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Shah Rukh Khan is often hailed as the undisputed King of Bollywood, but not many highlight his sharp acumen as a businessman. Recently, Joy Bhattacharjya, who worked as the Team Director for Shah Rukh’s IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), shared several examples of how the superstar is not only a great marketer but also an astute businessman. SRK was also the first IPL team owner who ensured his brand became profitable.
In an interaction with the YouTube channel Quizzitok, Joy recalled that although KKR was facing a difficult time in the initial years of the IPL, Shah Rukh never resorted to micro-managing the team. Instead, he allowed the professionals to do their jobs and only spoke to players who needed encouragement.
He further revealed that among all the IPL franchises, only KKR was profitable right from the beginning, thanks to Shah Rukh’s sharp business sense. When asked why KKR remains one of Shah Rukh Khan’s most profitable commercial enterprises, Joy explained, “KKR was the first team that went profitable from the very first season. When advertisers bought sponsorship for KKR, if they are paying X amount for KKR, they were also paying another X amount for Shah Rukh Khan for being a part of the advertisement and that made a difference and he was absolutely fantastic.”
Joy also spoke about Shah Rukh’s knack for relationship building and his remarkable business foresight. “I will give you an example of what a great marketer he is. In 2008 his film Om Shanti Om released and there was a particular watch that was supposed to appear in the film, but at the last moment the global sanction didn’t come on time and Shah Rukh placed their product in the film for free.”
He added, “Then later when KKR came on, they were the first brand to sign up. And having an iconic international watch brand means every other brand around also felt ‘wow, great company’. So Shah Rukh was so astute, great relationship, great management. And meanwhile other teams were struggling to get finances. He made sure that that was the one thing that KKR always had.”
Shah Rukh Khan co-owns KKR with Juhi Chawla. The team has won three IPL tournaments till date. On the work front, the actor will next next be seen in The King, with daughter Suhana Khan.
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