Barely a week after his standoff with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has just stepped into another controversy — this time in Kolkata.
With the third edition of the Indian Premier League T-20 cricket tournament due to begin on March 12, resentment against Khan’s
tie-up with hosiery brand Lux Cozy is growing in this city.
The reason is that Lux Cozy, which will provide the uniforms for Khan’s T-20 team Kolkata Knight Riders and pay a fee to the team for using its apparel, is owned by brothers Ashok and Pradip Todi. The Todis were charged with abetting the suic-ide of computer graphics designer Rizwanur Rehman, a Muslim, after he married Ashok Todi’s daughter Priyanka, a Hindu.
A criminal case has been registered against the Todi brothers, who are currently out on bail.
News of Khan’s team tying up with a brand owned by the Todis — who have not exactly endeared themselves to the Kolkata public — has sparked anger in various parts of the city and people across religious lines have joined hands to express their indignation.
A news conference featuring prominent citizens, including actors, dancers, authors and rock stars, is likely to be organised here on Monday to express opposition to the controversial tie-up.
Last week the Imam of Kolkata’s second biggest mosque wrote to Khan, appealing that he scrap the deal with the Todis.