Party host Sanjay Dutt had to step in to break up the alleged fight.
Despite Shirish's claims, SRK has found support from many other guests who were at the party who all maintain that Shirish had it coming. A tweet from Ameesha Patel reads: "Shah Rukh is supr rockin.. Good he gave it 2 shirish. people shud learn 2 b grateful to king khan, afterall he has been so supportive 2 farah. Glad@iamsrk told shirish off n put him in place. SRK has done so much 4 farah. they shud b grateful n not abusing srk (sic)." Photographer Dabboo Ratnani had this to say: "I was present at Sanju's party & Without Any Bias I Fully Support Shah Rukh (sic)”
Shirish Kunder and SRK go back a while. Shirish is married to director Farah Khan, once a close friend of SRK and who had cast the superstar in her first two films – Main Hoon Na (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007). The friendship soured when SRK refused to star in Shirish's film Joker, which will release in August this year and has Akshay Kumar in the lead. Farah Khan retaliated by casting Akshay Kumar in her third film, Tees Maar Khan (2011) instead of SRK, sounding the death knell for their decaying relationship. In turn, SRK replaced Farah as choreographer on RA.One with Ganesh Hegde. Farah and Shirish married in 2004 and have triplets together. Shirish Kunder served as editor on Farah's first two films and as producer, story writer and composer on her third.
An uneasy truce between SRK and Farah was called when the former friends met in public, at a dance reality show and then at an awards function. Farah tried to make amends by hugging SRK and explained away her decision to cast Akshay Kumar in Tees Maar Khan as not wanting to make films solely for SRK. The superstar, for his part, said that working under Farah was “getting the finest tutelage in the country.”
Leave it to Amul to have the last word. A new ad pokes fun at Bollywood's fight club. See ad here
