Reflecting on their entrepreneurial journey, Juhi acknowledged that Shah Rukh and Jay took on much of the initial groundwork. She recalled, “Lalit wanted glamorous people as team owners and approached Shah Rukh and me. At that time, I thought cricket and the film industry were the most popular in India. It felt nice to be part of cricket.”
Despite acquiring the team, Juhi admitted they were inexperienced in running a cricket franchise. “We didn’t know anything about running a cricket franchise. I remember attending meetings at Shah Rukh’s house where we discussed everything from creating the team jingle to deciding on the team uniform,” she shared.
Juhi Recalls King Khan’s Struggle Period! Says, ‘Shah Rukh’s Car Was Taken Away..’
Juhi humorously recalled her initial reaction to the team’s first uniform, “It was black and gold, and I wasn’t happy with it because black is considered inauspicious.” She added with a laugh, “I thought, ‘What is this black and gold?'”
Describing the early days of KKR, Juhi mentioned that meetings often took place late at night (in Mannat) due to Shah Rukh’s busy schedule during the day. “Our meetings were scheduled for 10 pm, but they would start by 11 pm. By the time discussions began, it would be 12-12:30 am, and I would start dozing off. After a few meetings, I stopped attending and told them to carry on without me,” she recalled.
In the same interview, Juhi reminisced about a young, ambitious Shah Rukh who had just arrived in Mumbai from Delhi, without a place to stay.
Juhi recalled, “I don’t know where he stayed. There was no one to cook for him. He used to have tea with the unit, eat with the unit, and blended in the unit seamlessly. Unit ke plate mein khana khaana. Haansi mazak, sabse ghul mil kar rehte the. He also did 2-3 shifts then. He was doing Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman with me, Dil Aashna Hai, and another film (Deewana) with Divya (Bharti). He was very driven.”
Despite his current status as one of India’s wealthiest actors with an estimated net worth of around Rs 6300 crore, Shah Rukh’s journey was far from easy. He faced financial difficulties and struggled to pay his EMIs at the start of his career.
