Empire strikes back: Chris Rock makes an impression

Lee Daniels’s musical TV series, Empire, is the kind of show no one should miss. When Empire made its debut last year, it captivated audiences around the world and quickly established itself as one of the biggest hits on television in recent years. The show may be musical but it is nothing like Glee.

Anchored by the amazing Taraji P. Henson, who picked up an Emmy nomination for her role of Cookie Lyon, and Terrence Howard, Empire tackled several themes in its first season including homophobia and sexual identity, musical perseverance and larger-than-life characters. At its heart though, the show is as much about family as it is about musical genius and the cutthroat side of the entertainment world. PLus, the guest appearances from the likes of Mary J. Blige, Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love, Snoop Dogg and Jennifer Hudson simply elevated the show to a whole new level.

If the first season introduced us to the music, the family and the madness, the all-new second season is flipping the storyline on its head. When season one ended, music mogul Lucious Lyon is arrested for murdering ex-wife Cookie’s cousin, Bunkie. So predictably enough, the show begins with Lucious in jail. But everything else that happens in the first episode of the new season will completely throw you off. Up is down, down is up. Brothers Hakim Lyon and Andre Lyon are playing on one team while the once-shy Jamal Lyon is running the empire, literally. He has been handed the key to the Empire, the chosen one, if you will, by none other than Dad Lucious who can still spin things around while sitting in prison.

The first episode from the second season has plenty for fans. It opens with a concert that is meant to unite people behind Lucious’s release from jail and his consequent comeback. Then there’s the radical transformation of Jamal Lyon and it is beautiful to watch. Like his father, he is willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the top and stay there. The vulnerable boy is all but gone and Jussie Smollett’s performance as Jamal is exquisite to watch.

And finally, like last season, the new season also features cameos and guest appearances from some heavy hitters. Chris Rock stars in the opening episode as Frank Gathers, a cold-blooded criminal who makes the mistake of going up against Lucious Lyon. And make no mistake: this is a dark, brooding Chris Rock and he is the surprise package.

In the coming weeks, Empire will continue to feature a diverse group of musical names like Pitbull, Kelly Rowland, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz. So, keep watching.

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The reinvention of Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan, an actor, producer and businessman par excellence, has often revealed in interviews that he continues to do certain kinds of movies because filmmakers don’t approach him for dynamic roles. But, when given the chance, Shah Rukh Khan can certainly deliver. Think Chak De India, Swades and Devdas. His comic timing is impeccable as we’ve seen, not just in films, but also at award ceremonies. When Shah Rukh Khan is hosting, you can expect barrels of laughter. His quick wit and improvisation skills are unparalleled. And yet, SRK is almost always cast in roles that seem to be a caricature of his real self.

The past few years have seen the actor play leads in films that spin millions on the box office but offer little in terms of an actual, intriguing plotline and content. You only watch these films if you love Shah Rukh Khan. Films like Chennai Express and Happy New Year play up brand SRK but none of these films are memorable and can stand the test of time.

So, here’s the good news: the actor is all set to reinvent himself with his upcoming projects.

The most-talked about SRK film seems to be Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale, which will reunite SRK with Kajol. Outside of SRK-Kajol reunion, we expect nothing from the film. It is a Rohit Shetty film.

That said, its SRK’s upcoming projects that offer some hope for long-time fans who cherish the actor in maddening, radical roles… be it Anjaam, Darr or My Name Is Khan.

In Raees, which will also feature Pakistan’s very own Mahira Khan, Shah Rukh Khan is playing a bootlegger. The film is being directed by Rahul Dholakia and will also feature ace actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

After Raees comes Fan, which is written by Habib Faisal and directed by Maneesh Sharma of Band Baaja Baarat fame. In this particular film, SRK will play an actor who is obsessed with himself. In this age of self-obsession and selfies, the film’s timing and story couldn’t be better. Plus Maneesh Sharma’s style of narration mixed with SRK should be worth the wait.

The third and final film in the reinvention box is a Gauri Shinde film. Just one-film old, Shinde gave the world a brilliant film in the form of English Vinglish and brought Sri Devi back to the spotlight in a beautiful manner. Her next with SRK will also feature Alia Bhatt and according to reports, this film will be about the love between SRK and Alia. Given Shinde’s last film, we’re hopeful about this film as well.