After his recent meltdown at the Wankhede Stadium, when things got pretty hot under the collar between him and the MCA officials, Shah Rukh Khan is back to being the Raj, Rahul and SRK we all love. Flush with excitement from the historic win against Team Chennai at the nail-bitingly exciting IPL finals, SRK was all contrition on Sunday night. "I want to apologise to the kids for my misbehaviour at MCA. I apologise to all who saw me differently. I shouldn't have behaved in that manner. But today my team has won, so I guess, all you fans should forgive me," said SRK, who was on the field post-victory, and accompanied by wife Gauri, daughter Suhana, and a few young 'cheerleaders'.
His very public apology also puts to rest all those who had predicted that they did not see an apology coming from the superstar for his alleged misdemeanour. They couldn't have been more wrong. When SRK quipped that not winning for this long makes you do things you aren't really proud of, one not only empathised with this feeling, but this observation also made him look like one of us, with all his vulnerabilities and frailties.
This victory, coming after a five-year drought, which saw SRK effect sweeping changes in his team composition and strategy, has once again made SRK the superstar we so love and who's lovable to bits. If anything, now with this apology, SRK's showdown now looks no worse than a child throwing a tantrum when denied a candy, and breaking into smiles the minute his will is done. All that the man wanted was a victory. With it came the smiles, hugs, cartwheels, and apology, making him all too human. And a very endearing one at that!
Lighting up the Kolkata Knight Riders
Life is certainly looking up for the beleaguered Shah Rukh Khan, and his apology following Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL victory on Sunday night has worked in his favour as far as his image goes.
Not just that, he silenced gossipmongers by referring to his wife as the sexiest cheerleader, did cartwheels in excitement and even joked about being called drunk.
After a spate of public misdemeanours, complaints and court orders Shah Rukh could surely do with one emphatic win, even if he had little to do with the on-field tactics.
Of course, Poonam Pandey too finally kept her word and appeared seemingly in the buff for whom else but Shah Rukh Khan.
The charm of the Khan cannot be underestimated. The Kolkata Knight Riders may have won, but at Chepauk on Sunday night, this dark knight rose.
SRK was a man possessed after the game, leaping into the arms of his players as well as hugging them tightly.
He even called his daughter Suhana and her friends the cheer girls for KKR and got them involved in a full-throated team anthem ' Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo.
One person who backed Shah Rukh through his bad patch was West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. Shah Rukh said, "She wished me personally and has been a pillar of strength.
Her support has given us the reason to shine. I am thankful for her support and standing by me during my tough time."
Close friend of the actor and television actress Archana Puran Singh said that a happy person always sends out positive vibes and this is something that will work for the superstar.
"A happy person draws happiness from all over. The fans didn't really slam him, it was more the media. But, unfortunately, today the social media plays a big role in forming judgment. His apology will work for him."
Designer Nisha Jamvwal feels Shah Rukh Khan hardly lost the plot but a win could work very well for his morale.
"Though he lost his temper on a couple of occasions, I feel it happens to everybody. His life has been observed in a microscopic detail, almost to the level to which we were involved with Michael Jackson's life.
There used to be a time when he was more concerned about his image, but he's reached a phase where he's not bothered anymore. Surely winning will take the media's focus off his various clashes."
Analysing the situation, psychiatrist Sneha Parikh explains that this is perhaps the watershed moment in his life.
She says, "Sometimes in life, we need an event like this to realign our perspective of things. I don't know him personally but I do know of cases where middle-aged people go through a phase when they feel they can do nothing right.
One big defining moment changes things for them. It gives them the strength to make tough decisions and inspiration to get back onto their feet. Shah Rukh has battled with a lot of criticism and this victory should give him a boost."
But it's Kolkata Knight Riders that won, why then make it all about Shah Rukh Khan? "Shah Rukh is a larger than life personality, and he's also very in-your-face, which makes news.
It is true that the winning team's owner is more famous than the previous winners' team owners, but SRK's celebrity status isn't an exception in the IPL.
Rather, it's about teams like CSK, which have unusually low profile team owners. The situation would have been the same even if Ambani's Mumbai Indian's or Mallya's RCB won," says Ayaz Memon, celebrated sports writer.
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