Shah Rukh Khan is on a roll. His film Ra.One produced by his home production company Red Chillies Entertainment is generating quite a buzz, while his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is on a winning spree in IPL 4 after three disastrous years. In the capital recently to announce Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer's tie-up with Buddh International Circuit, the host of the Formula One race in India, SRK displayed his trademark wit, charm and eloquence. Between cigarette puffs and sips of coffee, he spoke to ET on his passion for sports, his unending love for making movies and on the subject of Ganguly playing against KKR. Edited excerpts:
How much money do you expect to earn from the KKR franchise? Has it been a profitable business venture for you?
I am not a number crunching businessman so I would not know all these numbers. My CEO tells me that we have the biggest volume in terms of sales. I think we have great sponsors who have spent generously on players and teams. Brand valuation-wise we are quite high. I think that's because we keep losing! (laughs) But jokes apart, I can say that we have managed to break even or made nominal profits. We won't be seeing red.
What big plans are lined up if KKR reaches the IPL final, besides showing off your six-pack abs?
I don't even know if I have the six-pack anymore! I just had rasam and rice yesterday so I am sure some damage has been done there (laughs). But on a serious note, I said that more out of sheer exuberance thinking about KKR doing well. It will be very good for us as a brand to be in the Champions League .
Sourav Ganguly has stepped into IPL 4 as a Pune Warrior team member and will play against KKR. How do you feel about that?
It will be a regular match. I wish him all the best but I think it's high time that we move on now. You can't have everyone in the team. We are more focussed on the team that we have now. In any case, no team is synonymous only with one person. As Gautam Gambhir says, a captain is a person heading a good team.
How much money do you expect to earn from the KKR franchise? Has it been a profitable business venture for you?
I am not a number crunching businessman so I would not know all these numbers. My CEO tells me that we have the biggest volume in terms of sales. I think we have great sponsors who have spent generously on players and teams. Brand valuation-wise we are quite high. I think that's because we keep losing! (laughs) But jokes apart, I can say that we have managed to break even or made nominal profits. We won't be seeing red.
What big plans are lined up if KKR reaches the IPL final, besides showing off your six-pack abs?
I don't even know if I have the six-pack anymore! I just had rasam and rice yesterday so I am sure some damage has been done there (laughs). But on a serious note, I said that more out of sheer exuberance thinking about KKR doing well. It will be very good for us as a brand to be in the Champions League .
Sourav Ganguly has stepped into IPL 4 as a Pune Warrior team member and will play against KKR. How do you feel about that?
It will be a regular match. I wish him all the best but I think it's high time that we move on now. You can't have everyone in the team. We are more focussed on the team that we have now. In any case, no team is synonymous only with one person. As Gautam Gambhir says, a captain is a person heading a good team.
The ticket sales in Eden Gardens have been less this year. Do you see a declining interest in IPL over the years?
We had the stadium 50% full, which is not bad at all. In India, a full stadium is mostly packed to about 60%. IPL anyways is more of a television property. But we will try and reduce ticket prices so that more people come and watch the match on ground.
You have been associated with Tag Heuer for the last 8 years. What factors, in your opinion, have worked to make the recall value so high for the brand?
I think it's a brand of great history and achievements, so in that sense the association has been mutually identifiable. It's a brand for keeps and exemplifies a certain lifestyle for individuals. That makes people relate to the brand easily.
Always Kabhi Kabhi and Ra.One will soon be released by your production house. Going ahead, what other plans do you have on the anvil for Red Chillies Entertainment?
We are re-designing Red Chillies Entertainment as a professional unit. We have succeeded in a lot of our plans and will be professionalizing it. If 'Always Kabhi Kabhi' does well, then we would like to do smaller films with youngsters more frequently. We will be making four films in the immediate future. The plan is to get different people on board for various departments with the creative aspects being left for me to handle.
Being a sports enthusiast what do you feel has been your contribution to popularizing sports amongst your fans?
I had hoped that 'Chak De' would bring hockey more to the mainline. But it hasn't helped as much as I had thought. Through my endorsement for Tag Heuer, a lot of up-market sports are now being talked about more like Golf and F1. There is a need for more such companies to come on board and popularise varied sports so that it is seen as a profession in the country.
We had the stadium 50% full, which is not bad at all. In India, a full stadium is mostly packed to about 60%. IPL anyways is more of a television property. But we will try and reduce ticket prices so that more people come and watch the match on ground.
You have been associated with Tag Heuer for the last 8 years. What factors, in your opinion, have worked to make the recall value so high for the brand?
I think it's a brand of great history and achievements, so in that sense the association has been mutually identifiable. It's a brand for keeps and exemplifies a certain lifestyle for individuals. That makes people relate to the brand easily.
Always Kabhi Kabhi and Ra.One will soon be released by your production house. Going ahead, what other plans do you have on the anvil for Red Chillies Entertainment?
We are re-designing Red Chillies Entertainment as a professional unit. We have succeeded in a lot of our plans and will be professionalizing it. If 'Always Kabhi Kabhi' does well, then we would like to do smaller films with youngsters more frequently. We will be making four films in the immediate future. The plan is to get different people on board for various departments with the creative aspects being left for me to handle.
Being a sports enthusiast what do you feel has been your contribution to popularizing sports amongst your fans?
I had hoped that 'Chak De' would bring hockey more to the mainline. But it hasn't helped as much as I had thought. Through my endorsement for Tag Heuer, a lot of up-market sports are now being talked about more like Golf and F1. There is a need for more such companies to come on board and popularise varied sports so that it is seen as a profession in the country.
Source - The Economic Times
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