Shah Rukh Khan dedicates his Vancouver Slam Tour show to legendary director Yash Chopra

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      The Indian film industry's biggest box-office draw over the past two decades, Shah Rukh Khan, brought a bevy of stars to the Pacific Coliseum last night for his global Slam tour.

      King Khan, as he's known, dedicated the evening to famed director and producer Yash Chopra. Chopra would have celebrated his 82nd birthday on the evening had he not died nearly two years ago.

      Chopra was instrumental in creating the phenomenon known across India as SRK through the 1990s classic films Darr and Dil To Pagal Hai.

      They reunited for Chopra's final movie, the lushly shot 2012 saga Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Khan played a street minstrel and a bomb-disposal expert opposite Katrina Kaif in a romance for the ages.

      "Tonite Vancouver is dedicated to Mr. Yash Chopra who taught us how to love," Khan tweeted.

      The show was more than two hours late because flights out of Chicago were delayed, which meant the stage crew couldn't arrive on time.

      Khan graciously apologized to the crowed before he and his team—including legendary choreographer and director Farah Khan, Bollywood "it" girl Deepika Padukone, and superstar Abhishek Bachchan—settled in for a comedy, dance, and musical extravaganza lasting three hours.

      Padukone recently starred in the art-house film Finding Fanny, which received a glowing review in the Georgia Straight. She burst to prominence opposite Khan in the Farah Khan–directed reincarnation tale Om Shanti Om.

      Deepika Padukone has become one of Shah Rukh Khan's leading costars.
      Bollywoodhungama.com

      The crowd was almost entirely made up of people of South Asian descent, who were completely charmed by Khan. He performed dance numbers from his earlier hit movies with Chopra as well as from the more recent Don series and Chennai Express.

      He and Bachchan also clowned around with a number from the Dhoom trilogy, which has featured Bachchan but which Khan has never appeared in. At one point, Bachchan urged the crowd to exhort Khan to play the villain opposite Bachchan's police-inspector role in the yet-to-be filmed Dhoom 4.

      But as charismatic as Khan can be, he was nearly upstaged by Farah Khan, who delivered a steady stream of wisecracks directed at 54-year-old sidekick Boman Irani. They frequently riffed in ways that brought up their 2012 romantic comedy Shirin Farhad K Toh Nikal Padi, in which they discovered love in middle age.

      I was hoping to hear Khan perform "Challa" from Jab Tak Hai Jaan, but alas, that never happened. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about SRK, check out the video below. And take notice of the stunning cinematography, which came courtesy of the master himself, Yash Chopra. May he rest in peace.

      This was the only film in which South India's Sufi-inspired musical genius and playback singer A.R. Rahman collaborated with Chopra.

      And if you're wondering about Khan's popularity in Vancouver, check out the crowds outside last night's venue. (See top of article.)

      Comments

      12 Comments

      Wish I'd been there

      Sep 28, 2014 at 11:07am

      This is great. Thank you for covering shows by popular (an understatement, I know) entertainers from other parts of the world that are largely unknown by most folks here. I'm a white chick and wish I'd attended this but sometimes I feel that I wouldn't be welcome because I'm white. Is that just my own perception? And hey, anybody else think the woman in this photo looks like Maria Menounous?

      singh

      Sep 28, 2014 at 1:57pm

      You would absolutely be welcome

      Thank you @singh

      Sep 28, 2014 at 6:15pm

      You don't know how happy that makes me. Next time I will go! :)

      @ Wish I'd been there

      Sep 28, 2014 at 9:15pm

      I'm not Indian either and I assure you from experience that I've always felt welcome.

      Lorraine USA

      Sep 28, 2014 at 10:13pm

      If a person shows that he are uncomfortable that can influence others around him to feel uncomfortable also. Any show that has Shah Rukh Khan in it is well worth attending. So, if you have the desire and means to do it, just go there and enjoy the show. Nothing else matters. Best wishes to all!

      Thanks, everyone!

      Sep 29, 2014 at 5:46am

      I never want to go where I'm not wanted. Your encouragement is great and I'll check out similar shows (if there are any) next time.

      Marva a

      Sep 29, 2014 at 6:48am

      It breaks my heart to hear that you didn't attend because you are white....2/3 rds of the world are people of colour...you are missing out on life....get up get out and see the beautiful and welcoming world.

      Low brow

      Sep 29, 2014 at 10:24am

      Hey, I am Indian, not East Indian as most folks say.
      Personally, you wouldn't catch me anywhere near something like this.
      I would rather watch an art house film any day.
      So to all you folks that missed this event, I really don't think you missed much.

      MEHTAB ARABI

      Sep 30, 2014 at 12:18am

      You can say just magic for any Indian superstars. But don't underestimate the power of SHAH RUKH KHAN that's why I proud to be fan of him ( srk ). The most popular movie star on the earth declared by GOOGLE, BBC-LONDON, LA TIMES, Huffpost BC and many more. That's called king khan stardum.