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Cricket is socially relevant: Shah Rukh Khan
12th Mar 2008 09.01 IST
By Agencies

Bollywood mega superstar Shah Rukh Khan adored cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar, was fond of wicket-keeping in his youth and bought an Indian Premier League team as he considered cricket a sport which was socially relevant.

SRK, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team, said his interest in the IPL stemmed from a desire to immerse himself – apart from acting – in something, which was socially relevant.

"For the last four to five years, I was thinking of doing something for cricket. I wanted to do something, which appeals to the youth as they inspire me. NGOs wanted me to do lot of social work. But I think sports is one stream, which is socially very relevant. Cricket is the most popular sport in India," the King Khan said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old film hero, who admires Mother Teresa for her work among the poorest of the poor and the infirm, said he had succeeded in life by following three simple tenets - hard work, not thinking badly of others and honesty.

"Besides, I always wanted to wear the golden helmet, which to me is a metaphor for being victorious," said SRK, who shot into limelight in 1985 with the popular television serial 'Fauji.'

The golden helmet is the logo of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

SRK may be a traffic stopper and the reigning king of Bollywood, but he was modest about his achievements, which also included a plethora of acting awards as also the Padma Shri.

"I thank God for whatever I have become today. I'm glad to have been born in an age when Indian films have started making an impact. The essence of Indian cinema is reaching all over the world. So, whatever honour I have got is due mainly to the success of Indian films," he said.

SRK felt that his team Knight Riders had it in them to win the league.

"We have a great coach in John Buchanan, a great captain in Sourav Ganguly, and a host of stars like Shoaib Akhtar, Chris Gayle, Ricky Ponting, the experienced Ajit Agarkar and the young sensation Ishant Sharma. We also have a great support staff. I see no reason why we should not succeed."

On Preity Zinta remarks that she wanted to see her Mohali team play and beat his team in the final, Khan said with a smile "I wish her all the best. We hope to play good cricket."

SRK also assured that the contentious issue of ticket distribution for IPL matches at Eden Gardens would be sorted out amicably.

"I and my RCE have not come to this city to create any kind of stress. We are going to sit down and sort this out amicably. We hope to carry the true spirit of cricket as we hold talks with the CAB till a solution is found," SRK said.

"We will make everyone happy. Even CAB is our team. This is the first thing we will work on. And the rates will be affordable," SRK said.

The IPL stipulation that 80 per cent of tickets would be kept by the team franchise owner has caused much heartburn in the CAB, with a majority of affiliate units and members crying foul apprehending they would be deprived of the quota they had received in the past.

Led by former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, the dissident lobby in the CAB has demanded that considering the large crowd capacity at the Eden, RCE should keep only 20 to 30 per cent (or a couple of thousands more) of the tickets, and give the rest to CAB for distribution to members and affiliates.

Facing flak, the CAB convened a Special General Meeting on February 26 where the majority of members urged Association president Prasun Mukherjee to persuade RCE to agree to the fresh distribution formula as per their suggestion.

Only two days ago, the dissident lobby had accused the ruling group of keeping them in the dark about developments.

SRK, who essayed the role of an impassioned hockey coach in his recent film Chak De India , also said the Indian hockey team would rock again putting behind the recent defeat that saw its door shut for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

"In every sport someone has to win and someone has to lose, but the sadness should always be left behind after defeat," SRK said.

"The recent defeat of Indian hockey team in the qualifying round of the Olympics has caused a huge amount of sadness amongst all Indians and for many non-Indians also, as we all love hockey.

"In any kind of sports, we cannot always win and we can also lose. I am sure that Indian hockey will rock again," SRK said.

"We should quickly get over the blame game (over the defeat)," he said.

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