This is a cricket blog but for this one time I am making an exception and writing about my other love - Bollywood.

I have just come back from a trip to Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg. Nothing really tops roaming around Europe with your wife, but some things come really close, like bumping into the one and only Shahrukh Khan during the same trip!

Yes. That happened. We saw Shahrukh Khan. In Prague.

And I had a brief encounter with him.

While strolling back after seeing some stunning views of the city from Prague Castle and Petrin Tower, we decided to make our way to Charles Bridge and watch the sun set.

As we walked towards the bridge, my wife pointed out towards a large crowd gathered under the bridge.

We thought it was the usual street performer showing his or her moves.

As we approached we realized the crowd was blocking our way towards the stairs leading up to Charles Bridge.

We walked past the crowd and towards the stairs and then suddenly a security guard asked us to stop and this is what followed:

Me: Hey I just want to go up to the bridge.

Security: you can't from here, shooting is going on.

Me: Oh film shooting (as I look around and see some movie cameras). Which movie?

Security: its an Indian movie.

Me: Tell me which one, I know all Indian movies.

Security: It is called The Ring.

Me: Nooo that doesn't sound like an Indian movie. Who is in it?

Security: The most famous movie actor from India is here.

Me: Who Shahrukh Khan!?

Security: yes yes Shahrukh Khan.

Me: Are u serious?

My Wife: baby bakwas kar raha hai.

Security: yes Shahrukh Khan.

Me: Baby THERE HE IS SHAHRUKH KHAN !!

And we saw him, applying some touch up to his face and getting ready for a shot.



As SRK completed his touch up, Imtiaz Ali walked up to him and gave him some suggestions.

Then the shot rolled.

An Arijit song played.

SRK walked up the stairs of Charles Bridge, the same stairs we were supposed to go on.


Ofcourse I knew that SRK and Anushka Sharma were in Europe to shoot for Imtiaz Ali's next. That was the last Bollywood news I had read before leaving for my own Euro trip.

However, I had no idea that they were going to be in Prague and I could not believe my luck that I was in Prague at the same time and by chance walked up to the location of their shooting!

Once I got a bit over the euphoria of watching SRK shoot in person, I looked around the crowd that had gathered and was so pleasantly surprised to see European women pointing towards SRK and telling each other that that is Shahrukh Khan.

Global star is an understatement!

I wanted to shout out his name a few times and kept repeating the same to my wife who was so amused by my excitement.

I said it about the 5th time "I want to shout", when an Indian girl behind me said "come on shout, we will shout with you".

Such encouragement always makes such things easier. I said "sure on 1,2,3, we all shout Shahrukh Khan".

As I completed my 1,2,3 count, a group of about 15 people let out a huge "SHAAAAHHRUUKKHHH KHAAAAN !!!".

He looked up, smiled, and waved.

That was it. Our day, our trip was made.

Soon after Imtiaz Ali called it "a wrap" and SRK started walking away.

Sensing an opportunity to go meet him, shake his hand, take a selfie I turned around to my wife and said I am going to follow him.

After the tiring walk up and down the hills, my wife was in no mood to rush or run, but seeing my excitement she smiled and said "go go I'm walking behind araam se.

It almost sounded like "Ja Simran, jee le apni zindagi".

I first ran past and clicked a selfie, capturing SRK and myself in the same frame.



I moved closer and and exclaimed "Shahrukh.. Shahrukh" as I extended my left arm out. He stretched out his right hand and gave me a five while moving ahead denying fans asking for selfies.

I ran past him again and switched on my selfie camera to capture SRK and myself in one frame for as long as I could.

Here it is... the video that I will cherish forever. King Khan and I in the same frame for 12 seconds!



As you will see, he almost tapped me on the shoulder before being swooshed away by his security detail.

Woh kehte hain na... "Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nai namumqin hai"..

When I shared my excitement and the pics and video with my friends, this is what I got in return from mere bachpan ka dost.










































It wasn't the first time I saw SRK. I have been to a couple of his concerts in Dubai, and also saw him at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi during an IPL match between KKR and Kings XI.


But this encounter in Prague was definitely a memorable one and I just had to write about it.

I even asked around for Anushka Sharma, but no one had any idea. She was probably prowling around Prague in the hunt for Pokemons.

As you can tell, I am a huge SRK fan. I have been since I saw Baazigar. And I still am after watching Happy New Year, Chennai Express, and Dilwale.

I am such a big fan that I even managed to convince my wife to pay a tribute to him and the greatest love story ever made the last time we went traveling around Europe.


Now I can't wait to witness the beauty of Prague that Imtiaz Ali will capture coupled with the magic that he will create with SRK and Anushka Sharma.

Besides being a huge cricket fan, I am also a big Bollywood buff. I absolutely love Bollywood and enjoy the masala entertainers dished out every Friday. Unlike cricket, Bollywood rarely disappoints me. I don't mind the protagonist walking around in a crisply ironed white shirt after a long action sequence or that the main stars break out into an impromptu dance routine, along with the rest of city, to proclaim their love for each other.

I find all this thoroughly entertaining.

When a movie like Azhar hits the screens, it is a double whammy for a person like me. Cricket and Bollywood in one! Its like having the perfect combo meal - KFC with McDonalds' fries and a biscuit from Popeye's!

Azhar's life - an arranged marriage, an affair with a Bollywood actress, a dream cricket debut, rise to the Indian captaincy, and the match fixing scandal - had it all to muster up a true blue bollywood masala entertainer.

Yet it was such a major disappointment!

My biggest problem with Azhar (the movie) is that it goes out of its way to show Azharuddin's innocence that it leaves a bad taste. A real bad taste.

In fact it attempts to fool the viewers and glorifies Azharuddin as an innocent man. One should have expected this considering Azharuddin was involved in training Emraan Hashmi and heavily involved in helping with the storyline.

Here's how Azhar fooled the public, AGAIN!

CBI and all available public reports state that Azharuddin was investigated for fixing the following three ODIs:

1. India vs South Africa, first match of the Titan Cup, 1996
2. India vs Sri Lanka, Pepsi Asia Cup, 1997
3. India vs Pakistan, Pepsi Cup, 1999

CBI also claimed that Azharuddin confessed to fixing these 3 ODIs; however Azharuddin has denied this in an interview.

The movie starts well by stating that Azharuddin is being investigated for these 3 matches.

But then, in a sour attempt to fool the public, the movie ignores these actual ODIs and uses results of different ODIs to portray Azhar's innocence.

Did Tony and Azhar actually think they would get away with shit like this!!?

India vs South Africa
In the actual match, India lost by 47 runs. Azhar scored 32 off 55 balls and was caught by Cullinan of Crookes.

The movie shows that Azhar was out LBW to a wrong decision (off the inside edge) and the crowd caused disruption because of this, with Azhar's lawyer arguing how could he have fixed the game if he was wrongly given out.

In reality, this occurred in the India vs Australia match of the Titan Cup where Azharuddin was wrongly given out LBW to Jason Gillespie and crowd disruption stopped play for 20 minutes.

Please don't miss the "Match Notes" at the end of that scorecard:


How sad and pathetic is it that the movie chooses an event that took place in an ODI between India and Australia, and makes it look like that it occurred in the India vs South Africa match that was allegedly fixed by Azhar.

I am disgusted!

India vs Sri Lanka
In the Pepsi Asia Cup in 1997, India played Sri Lanka twice: a group game that Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets and then the Final that Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets. In both games, Azhar scored 80 odd runs with the rest of India's batting failing. Another key fact of this tournament is that India's captain was Sachin Tendulkar and not Azharuddin.

The movie, however, ignores these matches and the Pepsi Asia Cup altogether and instead shows an India vs Sri Lanka ODI played in London in 1998. This fictional match was a Final of a Jubilee Cup, Azhar was captain, and Azhar single handedly won India a match they looked like losing while chasing a target of 280 odd as the bookie and the underworld Don looked on in disbelief from the stands.

HA!

Firstly, neither India nor Sri Lanka toured England in 1998. Secondly, the Jubilee Cup that was played in 1998 involved India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; there was no Sri Lanka.

Thirdly, the match showed in the movie picks up events that took place in an India vs Sri Lanka ODI played in the Champions Trophy in Sharjah in 1998, where Sachin and Ganguly got out early and Azharuddin's 94 helped successfully chase a target of 245.

Again the movie showcases events from another ODI and attempts to mislead the public into believing that they are from the allegedly fixed ODI.

Come on, seriously!?

If it wasn't enough that Azhar screwed India in the 90s that he has come out to do it once again!

Did they think cricket fans will not be able to tell the difference between the matches?

What Bullshit.

Oh and that India vs Pakistan match was completely ignored by the way.

Can't even say that Tony Dsouza took liberties as a director and re-created ODIs considering that the events were blatantly copied from other ODIs. To top it all the ODI vs West Indies that Manoj Prabhakar allegedly fixed was shown in the movie exactly how it played out in reality!

So while one ODI is replicated to show that Prabhakar was a fixer, other matches were recreated with events from other different ODIs to show that Azharuddin was innocent.

WHAT UTTER BULLSHIT !

Seems like Azharuddin ne chay banane ka thaika liya hua hai. Pehle cricket se, ab Bollywood se.