The Shah Rukh Khan 'KKR' interview

Discovery Channel is all set to air a docu series Living with KKR that would chronicle IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) journey in the cricket tournament. The series will air from today 24 till 27 February 2014. At a recent press conference, Shah Rukh Khan spoke about the initiative and his journey as the co owner of the team. Read on… What was your first feeling when you watched the AV of the journey of KKR? (Pauses) Well, I felt like crying, but it also made one thing clear that one must leave emotions behind to go ahead and win for if you don’t, no one would make a documentary on you. I know one would expect more words of wisdom from me but in these 23 to 24 years of my career, these four to five years of my journey with KKR has made me feel happier, stronger and everything that life is about. So just don’t wish, pray and hope for things to happen. And if in spite of you doing all this, victory is not coming your way think that you’re not good enough. When you look backwards, do you think this journey was worth it? And when you fast-forward, are you ready to accept more challenges? KKR was difficult for me because basically I am a film star. We lost a lot of time because I took wrong decisions and I stand by them. But there wasn’t much that I could do. So being an actor has its own pros and cons. And when I think of the future of my team, it just makes me feel stronger and passionate. I simply want to go ahead and enjoy this time as my main motive is to open avenues for younger people. You see, we in India lag in sport and am just looking at this as a platform to do something for them. You changed the jersey colour from black to purple. Are you a superstitious person? After Juhi (Chawla) and I had a discussion on that, I had to give in. In fact a lot of people even had issues with the fire symbol on the team’s T-shirts. They believed that’s exactly why we were burning down. But I don’t believe in superstition. I feel people just need someone or something to put the blame on when they go wrong. But I fall back on myself and also hold myself responsible when I fail. At times it gets difficult to keep up that smile standing on that balcony. In one match, Gautam (Gambhir) was out in the first ball and I wanted my team to win. So, I stood there praying; prayed after a very long time on that balcony that day because when I pray it’s not for me alone but for others too as God always answers my prayers. Resultantly we won. Is this documentary going to encompass even the infamous Wankhede stadium incident? I did not make the documentary. Moreover KKR has its own personality. A lot of writers have written books on me and have written about things that do not compliment me. This means that they must have questioned me about those things and I answered. So, you might get to see the Wankhede incident too. Will you ever go to Wankhede? I like my 50 inch TV at home. Have you ever given pep talks to your team? I like to write. So, I have these speeches for KKR. I have given a lot of pep talks to the team but not like a leader. In fact, the last one was the best. We managed to get messages from all our family members from across the globe in one night. Have you ever thought of bailing out of KKR? I will not sell this team ever. It goes up and goes down with us. We understand it’s not our area of expertise but the thought did not cross our minds for a minute till now. This is for keeps. Have you ever scolded any of your team members? Except for at Wankhede, I haven’t yelled at people. In fact in films a lot of things happen but I work with a low composure and with love. And these players don’t lose on purpose. People have told me things like why are you asking a particular player to ball or why don’t I take Dhoni in my team. Then I have to explain that he is with another team (Chennai Super Kings). I have heard from my mother-in-law how a team should be and so also from the panwala from whom I buy cigarettes. All this used to make me angry; I used to sit in my sister’s room and watch TV as nobody comes there; have also shed my years there. I’ve seen a big guy like Chris Gayle sitting and crying away under the shower after we lost. Yes, it was disturbing and I did get angry with people who told me what to do. What are the mistakes that you made and the lessons that you’ve learnt? I don’t know, if I had to know what mistakes I made, I wouldn’t have made them again, but I have full belief that I will make more mistakes. There were a lot of technical things that I did not understand. Sometimes I wondered if we should ball or bat first. But I’ve learnt that one must believe in what their heart says and stick to it.