For the patient fans of srk,real official srk site is constructed ,to be officially launched to -morrow morning after all night roudy part with the shah!
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‘We have no imminent plans of going public’
Shah Rukh Khan’s luck is finally changing. It began when his latest
release, Mohabbatein, did rather well at the box office, despite the
challenge posed by the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Mission Kashmir.
And, now, he has finally launched – after many delays – his
much-awaited website, srkworld.
Promoted by Aryan Informatics (I) Private Limited, a company he has
floated along with long-time friend and business partner Juhi Chawla,
this website promises to be an industry showcase, apart from being
Khan’s official site.
“Rather than a personal website,” demurred Khan, “I feel that this is a
platform wherein the film industry can synergise completely and provide
users with the kind of information and pictures that are not found
anywhere on the Net.”
In a long-drawn presentation, where he led select guests through the
website page-by-page, Khan began with a long explanation about how this
was not “a megalomaniac’s venture into self-promotion, but also a
convergence of talent and business resources that have been pooled in
from various people and organisations.”
Some of these organisations include Tips Music, Venus Music and Dreamz
Unlimited. Talks are currently on to get software giants Microsoft and
Compaq involved in the venture.
The business plan, formulated and moulded by B4U’s Kishore Lulla and
Bharat Shah, states that revenues will be garnered via advertising,
merchandising and publicity. Shah feels that this is a winning
proposition all the way “since the Internet is the next big thing. And
who better than Shah Rukh Khan to promote the film industry in such a
big way?”
Lulla revealed that, though about $ 1 million has already been sunk into
the project, they hope to break even within six months. The investors’s
confidence seems to stem from the fact that an idea of this magnitude
has not been explored, let alone implemented, before. They are, in fact,
ready to invest up to $100 million in the venture – “Whatever it takes”
being the motto.
But the strategy they are following is to start small before they go
international in a big way. “We will focus on branded merchandise that
will be given away on special schemes and contests on the site. We are
looking at the Asian market as a whole, because China, Korea, Singapore
and markets like these are huge in terms of volumes,” said Khan.
Branded merchandise, a new concept to India, has already been created
and will be available the site. There include clothes designed by film
stars, high-quality stationery with photos of Shah Rukh Khan on it,
posters, autographed snaps and trinkets.
When asked whether the site, with these kind of give-aways, focused only
on the younger generation, Khan vehemently denied it. “The entertainment
industry in India is the biggest binding factor in all our lives. It
cuts across boundaries of location, culture and language and appeals to
people of all ages as well.”
The big bucks, said Shah, was expected to flow in from the NRI market
where Hindi cinema has a strong and growing influence.
The company has started with a big bang but, with the huge shakedown in
the dotcom scenario, what of its future?
“The shakedown, as it were, is affecting people who were in the business
to launch, go public, collect cash and disappear. We’re here to stay –
and we have no imminent plans of going public,” said a confident Khan.
“But you can never tell. For all you know, this could turn out to be a
very carefully thought-out bad decision!”
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