Shah Rukh’s decision to sack me shocking: Buchanan

Brisbane: Former Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach John Buchanan Wednesday said team owner Shah Rukh Khan’s decision to sack him came as a “shock and a disappointment”.
The Australian was sacked by the Knight Riders after the team finished at the bottom in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) competition, losing 10 of 14 matches in South Africa.

Buchanan, a former Australia cricket coach, says his experience in India was disappointing.

“Ganguly was the icon player and the captain of the outfit and I told him I didn’t believe he was up to the pace of the game. We got to the last over in nine games and lost them, getting to the last ball five times and losing,” Buchanan was quoted as saying in the Courier Mail.

“We were trying to build something over five years but Shah Rukh Khan, the owner and King of Bollywood, had a change of direction and I was told I was no longer needed. That was a shock and a disappointment.”

For now, Buchanan is working on his business as a corporate coach, looking out for sports-related opportunities and keeping an eye out for the next bouncer.

I am unsocial by nature, says Shahrukh

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan may be known for his gift of gab and witty one liners during his press conferences but the actor states that he is unsocial by nature.

The 'Baadshah of Bollywood' says that he is not a member of social networking sites and does not blog frequently (apart from his posts on Kolkata Night Riders website) because he does not consider himself socially capable.

"I don't have social etiquettes. I am socially not very capable. I really cant do that 'Hi how are you.. I am shopping here...here is a pic of my dog...'," said the actor who was in the city recently to host a MBA quiz show organised by IIPM.

"My friends, Karan (director Karan Johar) and all are deeply into it but not me. I don't even use a phone," said Shahrukh.

Shah Rukh Khan's race against time

Shah Rukh Khan had torn a muscle on his left shoulder for which he had to be operated and his arm was bound to a sling with doctors advising him not to exert any pressure on it till he gets completely fit.

But we has learnt that the actor will be pushing his body to the hilt for an entire year to maintain his eight-pack abs to shoot two back to back films -- Farah Khan's Happy New Year and Ra.1, a sci-fi thriller in which he plays a superhero, thereby testing the strength of his already weak shoulders. Farah's film starts end of this year. SRK still needs at least two months to be fit which means he won't be having enough time to relax and build his body. It is certainly a race against time that SRK will get into.

"Both the films are going to be physically very taxing for Shah Rukh as he will have to pull off something more than what he did for Om Shanti Om for which he had developed a six-pack. SRK needs to work out for around 2-3 hours every single day to get his body back as post the surgery he hasn't been able to do those muscle strenuous exercise routines. He has to get his abs back, his shoulders pumped up and work out on every part of his body," says an industry source.

"For all this naturally he needs to lift heavy weights too and that means SRK will be directly exerting his shoulder that has been operated on. There are other exercises too like heavy chins ups and push ups which will also stress his shoulders."

Admits Farah Khan, "Yes, it is a very physically challenging film for which Shah Rukh will have to work out a lot and his body has to endure a lot."

However, when DNA contacted Dr Ali Irani who has been attending to the star, he says it could be detrimental for him. "As of today, Shah Rukh is not fit to do strenuous exercises. He had a half tear which meant that he could do all the exercises but then he injured himself again and had a full tear on his shoulder which needed to be operated. He needs to relax."

He adds, "He has started working with resistance bands (like Thera-Band) and there are different levels to it. As of now, he needs to clear a couple of resistance levels to prove that he is fully fit. This will at least take two months time if not more. In case he isn't fit, he shouldn't push himself. His shoulder is weak and he needs to be declared completely fit before he can start those hard exercises."