Shah Rukh Khan on IPL challenges and legalising betting.

 As a team owner I don’t like what’s happening now!

Afsana Ahmed

Ever since the arrest of Vindoo Dara Singh in the Indian Twenty20 League betting controversy, and the following news reports of the same allegations against Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, Bollywood is once again in the limelight for the wrong reasons.

The T20 League has a huge Bollywood presence and the association of many star names have added to the appeal of the cricket event. However, these are crisis time for the game and the opinion of the super star has become all the more important.

Is Bollywood involved in betting? What are the responsibilities of a team owner and who is righteous and who is wrong? With these and few more questions, HT approached Kolkata Knight Rider’s owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

What do you have to say about Rajasthan Royals owner and your friend Raj Kundra’s alleged involvement in betting?

He is Shilpa Shetty’s husband and she was one of my first heroines. I am very close to them. Raj is a friend and I would not like to comment anything negative. He doesn’t need it. I’m sure he will fight this battle legally and something will come out of it. These are claims of bookies which need to be verified. I don’t think bookies should be believed the moment he takes a name. Tomorrow will be another day for news because the guy who was supposed to be a fixer is out on bail.

How right or wrong it is to break the rules on the game especially if you’re a team owner?

As a team owner myself, I don’t appreciate what’s happening in the game now. As a proud person and a sports lover, I think if you are on the game, apni film ki ticket black nahin karna chaiye. It’s that much of righteous or wrong! Hum toh nahi bechenge, kisi aur ko karne hai toh karne de. I think as a team owner one should not indulge in all these practices even if you are a betting person by nature, especially on that tournament. If you’re an owner of a team you’re aware of all the rules and the loop holes and it’s undignified to misuse it. If you’re a traffic cop, you should try not to break signal even in your private car. That’s a rule. The attitude shouldn’t be ` kisiko malum nahi hai chal na nikal le’. I don’t say this about Raj because nothing has been established right now. Beyond that I cannot comment. I hope he and Shilpa get out if it.

 Why do you think an Indian sport has suddenly hit the rough patch (in terms of doping, fixing etc)?

I personally feel that we Indians have not given importance to sports that’s why we get corrupted easily. Unfortunately now, we have corrupted sports also. Sportsmen are very difficult to corrupt. Like my daughter says she gets very nervous when she has to compete. I say, but that nervous feeling makes you want to practice more which means you are a better sportsperson. So if something makes you feel `I will lose’ or `win’ in life then you prepare yourself better. Chances are you will win. The more I practice, the easier it becomes.

 Do you feel Bollywood is under the scanner?

Anyone who bets or encourages people to fix matches whether from Bollywood or anywhere else is utterly disgusting! It’s wrong. And I truly believe in that because you are encouraging people to fix matches. When I go to play a match and if I lose and my daughter cries and if that match is fixed, then I want to beat the shit out of it. Please go and do it if betting is legalised otherwise don’t. This is my personal view because I own a team.

 Do you gamble?

I am not a betting person by nature. I take risks which are real. Not risks which are fixed. Even when sometimes we play with friends during Diwali, which is again a small amount of 100 rupees, it’s all done in fun. I don’t take the money, even if I earn from it. I’m Islamic about few things. I’ve never taken illegal money or interest, or as we call it haram ka paisa. I have never loaned out money as a business. I am very clear about it.

Have you ever been approached by a bookie? And have you been tempted?

No. And whatever the enticement may be, I would never indulge in something like this. So I obviously don’t like it. Betting is a disgusting habit. But I am no one to say that. It’s a Rs. 40,000 crore habit. And they should catch them all and punish them. Having said this, `it doesn’t mean I’m judging others.

How do you clean the game from betting? Any suggestions?

 It’s illegal and it should be dealt with like anything illegal. It will be good for sports as well as the morale of the younger people to believe that sports is a good job to take up. Every job will have it issues. But sports, I feel should remain as clean as possible. A sportsman should be physically strong, mentally honest, with the pure intent of winning and losing; it’s about facing up to the challenge and rising up to it. I think if they play sports they will be able to deal with the adversities of life. You can lose the game but still make a comeback. When my team won after four years, it made me believe that you can come back even after losing 20, 30, 40 matches. I think sports inculcate that.

So you feel sports prepare you to meet the challenges of life?

Yes, look at Steve Jobs’ Apple. He could have easily sat on the Mac. But he was innovative. He made the company better so that he can keep up to the betterment. These are things sportsmen have. It’s unfortunate that this is happening. The more you practice and innovate, even in glamour world or film world, the more are the chances you will win. Like I have worked for 20 years, but still I practice to do well. Whether it is technology, scripting, but you can’t say ki ab toh accha ho gaya hai. If you are good at something you need to improve that.

Should betting be legalised?

A lot of things can be legalized in India but I think betting is something that is never been pertinent and it’s been aborted. So I think we can have a serious discussion on this in the wake of the cricket controversy and somehow control a lot of parallel economy money, I mean black money and cash money. It could be a choice exercised which eventually could do away with the illegality part of betting and the country can earn a lot of money through tax. The concept exists in the western countries. You have foreign agencies like Ladbrokes, BWIN, big official amazing corporates in London, Europe America. If you can give that kind of corporate structure, it could be a good thing.

With all due respect, betting in all forms is seeped in our culture and mythology. We bet on the silliest and smallest things for instance barsaat pe bet karte hai, Prime Minister pe bet karte hai, chutti pe bet karte hai. So I think it’s an important aspect that needs to be discussed by the powers.