Sourav Ganguly fans threaten to stall release of SRK’s Ra.One

Kolkata. After Sourav Ganguly went unsold in the IPL auctions, virtually finishing his on-field cricketing career, supporters of the former Indian captain have decided to take up the issue with Shah Rukh Khan. SRK owns IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, which had decided not to retain Ganguly for the fourth season, thus offloading Ganguly onto the auction floor.

Ganguly fans have decided not to let SRK’s upcoming movie Ra.One get released in West Bengal unless the Bollywood actor issues a public apology to Dada and all the Bengalis everywhere in the world for pushing Dada into such “ignominious” position.

SRK plays a robot called G.One in his upcoming movie Ra.One

“It’s a well thought of conspiracy,” claimed an angry Jatin Ganguly while burning an effigy of SRK, “why has Shohrukh Boka called himself G.One in the movie? Souravda is the one and the only G.”

In what turned out to be one of the major embarrassments in his chequered career, Sourav Ganguly was left red-faced as none of the 10 franchises put his name up in the wish list for the second time after the first round of auctions ended in Bangalore on Sunday. Similarly Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Sanath Jayasurya were all rejected during the first round and never came up for a second discussion. Only Mohammed Kaif turned out to be real lucky as he was finally snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for $130,000 after being ignored twice.

One of the realistic reason could be his base price of $400,000. By the time the re-auctions of the unsold players were held, it became clear that his old team KKR who had a purse of $425,000 won't bid for him. Ditto for Chennai Super Kings who had almost exhausted their purse with only $385,000 remaining.

Everyone was looking forward to Sahara Pune Warriors - a franchise with whom Ganguly has been linked for quite some time. However with three editions already over, even the new teams know how to get their economics right as most of them found it fit to spend the remaining money on uncapped domestic players who would form the core of the team.

This is the third consecutive movie of Shah Rukh Khan that is now facing trouble ahead of its release. Earlier, Billu (Barber) had faced opposition from hair-dressers while the release of My Name Is Khan was violently opposed by Shiv Sena activists.

“This is actually good for the film business,” Karan Adarsh, a Bollywood trade-expert opined, “I think SRK should make sure that the controversy is alive till the movie is released.” Ra.One is expected to release only after June this year while IPL4 would be over by May end.

“If the controversy dies down, SRK should take off his shirt in one of the IPL matches and fling it in air like Sourav Ganguly had done in the Natwest Trophy,” Karan suggested, “It will definitely enrage Ganguly fans and rekindle the controversy.”