"If Shoaib is out, I’ll bowl," says Shah Rukh

A belligerent Shah Rukh Khan may not have been serious when he said he was willing to get on to the field and bowl instead of banned pacebowler Shoaib Akhtar.

But his statement to the press outside his Bandra bungalow, Mannat, is an indication of the frustration the Kolkata Indian Premier League owner faced after his star player was banned from IPL matches yesterday.

“I have only one other option, I will bowl myself!” said Khan.

‘Shoaib is a pillar of strength’

On a more serious note, the actor said he planned to meet IPL chairman Lalit Modi and other cricketing officials today to reconsider the IPL ban on Akhtar.

“We planned the team keeping him in mind. He is the team’s pillar of strength. We will take the matter to the officials and hopefully it will work out in our favour,” said Khan.

Khan’s comments could come as a relief to Akhtar, considering it’s the only vote of confidence he has received after the PCB banned him for five years two days ago.

In the aftermath, Pakistan’s former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq went on record to say the ban was correct. Yesterday, Kapil Dev’s ICL said they wouldn’t consider him unless the ban is lifted as they did not want to ‘spoil their relationship with anyone’.

Yet, SRK’s support for Shoaib is not surprising. One, he paid Rs 1.69 crore for getting the bowler into the Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team he owns.

And two, he has always been vociferous about his support for Shoaib. Speaking to this paper, when he was a guest editor on November 2, SRK had said Shoaib was misunderstood.

Support for the bowler has also been pouring in from Nawaz Sharif and PM Yousaf Gilani.

Alisha Coelho, Mid-Day

SRK's loves Aamir's women!

After trying to create an imaginary rift between Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh/Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor.......... upto infinity, and their latest fermented victim, Aamir Khan, the yellow journos are searching for the next target.

Keeping the tradition alive, we have an appropriate headline, in a bid to attract the interest of such propagators!

On a serious note, coming back to what we want to tell you about, Bollywood's global superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, recently disclosed who his favourite Bollywood women characters are. Interestingly, they both are the leading ladies of his latest (supposed) rival, Aamir Khan.

King Khan said that he has immensely enjoyed watching Pooja Bhatt's character in Mahesh Bhatt's DIL HAI KE MANTA NAHIN and Juhi Chawla in Aamir Khan's debut movie, QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK. He adds that he loved the part where Juhi says-"Hum aapki side main aajayein." He was bowled over by the usage of 'hum', which he felt was nice and endearing.

Well, here is hoping that our mock headline grabbing title hammers some sense into the theoretical journos and they get objective for a (pleasant) change.

Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

Deepika snubs Mrs.Shah Rukh Khan

They say that sometimes fame can go to one's head.

And one star who seems to have acquired some rather starry ways is Deepika Padukone. Flushed with the success of her film, Om Shanti Om, opposite Shah Rukh Khan, the young actress has been giving others associated with the film, the cold shoulder.

It started with the film's director Farah Khan. Deepika simply forgot to wish Farah on her birthday.

Now, the latest to get the 'treatment' is Shah Rukh's wife, Gauri Khan. The story goes that Deepika ignored Gauri, who produced OSO, at the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week because she was too busy with her boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor's mother, Neetu Singh. The two were cheering for Ranbir, who walked the ramp for designer Arjun Khanna.

"She did not even say hello to Gauri and completely ignored her," a source, who was present at the event, told Gullu.

While Farah said she is used to this type of behaviour as she knows how the industry works, we do not know what Gauri thinks about it. Time will tell.

Rediff India