Gutsy Ganguly guides KKR to a 24-run victory

Sourav Ganguly led from the front with a blazing 54-ball 88 as a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders bulldozed a hapless Deccan Chargers by 24 runs in their return-leg Indian Premier League match on Thursday.
Ganguly blasted nine fours and five sixes and added 78 runs for the fourth wicket with David Hussey to take the Kolkata Knight Riders to a competitive 181 for six at the Eden Gardens.

The home team then returned to restrict the defending champions to 157 for five to zoom to the fifth place, just behind Rajasthan Royals with eight points from eight matches in the points table.

Barring offie Mohnish Parmar, the KKR bowlers put up a disciplined performance with Shane Bond, Angelo Matthews, Murali Kartik, Ajit Agarkar and Chris Gayle taking one wicket each to contribute to their team's win.

Chasing the tall 182, opener Herschelle Gibbs hit 50 from 45 balls including a six and gave KKR a run for their money before Shane Bond evicted the South African to script the turn around.

Andrew Symonds hit a 37 ball 45 but 34 runs from the last over proved to be a bit too much for the Chargers who had lost their opening match to the Knights earlier.

Opting to bat, Ganguly set his home ground on fire with his fireworks. The ace southpaw stood tall among the ruins of Chris Gayle (4), Cheteshwar Pujara (17) and Manoj Tiwary (5).

David Hussey gave a fine support to Ganguly at the other end with a 27-ball 31 that included one four and two sixes.

Deccan Chargers' strike bowler Kemar Roach was ripped apart by the Knights as the West Indian conceded 48 runs from his quota of four overs.

The Hyderabadi skipper, Adam Gilchrist, too had a poor day behind the stumps, missing a couple of stumpings -- when Ganguly was on 67 and when Hussey was on 19.

Jaskiran Singh, Andrew Symonds and Pragyan Ojha claimed two wickets apiece for the chargers.

Chasing the tall target, the Deccan began all charged up with KKR at the receiving end. Ganguly started off the proceedings with rookie off-spinner Mohnish Parmar, a gamble that did not pay off.

The Gujarati off-spinner conceded 14 from the first over with Herschelle Gibbs plundering three boundaries. A miss run-out chance of Gibbs in the second over did not help the cause as Deccan had a flying start with 23 runs in two overs.

But KKR got a breakthrough dismissing the dangerman Adam Gilchrist (9) even as Gibbs stayed on at the other end and continued his assault to keep the target within reach.

Missed by Mathews from his own bowling on 35, the South African grew in stature and went on to complete his fifty.

Chargers were crusing along with 121 for two when Bond gave the most crucial breakthrough, dismissing Gibbs immediately after reaching his half-century.

Gibbs added 46 runs with Mohnish Mishra (29 from 16 balls) for the second wicket and then went on to add 44 with Symonds before his fall.

Soon the Chargers slipped to 125 for four with Rohit Sharma (2) being bowled by Murali Kartik as the asking run-rate crept above 14 mark and KKR completed the formality.

Earlier, Ganguly began positively with a couple of fours in the first over even as his opening partner Gayle lasted just seven balls before being dismissed in the third over.

After being hit for 10 runs in the first over, Kemar Roach was replaced by Andrew Symonds and the Australian deceived Gayle to be caught by Roach at long on.

Pujara, who was brought in place of Mandeep Singh, also did not last long. Having survived a run-out, Pujara looked good with some orthodox shots but he soon became Symonds' second victim as KKR slipped to 46 for two in the sixth over.

Pragyan Ojha then struck in his first over, dismissing the stylish Manoj Tiwary as KKR were soon reduced to 68 for three in a space of 14 balls.

However, Ganguly held on at the other end with boundaries flowing from his blade to maintain a healthy run-rate. The former India skipper quickly notched up his second fifty of IPL III with a huge six over long on off Ojha as the Knights got past the 100-mark in the 14th over.

Hussey also looked good at the other end and batted watchfully and gave maximum strikes to Ganguly.

The first 10 overs yielded 80 runs for three wickets but in the next five overs KKR could manage only 36 but the duo ensured there is no more casualty and added 50 runs together.

With seven wickets in hand for the last five overs, Ganguly exploded in Ojha's last over and hit the left-arm spinner for three sixes. In pursuit of a fourth one, Ganguly was caught by Rohit Sharma near the deep midwicket boundary.

After Ganguly's dismissal, Angelo Mathews (4) and Hussey took KKR past the 150-mark before falling in quick succession to Jaskiran Singh in the 19th over.

But Wriddhiman Saha (10 from four balls) and Ajit Agarkar (8 from 5 balls) added 18 runs in last nine balls for setting a stiff target.

SRK wants best SFX for 'Ra.One'

With James Cameron having already spoiled the movie buffs with the out-of-the-world special effects in this mega-blockbuster 3-D film Avatar, Shahrukh Khan, who’s producing and acting in the sci-fi thriller Ra.One, wants the best special effects (SFX) as well.

We hear that the brief SRK has given out to director Anubhav Sinha is that ‘Ra.One’ should have the most visually stunning SFX yet seen in any Hindi film.

Sinha further has given instruction to the SFX team to watch and study the special effects in notable Hollywood movies like ‘Avatar’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Terminator’ and ‘2012’. The team is also sketching and making models of the most imaginative looking characters that might be incorporated in ‘Ra.One’.

SRK and Kareena Kapoor have started shooting the film. The SFX will be added in the post production stages.

We want to win all home matches to make it to semis: Whatmore

Aware that his side will have to come up with an improved performance in the second half of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore on Wednesday said they were looking forward to win five out of five home matches to make the semi-final grade.

KKR have won three out of seven matches with one victory from two matches at the Eden Gardens and Whatmore said his side would look to win all their remaining home games.

"We are looking forward to get back to winning ways and it is very important. We won in Mohali and got a bit of momentum but then unfortunately lost to Delhi which was a step backward. We have some home matches coming up and we are looking forward to win five out of five," he told reporters ahead of KKR's match against Deccan Chargers on Thursday.

"We try to be as positive as we can, regardless of what stages of the matches. But certainly the intent is to be as positive as we can," he added.

Whatmore refused to comment on team composition when asked about chances of local player Laxmi Ratan Shukla replacing a struggling Mandeep Singh in Thursday's match.

"It's very difficult to say about the team right now. Conditions and opposition change with every game. These things are not done just for the sake of it but to get the best possible combination on that particular day," he said.

Asked whether Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis would play on Thursday, Whatmore replied, "Mendis along with others will be considered"

Whatmore did not agree that captain Sourav Ganguly was struggling in the Twenty20 format and cited former India captain's 40-ball 50 against Kings XI Punjab.

"He (Ganguly) has got some runs. He has done okay. It was just in the last match he along with few others could not make it count. But certainly we are keen to have a good start like every other teams." Whatmore said.

He also felt that he has got a team which can win whether batting first or chasing a target.

"We won one game chasing. But chasing can be sometimes a little bit tricky with the extra pressure of losing wickets. Yes, we have talked about it. We feel that we have got the team to come up whether we bat first or second," he said.

With three wins and as many losses, Deccan Chargers are lying fifth with six points in the league table. Kolkata also got six points from three wins and four losses.

Kolkata Knight Riders look to revive campaign against Deccan

The struggling Kolkata Knight Riders will hope to cash in on home advantage to bring their topsy-turvy campaign back on track when they take on defending champions Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Beginning with Thursday’s match, Kolkata, who are currently lying on the sixth spot, will have five of the seven matches at home.

Four losses from seven matches ring a warning bell in the Kolkata camp and if they have to revive their fortunes, the upcoming home matches will certainly be the determining factor.

The last season's wooden-spooners, with a new captain (Ganguly), coach (Dav Whatmore) and mentor (Wasim Akram) at helm, had begun the season on a perfect note defeating the defending champions in their first match.

They continued their winning run against the last season's runners-up, Royal Challengers Bangalore, but things took a turn for the worst as they went on to suffer a hat-trick of losses, an eerie reminder of last season's performance.

But they managed to get their act together with a much-needed win against the hapless Kings XI Punjab in a match where Manoj Tiwary exploded to form with a 47-ball 75 not out and Ganguly chipped in with an equally useful 50.

Against an attack boasting of Brett Lee and Piyush Chawla, the win boosted the sagging morale of their batting order that has depending too much on Chris Gayle.

Australian all-rounder David Hussey is due a big knock, so is Gayle, who has sparkled occasionally, but Ganguly's main area of concern would be their domestic recruits -- the likes of Mandeep Singh and Wriddhiman Saha.

Knight Riders' over dependence on Gayle was exposed in their last match against Delhi Daredevils when the side, chasing 178, gave up soon after the dismissal of the West Indies captain.

Even team boss Shah Rukh Khan is miffed and does not want any excuses from his captain Ganguly, if his tweets yesterday are any indication.

"This loss was about toss... The last hitch because of the pitch... Time for excuses is over. Either we play better or keep being deserving losers... I am disappointed and will try and sleep this disappointment off. Hope the team introspects and comes back strong. Professionals can do that," he tweeted.

Against Deccan Chargers, Knights have a psychological advantage of beating the champions in the first leg encounter but at the same time it will test the home team's frail batting order against the likes of Chaminda Vaas, Rudra Pratap Singh when the two teams face tomorrow.

"Look, the morale isn't down. It's my job to ensure that doesn't happen. I've been doing what I need to," Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore has said.

Ganguly on the other hand said, "After the first two matches people were going gaga over us; they even went to the extent of stating that we are a different side this season. The same people are airing completely different views after our three straight losses."

On the other hand, the Hyderabad side, boasting an explosive batting order in Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma, will be itching for a win especially after their two back-to-back losses to Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in the previous matches.

Following their loss to Kolkata in the opening match, Deccan returned to winning ways with a hat-trick of victories, but lost the next two to lie fifth after six matches.

In their last match in Mumbai, they had everything on track until the Harbhajan Singh blitzkrieg -- unbeaten 49 from 18 balls -- derailed them.

The Hyderabad side omitted VVS Laxman and Chaminda Vaas in the last match and it will be interesting whether Gilchrist opts to sideline the two veterans in their bid to get back to winning ways.

Teams (from):

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (c), Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Manoj Tiwary, David Hussey, Angelo Mathews, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Charl Langeveldt, Ishant Sharma, Shane Bond, Ashok Dinda, Eklakh Ahmed, Brad Hodge, Harshad Khadiwale, Cheteshwar Pujara, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Rohan Gavaskar.

Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist (c and wk), Monish Mishra, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, T Suman, Y Venugopal Rao, Jaskiran Singh, Kemar Roach, Rudra Pratap Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Chaminda Vaas, Dwyane Smith, VVS Laxman, Harmeet Singh, Azhar Bilakhia and D Ravi Teja.

Ajay blames media for hating wife's best friend – SRK

When he is questioning the authenticity of awards we shall remind him that his wife has bagged several awards pairing with SRK. Now that reminds us of his rivalry with the King Khan which became intense during 'Omkara' and 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'.

However the actor diplomatically rubbished the animosity in one of his statements saying, “The media created the battle. As far as I’m concerned, there was no issue. They’re two different films, I don’t know what all the fuss was all about,” followed by yet another famous quote, “We really didn’t have any issues. It’s just that I mind my own business. I don’t know why the media created the whole issue. Maybe because I never even attends SRK’s parties. But I hardly attend parties. I hardly go out and mingle with people. I’m hardly seen with anybody.”

He also once said in one of his interview, “What we need to do right now is to jump into a boxing ring and fight. I think you guys will be happy only if that happens. The media wants to create a tiff, so go ahead and do it. The day it happens, we’ll get into that boxing ring.”

And he was later also heard saying, “Kajol has worked with Shah Rukh in several films in the past and we will have a chance to act together. Shah Rukh and Kajol are good friends.”
Oh really Ajay, as if you have watched 'My Name Is Khan'?

SRK'S Ra.One all set to become a landmark SFX film

Anubhav Sinha is going all out to ensure that the Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ra.One becomes a landmark SFX film for Bollywood.

To make sure that only the best effects are incorporated in the film, he has given the Red Chillies team a list of Hollywood’s most outstanding SFX and 3-D movies for reference.

A source from the team reveals, “Anubhav is currently shooting in Goa with Shah Rukh and Kareena. They will be returning by the end of this week.

As soon as they are back we will start our work. The actual SFX work on the movie can only begin once we get the film footage. Till then, the director has asked us to do our homework.

We have been given a list of movies like Avatar, Star Wars, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, X-Men and Terminator to study the various special effects used in them. Each movie is different and he wants us to understand, learn and implement those effects in Ra.One.”

The source continues, “Apart from studying these movies, we are sketching, sculpting various characters that might fit into the movie. We are also fine tuning various special effects.”

Shah Rukh Khan ropes in David Benullo for his SFX film Ra 1

Shah Rukh Khan has got Hollywood writer David Benullo for his next production Ra1 which is being directed by Anubhav Sinha. Ra1 is a SFX (special effects) film.

Benullo has written the screenplay for Around the World in 80 Days and the script for Hallowed Ground, Cupid and Shadow Man, which had won the International Fantasy Film Award in 2006.

An industry insider said, “Since Ra1 is not a run-of-the-mill film, it requires a unique treatment. It’s has loads of special effects, which is why it will be made differently from the usual commercial Hindi films. SRK wanted a writer who would do justice to the film. Which is why he got David Benullo to work on the script.”

“The writer has already started work on the film when he was he was in India recently. He was working from the Red Chillies office. He had several discussions with SRK when he was recuperating after his shoulder surgery,” added the source.

Director Anubhav Sinha confirmed the news and said, “Yes, David Benullo is one of the writers working on the script. It’s too early to tell you anything more since I can’t talk about the film.” Sinha refused to divulge any further details.

The film is expected to release early next year.

Hollywood SFX for Ra.One

Anubhav Sinha is going all out to ensure that the Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ra.One becomes a landmark SFX film for Bollywood.

To make sure that only the best effects are incorporated in the film, he has given the Red Chillies team a list of Hollywood’s most outstanding SFX and 3-D movies for reference.

A source from the team reveals, “Anubhav is currently shooting in Goa with Shah Rukh and Kareena. They will be returning by the end of this week.

As soon as they are back we will start our work. The actual SFX work on the movie can only begin once we get the film footage. Till then, the director has asked us to do our homework.

We have been given a list of movies like Avatar, Star Wars, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, X-Men and Terminator to study the various special effects used in them. Each movie is different and he wants us to understand, learn and implement those effects in Ra.One.”

The source continues, “Apart from studying these movies, we are sketching, sculpting various characters that might fit into the movie. We are also fine tuning various special effects.”

It's pure love for SRK, Hrithik

It took a decade for two of Bollywood’s biggest heroes to put their egos behind them and strike up a friendship based on “pure love”.

In 2000 when Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Mohabbatein released, reigning actor Shah Rukh Khan and one of the most talked about newcomer Hrithik Roshan most certainly didn’t see eye to eye. In fact, the media had a field day playing up their differences. Sources say that even when Karan Johar brought them together for his film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the two were just about cordial with each other.

However, things are quite different now. The last year and a half has seen a 180 degree turn in the equation between Shah Rukh and Hrithik, who are now best friends. Hrithik says, “We have our wives to thank for this. Gauri and Sussanne are very very close. And yes, in a way they have brought Shah Rukh and me closer.”

Pondering over their now thick as blood relationship, Hrithik says, “Shah Rukh has always been extremely warm even when we were not so close. I have come to respect him for that.”

“We have become very close and have partied together so often. We have celebrated each other’s successes and also each other’s failures. Shah Rukh and I are just happy friends and we look for every little excuse to spend time with each other,” adds Hrithik.

Hrithik says that while the world sees just the two of them being friends, SRK and he are part of a much larger group. Karan Johar, Uday Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Chunky Pandey, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar also hang out with them.

“All of us usually go out together,” says Hrithik. ``It is nice to have people who care for you and are there for you especially in an industry where it is very easy to get entangled in ego clashes.”

He sums up his equation with SRK saying, “Shah Rukh and I have a relationship where there is no competition or jealousy. There is nothing but pure love.”

Discovery-ing SRK

For die-hard fans of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, a.k.a. SRK, this could be the ultimate—a peep into the private life of their hero. Discovery Travel & Living has framed Khan—the master entertainer, a successful entrepreneur, a caring father and a loving husband—in all his avatars. In the process, fans get to see what they could have only dreamed of—the uncut version of Khan.

Living with a Superstar is a 10-episode series of celebrity voyeurism. The round-the-clock access given to a team to follow Khan across the globe yielded the highest vierwership ratings among all English entertainment and news channels at prime time on budget day—February 26—as per data compiled by audience measurement agency TAM Media Research.

Says Discovery Networks India senior vice-president and general manager Rahul Johri, explaining why they chose Khan among all celebrities, “Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest entertainers of the Indian film industry with growing popularity in the international markets. He was the unanimous choice.”

If Khan was the unanimous choice for the channel to broaden its viewership base, the Bollywood star also had no qualms being part of the programme. After all, it would give him the much-needed marketing platform to reach out to those who till now had kept away. The crafty strategist that Khan is, he manages to keep the structure of a reality show minus the crudeness of the format, which we encounter in many shows. The first episode takes us on a vacation to London with Khan and his family. Amidst the fun and games with his two children, Khan delivers the first of his homilies: One must not cheat to win. The show has several such scenes where the audience gets a glimpse of the man behind the superstar, away from the arclights.

In the second episode, we get a sneak peek into Khan’s make-up van. Though he takes pride in his van, he remembers to remind the audience: It’s not the van that makes the man. It’s the man who makes the van. By now, such one-liners from Khan have achieved the tag of ‘Shahrukhism’. The third episode ‘Hit Wicket’ at times sounds like an ad for Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian Premier League team Khan owns.

“Our intention was to build a fresh property for Discovery. The network till now hadn’t explored Bollywood, so we felt it’s our responsibility to do something on that line to.

increase the viewership. What could be more entertaining than exploring an entertainer,” says Raja K Gopalakrishnan, CEO and producer of Blue Mango Films, the co-producer of the show. The other producer is Red Chillies Idiot Box.

“We jointly commissioned Red Chillies because of their close access to SRK. The fact that Samar Khan, head of Red Chillies Idiot Box, is a friend of Shah Rukh simplified our challenges of keeping up with Shah Rukh’s frenetic pace and lifestyle,” says Johri.

So everything in and around the show just falls in place: Khan gets what he wants, the viewers see what they want to see and the channel achieves its goal, too. However, LWAS has its funny moments too—be it the London phone booth charging Khan though he is unable to make a call, or the King Khan threatening to don the Deccan Chargers cap if his players fail to win again!

If you need more of Khan, Friday 9 pm is the time for you. Discovery Travel & Living will continue to travel and live with Khan for some more time.

P.S.: You will get to see what the makers want you to see, otherwise one year of a larger than life personality cannot be contained in a 10-episode series....