Feroz ji was like a father to me: SRK

Bollywood is in a state of shock at the sad demise of veteran actor Feroz Khan. Calling his death a big blow to the industry, the film fraternity has paid tribute to his remarkable contributions.

Many actors have flown to Banglore from various parts of the country to attend the last rites of this legendary figure.

His brother Sanjay Khan, who reached Bangalore after his death, said, "He was a lion. He was a wonderful, passionate man. His contribution to the film industry is immense. It's a deep loss to the family. I can say that there was a lion who used to roar but today he is no more."

Even King Khan expressed grief and said that he was like a father to him. Shah Rukh said, "I miss Feroz saab a lot. His death is a personal loss. Fardeen had told me about his illness. I was emotionally attached to him because my father too died of the same illness. I still remember when I met him for the first time and he kissed and hugged me. Whenever I met him after that he always showered his love on me and treated me like his son. He is one of the most beautiful people I have met in the film industry."

Bollywood actor Arbaz Khan too said that he was shocked when he came to know about Feroz Khan's death through an SMS. "I convey my condolences to the entire family. It's a very difficult time for Fardeen and other family members. I am so disturbed after hearing this sad news."

Other actors like Celina Jaitely, Malaika Arora Khan, and Zeenat Aman have expressed their condolences on his death. Zeenat Aman has reportedly said that she remembers Feroz Khan as a legendary actor for his memorable and inspiring work in the film industry.

Will SRK return to IPL in SA

Shah Rukh Khan will take a break the IPL being played in South Africa to cast his vote.

Having politely declined earlier offers to join political rallies of any South African parties in the run-up to the elections there (it was won by the African National Congress), Khan will head back to India on Wednesday, with his family, wife Gauri and children Aryan and Suhana.

Khan had reportedly been approached by ANC leaders in Durban prior to the first IPL games there. SRK said he had warned his team that if they did well in his absence, he would return; if not, he would be shouting at them from India.

SRK's first ever blog on Knight Riders' official website

Shah Rukh Khan is the latest Bollywood superstar to enter the webspace with the launch of his personal blog on the official website of his IPL team - 'Knight Riders'. The following is Shah Rukh's first ever blog that he wrote after 'Knight Riders' were defeated by 'Rajasthan Royals' in their last match on April 23:

The beginning of a new day!

When the season started, I thought I would write every couple of days to all our fans that visit our site.

Firstly, thanks for doing so and a special thanks to all who believe in the Knight Riders and support us as a team. Apologies for not being a regular at my blog or actually not even writing the first entry with the start of the season. So here is the first one.

I thought I would start the first write up by detailing the threshold and culture of this franchise. That would have been apt if we hadn't started playing. Right now, as I write at 5 a.m. in Cape Town, having lost yet another game, which we could have won, the heart is heavy and the mind is numb. Full marks to Rajasthan Royals for proving that a true champion team does not choke at the finish line. Congratulations guys.

Since the commencement of this season, we have a trail of one win out of three, which is not a good position to be in. So at this time I will not get into why the franchise was started and what dreams we all have as far as our ambitions are concerned. All ambitions finally will get fulfilled only when the team wins and keeps true to the faith that all our fans have invested in us. Till such time, I am going to talk a bit about the game as I understand, which needless to say is quite limited. I will also talk about the role that I choose to play as part of the Knight Riders.

I treat this team as I treat my own children. I am quite a doting father and perhaps a bit too emotionally involved with all the things my team goes through. I feel like crying when they lose and go wild with happiness when they win. Throughout the tournament last year, my only concern was that the team members should not in any way feel sad or bad after the losses we suffered. If I could, I would want to take all the disappointments they face with every loss or a bad performance onto myself. As much as I try, I now realise that it is not possible.

This is a set of professional players and they seem to understand one rule that most of us cannot understand. And the rule is that this is a game, and one team will lose while the other will win.

If either the success or the defeat of the last match lingers beyond a day, it would be impossible for them to face a new match and a new challenge the next time round, with full steam and gusto. They gather the broken pieces, try and understand what could be done better and start afresh. Like a father learns from his children, I am beginning to understand this lesson too. Earlier I used to pep talk our team before and after every match, so that their morale would remain positive. As the year has passed into another, I now realise that these boys actually walk the talk; and I need to do the same. I am learning from this whole experience that the more I practice, the easier things seem.

The harder I run, the farther I can go. The more I pray, the less I feel the burden of performance. Also I am learning that after doing all this, there is no guarantee of winning everyday. So all one can do is to give it your best shot and leave the rest.

In attempting to give it our best, our team has taken lots of unpopular decisions. Starting with, the multiple captains to choices of whom we play in which match. A truckload of criticism from all quarters has been dumped at our doorsteps. Every time I go and sit in the stadium, I feel the weight of all the choices made. If we come out winners through this tournament, will I feel vindicated? The answer is no. If we don't perform as well as we should, would I feel we did the wrong thing? Again the answer is no.

The decisions we take in life, need not always lead to a black and white solution as in mathematics. The decisions are guidelines and beliefs we chalk down our path towards a goal. Sometimes we get to the goal inspite of the decisions and sometimes because of them. And there are times when all goes wrong. The strength lies in sticking to a path that you chose to begin with. As the journey progresses, whether that path turns out to be tough or easy, you have to follow it because therein lies your principles and beliefs.

Assessing how a ball should be played after seeing it at 1500 frames per second on your television sets is one thing…but to take that split millisecond decision, when the ball tears down at you, at 150 kilometers per hour, is another ballgame altogether. In retrospect things can be explained and faults and genius can be torn apart or praised, but in the moment that you have to live and deliver, a path has to be chosen and walked on, with complete belief that it will work out fine.

I don't know if the path we have chosen is correct or not…and that's why we won't feel vindicated in victory and neither will we feel ashamed in defeat. It's just a path we the Knight Riders have chosen to walk on and will stick to it, till the very end. I hope all those who believe in this team will walk along with us.

This is getting as long as a Test Match, and I need to end it. I can feel the first rays of the Sun beginning to break through. A new day is about to begin. The defeat still lingers thick in my mind…so I will try and sleep it off and start afresh again. I know my boys will do the same. We will face our disappointments head on with a smile and a prayer. I close my eyes with these thoughts from Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts;

Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

Or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

Who strives valiantly;

Who errs, who comes short again and again,

Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

But who does actually strive to do deeds;

Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

Who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

And who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who

neither know

Victory nor Defeat.

King Khan blogs his heart out, defends team's decisions

Kolkata Knight Riders owner and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, who debuted as a blogger on KKR's official website, has justified his team's "unpopular decisions".

The actor talks at length about the disappointment after his team's defeat at the hands of fellow Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty's Rajasthan Royals.

"Right now, as I write at 5 a.m. in Cape Town, having lost yet another game, which we could have won, the heart is heavy and the mind is numb.

"...Since the commencement of this season, we have a trail of one win out of three, which is not a good position to be in," the actor wrote in his first blog entry, which was posted soon after Kolkata Knight Riders lost the match to Rajasthan Royals on April 23.

Shahrukh, also known as 'King Khan', took the opportunity to talk about the multiple captain controversies, which has alienated some of the team's supporters with the actor himself accepting that he was receiving hate mails.

"In attempting to give it our best, our team has taken lots of unpopular decisions. Starting with, the multiple captains to choices of whom we play in which match. A truckload of criticism from all quarters has been dumped at our doorsteps. Every time I go and sit in the stadium, I feel the weight of all the choices made," said Shahrukh.

Shahrukh goes back to India to vote

Kolkata Knight Riders on their own because Indian law prohibits voting outside country

Bollywood star Shah-rukh Khan, who has caused a stir in South Africa while attending the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, will head back home this week to vote in India’s general election.

Khan, the owner of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, will leave South Africa on Wednesday with his wife, Gauri, and children Aryan and Su- hana, to cast his vote on April 30.

IPL: Open letter to Shah Rukh Khan!

Hello Mr. Shah Rukh Khan
I have to say I always respected you as an actor as an individual what, I have seen of you. I also respect you involvement in you team but as am management student I have learnt that management control should be in different hands.

I have been your greatest fan even though I don’t have your hundreds pictures nor I have watched your movies 10 times each. But at the same time dada (Saurav Ganguly)has been a legend 4 me and your behaviour over it has been very petronaid.

Sachin himself said that Dada is the greatest captain ever India ever had(with limited resources),other than that his credentials as an player,he had yet again proved by making an comeback in the Indian national team after all the odds against him at the same time he was highest scorer in IPL-1, what else do you want?

I have heard your statements that its a team decision, but let me tell you that by your so called team decision you have disapointed all your fans, I am not a Kolkatan nor a Bengali. I stay in Mumbai and i am Sikh, I was your die hearted fan but not more.

Even if you win the IPL you have lost the respect, by digrading a legend. You have always been a politacilly right person and that what you all about. I want to ask you that why don’t you revert to Mr. Aamir khan’s statements, but when it comes to Sunil Gavesker you are up there. How can u do that when u know that you have zero knowledge of cricket when it is compared to Mr. Gavaskar.

In all I just have to say you one thing (as u call its going like a test match) respect a legend. give him great send off at Eden Gardens that all I want from you. At the same time, I guess that will make against all your decisions. Don’t mind bad of all what I have said, I still respect you as an actor, but not as an individual.

Thanks & Regards!
Inderdeep
Mumbai.

Inderdeep is a reader of DuniyaLive.com and above written views are his own and not of DuniyaLive.com. Inderdeep has raised some questions regarding SRK’s decision over Saurav Ganguly.

NGO protests Shahrukh smoking at IPL

The National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), has protested against filmstar Shahrukh Khan who was shown on the TV screen smoking during an IPL match on April 21 in South Africa.

NOTE has asked the South African National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) to consider the issue seriously and stop smoking in the stadium during Indian Premier League matches.

"I chatted with them and sent details and motivation to the supersport. They are the broadcasters. I am soliciting an agreement that they will not show anyone smoking," Peter Ucko from NCAS has informed NOTE.

NOTE General Secretary Shekhar Salkar told PTI that they had contected NCAS to explore possible advocacy that can be coordinated in South Africa after King Khan was shown puffing on a television screen.

The NCAS in their reply has said that the Act which will ban smoking in sport stadium is not yet in force.

He said that smoking is not permitted in an enclosed area and if Khan does it again I am asking management to tell him that if he fails to comply they will remove him from the grounds, he said.

SRK's Dulha Mil Gaya in 'BIG' trouble

Vivek Vaswani's Dulha Mil Gaya seems to be jinxed, after the much delayed shooting thanks to Shahrukh Khan the movie is financial trouble now. Anil Ambani's BIG Pictures which had brought the rights of the movie has given up on the deal due to the financial losses the company suffered in wake of the ongoing recession.

Vaswani on his part plans to re-offer the movie to BIG Pictures and if doesn't work out look for another potential buyer. The film stars fardeen khan and Sushmita in the lead and has a Special role by Shahrukh. Sources close to Vaswani say that some of the sequences with Shahrukh are still pending as King Khan is in South Africa promoting his team in the ongoing Indian Premiere League.

Dada is a dude for Knight Riders: Shah Rukh

Durban: Sourav Ganguly may no longer be the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, but team owner Shah Rukh Khan feels the former Indian skipper is still a "dude" and pivotal in the side's scheme of things in the on-going IPL.

"Dada is fantastic and there is no two ways about it. He does not need to prove it to anyone how great as a player he is. We know it in KKR. He's the main cog of our team. He's the guy the team centres around," Shah Rukh said in praise of Ganguly.

"(Brendon) McCullum, (Chris) Gayle, Brad (Hodge), David (Hussey), Ishant (Sharma), (Ashok) Dinda, Laxmi Ratan (Shukla) all feel the support from him, feel his intelligence, feel his winning ways. Dada is a dude," said the Bollywood superstar.

Shah Rukh also felt that Ganguly's two wickets for 24 runs tilted the match in his team's favour against Kings XI Punjab.

"Against Kings XI Punjab he was amazing with those couple of wickets. When Dada came on and got those two early wickets it changed the match in our favour and after that also he sort of kept them quiet and scared. I think that made a lot of difference," he was quoted as saying by IPL official website.

Shah Rukh said it was too early to start celebrating after his team posted its first win in two games by beating Kings XI Punjab.

"It's good for the team that it has started coming together. Our top-order whether it's Ishant Sharma (in bowling) or Sourav Ganguly, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle (batting) all are coming good together. We did not play too hot on the first day. I think the first match would be considered as a practice match and we are working on the mistakes committed on day one. The team is working together and that's what makes me feel a little more firm and good. But there is still a long way to go," he said.

Shah Rukh had a tough choice when asked who he thinks is bigger hitter between Chris Gayle or Brendon McCullum. "It is very difficult to say that. With Gayle we have a bet that he has to send one ball from South Africa to Kolkata and with McCullum we have that he has to send one back to New Zealand. We'll find out who is going to win. "I think both have their different strengths. Gayle has this timing and strength, McCullum has all timing and bliss.

McCullum is more like (Virender) Sehwag who times the ball whereas Gayle has got this strength like Yuvraj Singh. You can't really choose between them, they are both fantastic and when they both get going it is fantastic to watch."

All's fair in love and cricket, says Shilpa

But match against friend Shah Rukh's team will be emotionally difficult for her

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty whose co-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals faces her friend and superstar Shah Rukh Khan's team Knight Riders in Cape Town on Thursday (April 23), says "all's fair in love and cricket" despite it being a "difficult" match emotionally.

"We play on the 23rd in Cape Town against the Knight Riders, that will be a difficult one, not the match but the emotion... it's terrible to play against a friend's (Shah Rukh Khan) team but all's fair in love and cricket, I guess," Shilpa posted on her blog on Wednesday (April 22) from South Africa.

"Hope we have luck on our side this time... I've realised winning in this format (Twenty20) of the game has a lot to do with luck as well," she added.