Knights gift SRK surprise holiday

If the Kolkata Knight Riders had played the way they had expected to, Shah Rukh Khan would have been here today in the “City of Gold” to be with his men in black and gold.

SRK had planned to return for the Knights’ last three matches and stay on till the May 24 final at the Wanderers. But thanks to the way the team has performed, he is not coming.

“Shah Rukh was always supposed to leave at the end of April regardless of how we played in the first four matches,” team director Joy Bhattacharjya said. “He had promised to rejoin the team from mid-May, only if they did well. Juhi Chawla was to come with him.”

As were many of the celebrity supporters who were at Eden Gardens last year — among them director Farhan Akhtar and musician Vishal Dadlani. “The turn of events is really disappointing,” Vishal said. “But I’m sure SRK and KKR will bounce back big time. I have absolute faith in his ability to inspire.”

Well, Shah Rukh is in no mood now to come over and inspire the team. And that has thrown the superstar’s calendar in disarray, something he said only his two kids could do.

Then again, he calls the Knights his kids, too.

He can’t even shoot because director-friend Karan Johar hadn’t scheduled filming for My Name is Khan in May because SRK was positive the Knights would make it to the semis and he would be here.

Shah Rukh is trying to make the most of the two free weeks he suddenly has. According to a source close to the actor, he has been religiously undergoing physiotherapy sessions to improve his operated-on left shoulder.

“He is also slated to shoot for a couple of days for Vivek Vaswani’s Dulha Mil Gaya,” the source said. SRK had injured his shoulder shooting for the film.

However, “the boss” hasn’t completely disowned his boys. The famous text messages are still coming, to select members of the Knight Riders.