Karan Johar's 'My Name Is Khan' may have gladdened the hearts of cinegoers and industry folks, alike. A certain Raj Kumar Hirani, however, was seized with his premier share of worry, ever since he viewed the SRK flick.

Reason: Rizwan Khan of 'MNIK' has gone to US and done all that… Munnabhai was slated to do in 'Munnabhai Chale Amrika!'

Reportedly, writer Abhijat Joshi and Hirani have donned fresh thinking caps for the trilogy series of the cult 'Munnabhai' film, even as the much awaited and well delayed flick takes a while to shape up.

Says Sanjay 'Munnabhai' Dutt in a tabloid interview, "There were similarities between 'MNIK' and part three of Hirani's 'Munnabhai' film. So, a major part is being rewritten coz' Raju (Hirani) knows what a huge responsibility is to direct the 'Munnabhai' film."

Adds Dutt, "Earlier, we were supposed to start shooting the film by the end of this year. But I do think that we will start shooting by April 2011. The second 'Munnabhai' film was better than the first one. And the third one will have to be much better than the second."

Movie buffs will second that heartily…

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Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name Is Khan' has become the first Bollywood film to be released in cinemas across the country with Hindi audio description (AD) for visually challenged people.

AD is as important to blind and partially sighted people as subtitles are to those with hearing problems. It is an additional narration that fits between passages of dialogue to describe action sequences, body language, costume and scenery, allowing the viewer to understand exactly what is happening on screen.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) worked with 20th Century Fox to achieve this after research amongst blind or partially sighted people found that over 55 percent of respondents were more likely to watch Bollywood films if AD was provided.

'Around 700 films are produced by Bollywood every year and our research tells us that blind and partially sighted fans want AD on these films. We hope other studios will follow 20th Century Fox's lead,' said Fazilet Hadi, director of RNIB.

The studio has come out with both English and Hindi AD tracks for 'My Name Is Khan'.

'We are proud to offer for the first time ever a Hindi AD track on 'My Name is Khan'. English speaking AD has been available on all our films for some time now, so we felt it was natural to progress and offer Hindi AD on our first collaboration with Bollywood,' Martin Bromfield, executive director Twentieth Century, said in a statement.

'With help from RNIB and Deluxe Digital Studios, we worked hard to create an English audio descriptive track which was then translated before being recorded by a Hindi speaking audio describer, in time for the second week of release,' he added.

Directed by Karan Johar 'My Name Is Khan' features Shah Rukh as Rizwan Khan who embarks on a journey across America to win back the love of his life, Mandira, played by Kajol.

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Five seconds of SRK's mega star power! Blink, blink… Berlin sold its heart out to Shah Rukh Khan. The online tickets for 'My Name Is Khan' were sold out in five seconds before dawn and were reportedly auctioned on ebay at 1000 euros (Rs 60,000) each!!

Fans had not slept all night in the sub zero temperature in Berlin, keeping their place in the queue and those who showed up at 6 a.m for booking were reduced to tears. More good news… 'MNIK' opened in 121 theatres in the US and Canada on Feb 12 and has set the cash registers resounding with success.

In Mumbai too, a heartening picture was emerging. From 13 to 35 to… 50, out of 63 cinema halls in Mumbai screened 'MNIK' even as Sena supporters did their best to create mayhem. Fun, Fame Adlabs, Big Cinemas, Inox and PVR all reported decent ticket sales after they opened their shows.

The "phased release" of 'MNIK' at the chain of multiplexes (each of them opened one cinema hall each) foiled the plans of the Sena. Stumped by the strategy and the undeniable support of SRK admirers, the Sena was forced to eat humble pie.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, however, swiftly labelled his moral policing as a "success,", asserting that, "We wanted Shah Rukh Khan to apologise to the nation, and not to the Shiv Sena."

The unflinching support of the Mumbaikars have gladdened the celeb heart of SRK. In a Twitter post from Berlin, he expressed his happiness calling Mumbaizens, the true heroes. "I am not a hero, u r (sic)."

SRK, confessing to be "humbled and overwhelmed" has apologised… to his fans. "I am sorry for all the stress caused to my fans," tweeted the 44 year old star icon, who reportedly has 1,31,435 followers on the micro blogging website.

In a bid to show support and defy the Sena, Gauri Khan strode into a multilplex, purchasing her ticket to view 'MNIK'. "Shah Rukh is just happy that the film has been released," King Khan's spouse remarked to the scribe tribe. Flying high 'Kites' actor, Hrithik Roshan too tweeted in favour of Khan stating, "Spread humanity with a vengeance, go watch 'MNIK' "

Billboards across the country lament the dismal fate of tigers. 'Only 1411 tigers left.' Blogs, SMSs, emails… are in overdrive highlighting the endangered species.

So much for tigers. Sena Tigers, anyone?

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Gauri Khan is doing what she does best -- managing the home turf for husband and Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan.

While Khan is attending the Berlin Film Festival, where his movie 'My Name is Khan' received a red carpet premiere Friday, Gauri was out Saturday thanking Mumbaikars for the overwhelming response to the film.

'I think the best way would be to say 'Jai Maharashtra'. We love Mumbai and Shah Rukh is really excited and will be coming to the cinemas tomorrow along with (director) Karan (Johar),' Gauri, with daughter Suhana in tow, told reporters at the Inox theater here.

The movie generated quite a controversy after the Shiv Sena called for its boycott to protest Khan's advocacy of Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

'I thank all fans on behalf of Shah Rukh and Karan,' Gauri, who is the co-producer of the movie, added.

'MNIK' was screened in all theatres in Mumbai, Pune and across Maharashtra Saturday.

On Friday, only 13 theatres in the city, including six multiplexes and four single-screen halls, had released the film. The movie was originally set to be released in 63 theatres.

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The backfoot has transformed into… a step forward! Earlier, the Shiv Sena's declarations that it would allow a peaceful release of 'My Name Is Khan' seems to be a matter of the past.

Reportedly, the opening of advance booking for 'MNIK' seems to have fanned the ire of the Sena, once again! Screens across Mumbai multiplexes and theatres earned dicey cuts, as many of their screens were ripped and film posters torn up.

Over 300 Shiv Sainiks allegedly involved in the incidents have been arrested, and there have also been mass demonstrations at other locations.

Apart from tight security measures, SRK's Feb 12 flick will also boast of a unique feature: cops in plain clothes, who will be among regular cine patrons, since Sena activists are also expected to book tickets in advance in order to create chaos.

Earlier, filmmaker Karan Johar and a clutch of distributors met up with top cop D Sivanandan to work around the prickly issue. "He has assured us of tight security measures at all theatres and multiplexes where 'MNIK' is being screened," reveals a guarded Karan Johar. "The advance booking has started and we are on board for the Friday release."

For SRK, though, it's 'My Name Is Tense Khan'.

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