Thursday, May 5, 2011

SRK: The lad from Tolichowki

Deccan Charger's owner Gayatri Reddy with SRK
Deccan Charger's owner Gayatri Reddy with SRK

More eyes are usually on the VIP enclosure than on the on-field action whenever KKR plays in the IPL. And whether the home team win or lose, it's assured that King Khan will always win hearts.

The case was no different on Tuesday night when the Deccan Chargers took on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Though the outcome of the match was disappointing, the crowd was at least partially satiated as they got frequent glimpses of Shah Rukh Khan waving at them.

"I have been very lucky and have got much more in life than I deserve. I am a middle class guy at heart and am still overwhelmed by the fact that so many people think that I have done something special. It's my duty to show them my love," says Shah Rukh and one can see why he has won the hearts of millions around the world.

For Shah Rukh, the droves of security men around him are not to keep his fans at bay, but to ensure that no one is hurt. "Not once in 20 years of my career has anyone behaved in an unruly manner. Sometimes they do pull my hair a little, but I know that they love me," he smiles.

The IPL and his team have given him the golden chance to visit different cities and meet his fans. But for King Khan, Hyderabad is not just another city.

This is one of the places he calls home, and some of his fondest childhood memories are of the streets of Tolichowki.

"This is my mother's city. I would come here every summer to spend my holidays with her family and I probably have a million relatives here. I wish I was here for longer so that I could visit them, but I send my warmest regards," he says.

Just talking about Hyderabad makes him nostalgic about the good old days. "We had a big family, those old-fashioned houses and amazing Hyderabadi food. I miss all of that. I miss roaming around Charminar and one day I would like to bring my children here to show them the city I grew up in."

His face lights up while talking about the owners of Deccan Chargers. "I absolutely love Gayatri and Vijay. I have come to Hyderabad only for them. I have been watching those two right from the first season, sitting in the owners' chair, being the face of the team and I hope that one day my kids will be there as well."

Just five minutes with SRK is enough for anyone to figure out that his whole world revolves around his children and IPL has been the ultimate learning experience for them. "For the last three seasons I have had to keep telling my kids to be patient and to learn from our losses. I always say that you should play like a winner, winning or losing is not important. But they were starting to lose faith and this time my son told me that he had learnt enough. Allah seems to have heard him and he has been kind. We are doing well so far and I am most ecstatic for mine and Juhi's kids. We still can't believe that we're in double figures of points."

And being in the top half of the table is not the only cha-nge that the KKR have seen this year. For the first time, the team has SRK travelling, cheering and supporting them throughout. And the credit goes to Gauri. "My wife told me to take three months off to be with the team. I usually hate travelling. But the team is happy and my wife is happy, so I am happy as well. Moral of the story: the wife is always right."

Shah Rukh is proud of Gautam, Jacques and the rest of his team coming together so well. And while he has thoroughly enjoyed the season so far, he can't pick any one match as his favourite. All he says is "my favourite match is going to be the final that we will win, inshallah!"

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/hyderabad/srk-lad-tolichowki-405

No comments:

Post a Comment