I am the 12th man of Knight Riders : Shah Rukh

You see him everywhere -- in movies, ads, and now in cricket. Yup, Shah Rukh Khan is one busy man who is always in the news.

The media's darling seems to hog all the limelight, even when he's not anywhere in the scene! Take the tit-for-tat mental tennis going on with him and another Khan (Aamir). Then there is the Indian Premier League, which the actor has a stake in with his new Kolkata team called the Knight Riders.

Girish Rao decided to chat with the busy star about Aamir, IPL and more. Excerpts:

A few days ago Aamir took a dig at you, which you reacted by saying that you are number two...

Aamir is a very dear friend but my wife (Gauri Khan) has warned me that if I say anything funny or strange about him, she will beat me up. She is an ardent Aamir fan.

If he thinks I am number two then it's a compliment for me. Sorry for the slip of tongue. Having said that we are completely opposite -- he is more intellectual and intelligent person while I am more instinctive. We both are Khans and friends, and have great regard for each other. I know his jokes, and he knows mine. He is 100 per cent number one.

One of my greatest desires in life is to do a film with him and learn a little more from him. He is stand-alone and one of the nicest gentleman. I am actually a number 10 who tries to make it to number one.

Is it true that you opted for Kolkata thinking that you will be able to create a fan based structure over there?

I think there are enough cricket fans in this country. I am truly blessed and so is the whole team that we would be starting off from Kolkata. It is the only city that has a passion for sports and understanding of the club culture.

When I met Sourav Ganguly in Kolkata, he informed me that one of the nicest thing about the city is it's passion for sports. We have an advantage in terms of the number of people who come to watch the match.

Why Knight Riders?

I had 105 names to chose from and wanted to go with names like Ninja Turtles and others. The whole idea was to be little cheesy and cheeky. People often call me King Khan and the team 'All the king's men'. But that is not true. As a matter of fact, I am the 12th man of the team. I have already promised them that I will be carrying water for them while they play. I have a T-shirt too.

The whole idea was that of knights in shining armour. They are a dedicated set of people who follow a very rigid principle -- to go win the war. So it would be knights and shining armour at the centre stage of IPL.

The mantra for the team is Ladbo karbo jeetbo. Tell us more.

This philosophy is based on life. It motivates us to do something in life. It's a message for the youth. Whatever givers you pleasure in life -- just do it.

I would request the elders of the family to permit their young ones to do whatever gives them happiness. Whatever hardship comes your way, just face it, fight it and never say die. Try winning this race of life. And if you were to win the race, God will grant you this golden helmet.

So you mean to say that you personify everything what you just said.

Absolutely. God and my fans have given me a lot. When I first started, I had to face many hardships. My parents were dead by then, and I had nowhere to go. When I first came to Bombay to act, people laughed at me. But in the end I did everything and for this I even fought a little. But I never lied or adopted mean ways. All I did, I did it with all honesty.

Now, I have a nice wife, two beautiful kids and my sister. They are my world.

Have you devised any strategy for your team?

If I were to tell you, how will they remain strategies(laughs)? Ours is a very simple strategy. I will take my team to the field and then instill in them the desire to win. And just as you saw in Chak De! India, we will come out victorious.

The Indian Hockey team failed to qualify for the Olympics. How did you take the news?

I woke up at three am along with my son, and together, we watch the entire match. After 35 minutes, when the score was 2-0 in favour of England, I had this feeling that the Indian team will surely do something in the second half. But the English team were technically sound.

However, the thing that pained me the most was the headline -- National game, national shame -- in all the newspapers and news channels. We should not burden sportsmen with such things. Everyone plays a match to be victorious and I want to instill the same feeling in my team. A sportsman should never be pressurised.

You were once snubbed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for promoting your films through match centers. Now with IPL, will we see a repeat?

I would like to clarify a few things here. Everyone from Lalit Modi (vice-president), Rajiv Shukla (vice-president) to Sachin Tendulkar wanted me to come and watch the match. I even received a letter from the BCCI inviting me to the match.

I don't want to sound pompous but I don't need publicity by going anywhere.

Any pressure on you for Knight Riders to work wonders?

Jokes aside, I am a responsible person. Be it films or television shows, I always try to be responsible. My job as an entertainer is not to bore you. I am responsible for these youngsters and I have to create an environment for them where they feel comfortable. After two months they should feel great about it.


RediffIndia