We are the champions: Kolkata Knight Riders boss Shah Rukh Khan during the victory lap at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjoy Ghosh

He walked, he waved, he ran, he climbed, he hugged, he bowed, he sang, he danced, he jumped, he screamed — the only thing missing in Shah Rukh Khan’s victory lap at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday was a cartwheel.

A houseful Eden lapped up his every move with a full-throated roar of “Shaaaah Ruuuukhhh!” that you could have heard from a mile away. “Love you,” SRK responded, a hand pointing towards the heavens and the other holding the top bar of the sightscreen scaffold he had just climbed.

Gautam Gambhir and co. may have got Calcutta the DLF IPL Cup, but this was Shah Rukh’s stage. Today, they would need to keep pace with him, not an asking rate of 9.5 runs an over!

“It is difficult to predict what Shah Rukh will do when he is in front of a crowd. He is so happy today that he’s unstoppable,” said a member of the KKR support staff.

The victory lap started from Block B around 1.35pm, just after Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla had helped Gambhir cut the sandesh cake. His borrowed hat in place, the Bolly Badshah led the extended KKR family through a battery of photographers and hangers-on for around 25 metres before breaking free to choreograph his own spectacle.

Shah Rukh first ran towards the iron fence, alternately waving and bowing towards the crowd. Occasionally, he would give one of the players a hug, be it Manvinder Bisla, Debabrata Das or Laxmi Ratan Shukla. In the background, the KKR anthem — Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re — played in loop mode.

Mamata, who had asked for the song to be played during the victory lap, didn’t want anybody except the players and those connected with KKR to join them but there was no stopping those who were already inside the cordon, including Trinamul ministers and the Eden Gardens ground staff in purple tees.

“We did create a cordon to protect the guests, but you can’t just shoo or push away people on an occasion like this,” said an assistant commissioner of police.

Police commissioner R.K. Pachnanda stayed a few paces behind, keeping a hawk’s eye on the proceedings.

Gambhir looked a tad tired but seemed to regain his energy once the Cup was passed to him just after the victory lap had crossed Block C. As the KKR skipper raised the Cup for the crowd to see, Eden roared in approval. Mamata, waiting on the dais for the lap to end, smiled and clapped.

Coach Trevor Bayliss was busy recording snatches of the action on his cellphone, particularly when Shah Rukh would work the crowd with a sudden jump or jig. “It’s difficult to match his energy level,” said a police officer struggling to stay with the group.

If someone came close to matching SRK’s spirit on another hot Calcutta day, it was host Mamata.

DEV: ‘It was so much fun dancing with SRK’

Shah Rukh Khan and Dev match steps. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

I got a call from Didi’s office, but I wasn’t sure about going (to the felicitation) because of my shooting schedule. I confirmed around 1am that I would be there. Didi-r kathay na boltey pari na (I can’t say no to Didi). I was told that “Didi khub chaichhey toke… toke ashtey hobe (Didi wants you there…you have to come)”. Tarpor toh aar kono proshnoi othey na (After that, the question of whether to go or not does not arise).

I reached Writers’ Buildings around 11.15-11.20am. Before the whole KKR team arrived, Didi was talking about films and the Tollywood industry. And she was also excited that KKR had won IPL 5. I doubt whether any other chief minister would have felicitated the team in such a grand way. I am happy that by now Shah Rukh Khan knows me by my name. “Are aap bhi aa gaye (You have come as well)? Very good! Kaisey ho aap (How are you)?” he asked me. When I congratulated him and thanked him for making us all very proud, he told me, “Yeh aap ka bhi Cup hai… yeh aap logon ke liye hi toh hai (This is also your Cup…all this is meant only for you).”

He also told me, “Kal finally maine aap ka gaana dekha (Yesterday, I finally saw your song).” It felt good! He is a role model for me, an icon. I always look up to him. So if my icon tells me something, then it is a big thing for me. It is as big as Viv Richards knowing my name!

It was so much fun dancing with him… a dream come true. He is such a humble and sweet person. Juhi Chawla is also very sweet. Didi told us that all of us would have to dance. And we all started dancing. It was an expression of all the excitement and joy. I was feeling very shy though.

When he (SRK) was leaving, I told him, “Inshallah next year bhi celebration hoga (God willing, there will be a celebration next year too)”. He replied, “Inshallah aap bhi rahenge, hum bhi rahenge… sab karenge…aap ki dua saath rahein (God willing, you will be there, I will also be there…we will do everything if your good wishes are with us).”

It was a very good morning. Had I not gone, I would have regretted it. So many people… unbelievable! One word to describe the Shah Rukh Khan show would be “Korechhi, lorechhi, jeetechhi!”

LOCKET: ‘One of my best moments ever’

Locket Chatterjee and King Khan dance on the dais. (Amit Datta)

To have shared the stage with Shah Rukh Khan was a great experience! The whole of Calcutta was in a festive mood. I danced with Shah Rukh to Dhitang dhitang. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to go for the felicitation at all because of work commitments, but I decided to go in the morning and it was

worth it. He (SRK) was in a bindaas mood. I could make out he hadn’t heard Dhitang dhitang before, but he was enjoying the rhythm of the song. Dancing with SRK would be one of my best moments ever.

We all congratulated the whole team… Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan… we were giving away gifts to all of them. I did not get to speak to Shah Rukh Khan separately. When he saw the sandesh cake, he went, “Oh! My god”. He looked overwhelmed.
We told Didi how much we liked the whole event. She thanked us all individually for being there.

As told to Saionee Chakraborty