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If you believe that a woman has no place in sports, Juhi Chawla would love to prove you wrong. The actor, who lights up the screen with her smile, is also the proud co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders. After the recently-concluded IPL auction in Goa, we caught Juhi enjoying a relaxed Sunday on the banks of the Ganges at Raichak. When we asked her about Kolkata, an excited Juhi said. “I want to come back to Kolkata and spend some time, soaking in the essence of the wonderful city.”
The actor also had to field a lot of questions on her IPL team. And, of course, now with Mashrafe Mortaza donning the KKR jersey we were curious to know why they gave the other big names in the window a miss. “We wanted a bowler. Mortaza is also an allrounder. Moreover, Kolkatans will love to have someone from the neighbouring country,” she explained. Prod her more on this and she comes out with an honest confession, “We had limited resources at hand.”
But how does she justify coughing up roughly Rs 3 crore for the Bangladeshi allrounder? “The price was through auction and in auctions there are no scripts. I would say it is Mortaza’s destiny to be a part of the KKR team. And it is just a coincidence that SRK and Preity wanted the same player on board,” she said clearing the air on the SRK-Preity tussle.
The actor, who got critical acclaim for her role in the film Luck by Chance, was also upbeat about her career in the movies. “I’m reading a lot of scripts but I am really impressed with new-age directors like Onir, Sujoy Ghosh, Farhan and Zoya. If some good script comes my way, I will do it,” she said. And what about Bengali cinema? “My doors are always open to good roles. I’m a director’s actor and if there is a good script, then I’m open to acting in Bengali movies as well,” she said. Juhi is also learning music. “Singing is like meditation for me,” she explained.
And now with the new IPL season set to begin, she sure will need a lot of it. On the reported difference of opinion between the captain and the coach, she said, “In a team you have ups and downs. But I am not supposed to talk about all this. Everyone has a role to play in the team.” And what is her role? “Arrey bhai, I’m the glamorous owner,” she answered with a smile.
