Shah Rukh Khan wouldn’t have wanted life to imitate his art the way it did this past week. Playing Kabir Khan, an Indian hockey player who missed a crucial penalty against Pakistan in blockbuster movie Chak de! India, his character would get ostracised with ‘Gaddaar‘ scribbled with charcoal on the boundary wall of the house. Years later, the same script has more or less cynically played out in real life. Fortunately Mannat’s walls remained pristine white but Shah Rukh has been called “traitor (gaddar)” by a not-too-well-known religious leader and politician when his franchise, Kolkata Knight Rider, picked Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman. These days even those with no grasp of sports or entertainment, clueless about IPL auction rules or Shah Rukh’s cricketing imprints, qualify to be television experts, make obnoxious wild claims and get away. What do these ludicrous talking heads know about Shah Rukh and his commitment to cricket or country? Actually, only those in the KKR dressing room are entitled to comment on Shah Rukh’s cricketing patriotism or whether it was he who signed the Bangladesh pacer. ALSO READ | The Mustafizur Rahman story: Village boy, artful pacer, now an unwitting political pawn Those in the know say that Shah Rukh hardly ever pokes his nose in cricketing matters. The superstar, once a serious hockey player, often says that just as he wouldn’t accept a cricketer giving him acting tips, he too knows where to draw the line. The KKR owner, it is said, barely spends 10 minutes with the team a day before the auction. These interactions are more about pre-season catching-up, where he mostly cracks jokes to lighten the mood. Gautam Gambhir, the player with the longest association with the actor by virtue of him being the highly-successful KKR coach and captain, once said he and Shah Rukh would have spoken about cricket barely for 70 seconds in the seven years when he led the team. Shah Rukh Khan with Gautam Gambhir after KKR won IPL 2024 Final (Pic: JioCinema/Screengrab) How much Shah Rukh cares about Indian cricket comes through from this story that Cheteshwar Pujara’s father Arvind loves talking about. The year was 2009 and his son was playing for KKR in South Africa. Pujara would make his Test debut a year later but was talked about as a future India star and the next Rahul Dravid. In one of the games, Pujara’s hamstring snapped. Just 21, he was shattered. The young man wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his doctor in Rajkot, a family friend. That’s when Shah Rukh intervened. Arvind still remembers the Shah Rukh call. He would tell the father that Cheteshwar was too precious for India, he needed to take the best specialised treatment. Since rugby was popular in South Africa, hamstring surgery was pretty common there. The doctors were seasoned. Post-op rehab was more evolved and effective. Still not convinced, Shah Rukh said he was ready to fly Arvind, the Rajkot doctor and more family members to South Africa. Pujara Sr agreed but there was one more problem. He didn’t have a passport. The persistent owner said that too could be managed. Shah Rukh kept his word, the passport was done in a day and Arvind says he was soon face-to-face with his son in Cape Town. The smile that he saw on his Chintu’s face, he still remembers: Priceless.Story continues below this ad In years to come, Pujara didn’t go on to be a KKR legend or India T20 star but the country got a world-class Test player. He almost single-handedly took India to its first series win in Australia. Arvind, even now, talks about Shah Rukh’s role in Chintu’s success. Cheteshwar Pujara’s father Arvind talks about Shah Rukh Khan’s role in his son’s success even today. (Reuters Photo/File) Charm and humility Everyone who has played for KKR has a Shah Rukh story. Mostly it’s about his charm, his personal touch and humility. None about his bias for players from a particular country or of a certain faith. An India under-19 batsman once, Manvinder Bisla is remembered as the opener who played the knock of his life to give KKR its first title. After the match, a highly-obliged Shah Rukh would tell Bisla: “Kabhi bhi zindagi mein koi kaam ho tu batana. (Whenever in life, you want anything please tell me).” The star had a long chat with Bisla’s parents too. But that’s not the quality that characterised the man, Bisla says. He adds that everyone salutes the rising sun. “If you are the player of the match in the final, then any guy will come and say that. But you get to know the person when you are not doing well. If someone talks with respect when you are not scoring or not even part of the team that’s the true test. Shah Rukh bhai was that person. He would always talk to you like an older brother, he always had two minutes for you,” he says. Bisla says Shah Rukh would share life lessons but never give advice about cricket.Story continues below this ad He laments the star being called a “traitor”. By offering mild apologies, he blames the media for fuelling such controversies. A television expert after retirement, the Haryana player gives the cricketing logic of picking Mustafizur. “Mini auctions are for picking back-ups. KKR had (Matheesha) Pathirana and wanted more bowlers who can bowl during power play and death overs. Mustafizur was perfect,” he says. Mustafizur being presented a signed jersey by CSK legend MS Dhoni. Chennai Super Kings tried hard to sign the Bangladesh pacer, they were ready to pay Rs 9 crore for Mustafizur but KKR outbid them. (Pic credit: Mustafizur Rahman – X) He finds it puzzling how other franchises who bid for Bangladesh players are not being criticised. Chennai Super Kings tried hard, they were ready to pay Rs 9 crore for Mustafizur but KKR outbid them. “Had CSK won the bid, would they be calling MS Dhoni a traitor?” It’s a question that has a shameful and obvious answer. No one would have dared to call Dhoni a traitor. So why Shah Rukh? This brings to mind a haunting song from Chak de! India that has visuals of Kabir Khan’s trauma. In one frame Shah Rukh, with sad eyes, stares blankly. The tricolour with prominent saffron, white and green colours is in the background. A sad soulful song echoes around him, it’s a moment in the movie when the audience reaches for the handkerchief. Teeja tera rang tha main toh (I was your third colour of the flag). Jiya tere dhang se main toh (I lived my life your way). Tu hi tha maula, tu hi aan (You were my Lord, you were my pride) Maula mere, le le meri jaan (My Lord, take my life; it belongs to you) It’s a nation’s failure if Shah Rukh is made to feel like Kabir Khan.
Calling Shah Rukh Khan ‘Gaddaar’ for KKR signing Mustafizur Rahman is both wild and obnoxious, vicious and callous
