In 2010 Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) came to T&T to film his popular movie Dulha Mil Gaya, now the well-known cricket enthusiast is taking on a new role as the owner of the ‘T&T Red Steel’ franchise in the Caribbean Premier League.
Khan, who captured the hearts of many here and around the world with his blockbuster romantic movies, has joined the ranks of Hollywood stars Gerard Butler and Mark Walhberg, both of whom own the Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents respectively, as celebrities who own CPL franchise.
The Times of India reported last week that Khan’s company, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, along with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owners Juhi Chawla (also a Bollywood star) and her husband, Jay Mehta, has invested in the T&T Red Steel franchise.
Khan, also called King Khan and the Baadshah (emperor) of Bollywood, currently owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League, which features ace Trinidadian bowler Sunil Narine, who is also a cricketer in the CPL with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. KKR were the IPL Champs in 2012 and 2014 and the team has a reported brand value of $86 million.
T&T Red Steel captain Dwayne Bravo, who ended the 2015 IPL season as the top wicket-taker in the IPL league, under the cap of the Chennai Super Kings, welcomed the news. The Red Steel also features spinner Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, former South Africa cricketers Jacques Kallis and Johan Botha, along with Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal among the new signings.
The CPL is set to begin on June 20 with seven matches to be played at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, including the semifinals and the final.
Who is King Khan?
SRK is an Indian film actor, producer and television personality who has appeared in more than 80 Bollywood films. Referred to in the media as “Baadshah of Bollywood,” “King of Bollywood” or “King Khan,” he has been described by the Los Angeles Times as perhaps “the world’s biggest movie star.” He is one of the richest actors in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$400–600 million, and his work in Bollywood has earned him numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards.
Khan, who turns 50 on November 2, is married to Gauri Khan and has three children; AbRam (two years old, born through a surrogate mother), Aryan, 18, and Suhana, 15.
While Khan is widely known for trailblazing the Bollywood advertising endorsement industry, Wikipedia.com notes, that his philanthropic endeavours have provided healthcare and disaster relief, and he was honoured with Unesco’s Pyramide con Marni award in 2011 for his support of children’s education. He regularly features in lists of the most influential people in Indian culture, and in 2008 Newsweek named him one of their 50 most powerful people in the world.
Fun facts about khan
• Shah Rukh Khan has never seen his debut flick, Deewana, which hit the theatres 25 years ago. Khan confessed that he never really watched his debut film. “I have a notion that I don’t want to see my first or last creation. They are bookends, the story is between (sic),” he posted in a 2014 tweet on Twitter.
• Khan is named Rahul in nine of his films.
• In 16 movies, Khan’s character dies or is re-born.
• Khan has had 226 nominations across popular Bollywood awards, and has won 207 of them. He won the best actor award 29 times.
• Khan makes sure his sleeping pyjamas are freshly-ironed every night because he believes that “one never knows who one may meet in dreams.”
• Khan has a phobia of riding horses, and he never eats ice-cream.
• Khan has a special and unique club named in his honour. The Shah Rukh Khan Club, in Kolkota, India, was founded by a huge admirer of Khan, Arnab Roy on December 13, 1995. The club established an exclusive Shah Rukh Khan museum in January 2002.
• Khan is extremely possessive of his wife Gauri, whom he lovingly calls Gaurima.
• Khan’s favourite actor is Dilip Kumar, and his favourite actresses are Mumtaz and Saira Banu.
(Source: Hindustan Times and Listdose.com)