One hand in a sling. After his shoulder surgery, this is the second time he ventured out of home. Despite the paining shoulder, the owner even shook a leg with the captain of Kinght Riders for their TV show "Knights & Angels." Later I learned, all that movement aggravated his pain in the evening. It was finals of K&A this Thursday. Six cheerleaders were selected for the Knight Riders. Sitting in his car, Shah Rukh talked on the way from Mannat to Andheri West...
Q: When does the sling come off?
SRK: Towards the end of March, I am told. It is still very uncomfortable and pains from time to time.
Q: Oh, so there is no problem in clapping and cheering on 11 April at Eden?
SRK: There is. Even if the sling goes, I'll have a frozen shoulder. Won't be able to bring my hand down for quite some time. I'll need lots of physiotherapy.
Q: Then?
SRK: What then? Baaki teams ke liye mera ek haath hi kaafi hai! (smiles) {just one hand of mine is enough for the rest of the teams}
Q: You will be there for all the games?
SRK: I will but this time at least towards the beginning I will need special arrangements. I'll have to be under restrictions for at least another three months. People try to pull my hand, they jump on me because they love me. It won't be possible for the time being. This is why I am not going to public places at all. Day after tomorrow I'll travel to Delhi to speak at an event where Mr. Musharraff is also supposed to speak. But I won't attend the dinner there either. I'll require different sitting arrangements at Eden. There will be pushing in the gallery. Maybe a separate barricaded area or in the box where there will be no crowd.
Q: What has been your most memorable "get well" message so far?
SRK: Dalmiya ji SMSed. He wrote the main criterion for our team to win is full fitness and I am messaging the main player of the team to get fit soon.
Q: How do you think is the Knight Riders team this time?
SRK: Looks good. McCullum will be available. Mendis will be available. Gayle will play at least eight games. Dada is there. Also some upcoming guys. Our camp starts at Eden on 16 March. We'll sure get at least one deserving player from there. I'll try to be present at the camp for one day. I have realized one thing. In Twenty20, the team spirit factor can change the equation. And you can't create a champion team overnight. You have to invest time.
Q: In Bollywood, if your film flops you can switch to a better strategy in addition to your acting strengths and make the next one a hit. But even if Knight Riders play bad, you cannot do anything but sit helpless in the dressing room. Last time this helplessness didn't hurt?
SRK: From twenty years experience I have learned that life can be led in two ways. One is like Mike Tyson - always believe in knock out punches. And not think of the larger picture. When I started off I was like that, but now I have realized that you have to be either Mohammad Ali or George Foreman. You have to stay in the game for all the rounds. How much you get hit is not important. What matters is if you are still standing and fighting despite being hit.
I was telling my son that day, the percentage of failure in my life is more than the percentage of success. If you count hits and flops. Still people think I am extremely successful. Why? I have survived the blows in hope that I will win in future. I want to put this into the system of the KKR guys - you may lose a game but don't be a loser. I want to spend a lot more time with the boys this time which wasn't possible last year.
There is nothing to say to Dada. There's no one like him in India who has taken so many blows, has been insulted so much, and yet kept fighting back again and again. I'll have to pass the message on to the others, don't be a loser brother, hang on so that you can give the knock out punches to the other opponents.
Q: You are saying all this alright, but last time it looked as if your world had come to a standstill.
SRK: Actually my role here is like that of a movie director. When a film flops, the director is hurt the most. Not the hero. The director feels very lonely then. Yet he has to act as if nothing has happened. I had to deal with that feeling. I have a lot of time to think these days. Was I called Raj the maximum number of times in movies? Or Rahul? Amidst all these idle thoughts I keep going back to thinking about what all mistakes we made last time.
Q: What extras will the spectators at Eden get this time? Any shows planned?
SRK: I don't think so. In the current economic scenario I am going to make losses anyway. Last time at least we managed a "break even". But I'll try to create a more enchanting, festive atmosphere. I want to put up a big bell at Eden. I've seen in Kali puja, Durga puja that there are bells being used in Bengali festivals. Without hurting the Bengali sentiment in any way I'd like to incorporate this. Last year I made a mistake. While paying homage I mentioned Tagoresaab. Later many people told me I could have just said Tagore.
Q: What do you have to say about cricket at Eden with fears of terrorism in the air?
SRK: Eden is my favorite ground. Other Indian states may get angry at me. Still I would say the two true blue sports loving states are West Bengal and Goa. For films there is Mumbai. For sports there is Kolkata. My life's long term goals are now to build a cricket stadium in Kolkata and a world class film studio in Mumbai.
Q: I meant the security. In the current scenario.
SRK: True. Actually these are affecting our world a lot for the last 5-6 years. But we are still working. Few days back some people threw some stuff outside my home. What can I do if that happens? I can't sit at home for that. My advantage is I have a choice about where I want to go. My car is bulletproof. And I have security along. Even if you don't take these into account, I have the option of telling my director this scene is too dangerous, I don't want to do it. Eighty percent of the common people do not have that option. They have to struggle daily and have to go out on the roads despite terrorism.
I want to tell the Eden spectators, this year your security will be very well organized. Kolkata's Governor is already working on it. Government and administration will not leave any stone unturned. Despite that if someone has fears, do not come to the ground. I know my partners and the Red Chillies people will be mad at me for such a comment. But I cannot persuade people to come to the stadium in a terrorized state to fill up my bank account.
Q: Having seen players from close, what do you think of them? Are they like actors?
SRK: They are similar. At this level, all kinds of performers have similar mentality.
Q: Its not just players who abuse each other, it seems your friends in the industry also do a lot of vicious talk about you?
SRK: Vicious talk means what? Recently Chidambaram's comments were fabricated in such a way that it was made to sound like he said stop IPL! He never said that. Like that a lot of people say a lot of stuff about me. One shouldn't consider all that verbatim. I used to read in the papers that Mr. Bachchan and I have so much animosity. Now that man came to see me in my home and chatted with me for four hours. You tell me what should I believe? What you people write or my personal experience?
Tonight there is the wedding of someone close. I think I am not going for the hand. But my friends will all do a round at Mannat before going for the wedding. Come at my home around 10:30 at night, you will be stunned to see my so-called enemies are all there!
Q: What are you saying, Aamir's comments were not vicious?
SRK: Listen, Aamir and I share a relation where instead of replying to him in the press I can call him home and say, you **** what the hell are you saying? Have you gone crazy?
Remember the problem with him was during the release of two films at the same time. The starting point was professional. Instead of bothering so much about Aamir versus Shah Rukh, the media should concentrate on finding out whether they got used cleverly by any of us. Whether they got fooled.
From my side I can say I've never used the media for selfish reasons, and vice versa.
Q: Coming back to Knight Riders, you went that high for Mortaza?
SRK: We had zeroed in on buying one of these two cricketers. Shane Harwood or Mortaza. When Jaipur bought Shane we were left with no other option but to go all out on Mortaza.
Q: Did you anticipate Mohali would raise the bid so high?
SRK: I had written to my team before the auction that we will end up fighting with Mohali.
Q: And then?
SRK: Then we have to defeat them. Whatever it takes. You were saying something earlier on this, I tend to reserve the knock out punches for the end.
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