Shah Rukh Khan’s presence at the Eden is nothing new. Being the principal owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, he visits the venue during every IPL. But on Saturday it was special as it was not the franchise owner who turned up, it was Shah Rukh the showman who took over Eden Gardens.
The showman Shah Rukh, with his aura, wit and sheer presence, enthralled the capacity crowd at the Eden, serving as a perfect prelude to Saturday’s IPL 2025 opener between his Knights and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
There were other performers at the opening ceremony. Leading playback singer Shreya Ghoshal churned out chartbusters one after another such as Aami je tomar from the 2007 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa and the AR Rahman-composed Vande Mataram. Short performances from Bollywood actress Disha Patani and Punjabi rapper-cum-singer Karan Aujla too followed.
But all the attention was on the Badshah and his expertise in anchoring the entire opening ceremony.
The noise decibels easily went up a few levels higher when the Kolkata Knight Riders’ principal owner invited Virat Kohli, one of Indian cricket’s biggest icons, to the stage. Referring to Kohli as the “OG of IPL”, Shah Rukh, joining the fans, chanted “Kohli, Kohli” as the former India and RCB captain stepped onto the dais.
Despite time constraints, Shah Rukh still managed to put forward a question to “big inspiration” Kohli. “Do you think the IPL will continue to be so wonderful and the generation gold will continue to shine as you do and the others? Or the generation bold will start making a bigger and faster impact on this game?” he asked Kohli.
Kohli’s reply? “The bold generation is coming up very strongly. But the old generation is still here, ready to make an impact, still ready to play the game and, hopefully, keep creating more memories for all these lovely fans for years to come.”
Thereafter, it was the turn of generation bold’s “superstar finisher” Rinku Singh to come up to the dais. The Knight Riders batter, in response to a question from his team owner, said “Hum thoda bahut takkar de sakte hain (We can pose a bit of a challenge)” to “generation gold” players.
Between generation gold’s Kohli and generation bold’s Rinku was “the generation that never gets old”. That was Shah Rukh’s inimitably witty way of referring to himself, which was lapped up by the full house. Soon after, Shah Rukh went into a jig with Kohli and Rinku as Jhoome jo Pathaan — from his hit movie Pathaan — played in the background.
In other words, it was the Shah Rukh show that set the tempo for the opener and got the fireworks going before the customary fours and sixes were served to the crowd.
Earlier, brighter skies from early evening onwards promised a much better weather, much to the relief of the spectators. But some mismanagement near gate numbers 1, 2 and 13 of the Eden threatened a stampede-like situation.
But all that was forgotten quickly once the fans entered the venue. Waiting for them was the showman who never ceases to entertain.