When King Khan found out the ban on Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar would prevent him from playing in his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, he was understandably upset. “I was shooting and had switched off my phone, so I just got the message,” says Shah Rukh, “It’s very sad because Shoaib is an important part of our team. I think the Pakistani board, with due respect to them, has banned him from playing international matches for five years. But as far as I know, the IPL matches are not internationally recognised, so I don’t know why he shouldn’t play for us.”

Now, will the actor be taking steps to make things right for his team? “We thought we had a good mix of players with Shoaib on the team,” says SRK, “He was working out and making sure he was fit to play for IPL. I’ll see if I can talk to the relevant people about the ban, if they can make a special consideration as this is not an international match.”