Published: Jun 07, 2013, 10:24 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 07, 2013, 10:24 AM (IST)
Raj Kundra (left) with his wife Shilpa Shetty. Photo credits: Bollywoodlife
Raj Kundra seems to be in the same league as Chennai Super King’s former ‘team principal’ Gurunath Meiyappan. So no reason for the couple to cry victim, writes Shantanu Datta
Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty, the co-owners of by now pretty much tainted Rajasthan Royals IPL team, are angry. Angry at the media following Kundra who was being interrogated by the Delhi police. Angry at the way news channels are leading the news pack with the latest from their front. Angry at being “misconstrued” and misinterpreted, leading to “misreporting”. Angry at… well, just about everything now that things are going so horribly wrong for them.
Look at a few tweets by Shilpa since Thursday morning, as news channels started playing up Raj Kundra’s nearly 12-hour interrogation by the police in Mumbai on Wednesday, then putting up reports with inputs from “sources” to claim Kundra had confessed to having placed bets, followed by news of his passport being seized, and finally the Delhi police commissioner confirming to reporters that he had confessed to betting on his own team.
Here’s one, fired at 10.48 am: “STOP PRESS” literally! Getting on my nerves to c to wht extent the press wud go to make Headlines! Its’ annoying n distressing fr family.”
Next, at 10.51 am: “To c news misconstrued n misreported. Pls spk 2 the Real officials in charge and get the REAL story rather than ure PAID (unreliable) sources.”
Nine minutes later: “Really upset with the media fr casting aspersions without any proof, making derogatory statements. Uncalled for and will not be tolerated. :(“
And another one, shot off at 11.12 am: “Also to all the BREAKING NEWS channels ‘Don’t get into assumptions, we too are most curious to know who the culprit is’!”
And what headlines did the press “make”? That Raj Kundra admits to betting? That’s what the police commissioner said, so what’s wrong with it?
And since it’s still illegal to bet in India — matters little even if you lose huge sums, as Kundra is reportedly saying in his defence to claim that he was not part of fixing — some “casting aspersion” would come into the game, right?
Having been in show business for years, Shilpa should not get all that worked up. The media is doing what the media’s job is: reporting on sleaze, and fortunately or unfortunately sleaze plus showbiz is a deadly combo that sells like nimbu paani on a sweltering summer day.
And please, enough of this righteous nonsense about helping the police to get to the bottom of the truth. Truth be told, the couple is in the business only because their team has been the black sheep. So, of course, the owners were bound to be questioned. It’s not that either Kundra or Shilpa volunteered to be grilled by the cops.
Their favourite lines over the last few days — “we too are most curious to know who the culprit is”, as Shetty tweeted this morning, or Kundra’s Wednesday-night tweet post-interrogation, “My visit to crime branch was to help them in the case” — sound suspiciously fake now, as the allegedly dirty linen are allegedly coming out in public with more revelations. So they can leave their righteous rage back home.
Kundra now seems in for the same charge that Chennai Super King’s former ‘team principal’ Gurunath Meiyappan was in judicial custody for, so there is no reason for the couple to cry victim. And with reports emerging that Umesh Goenka, said to be a close aide through whom Kundra reportedly placed his bets, has told the police that Shilpa, too, was involved in betting, the “annoying n distressing” time for her family is set to carry on for a while.
So get used to it, Mrs and Mr Kundra: enough of the wide grins from the VIP boxes and team dugouts in the stadium, say cheese to the other face of the media now.
(Shantanu Datta is a Senior Editor with Governance Now from where the above article is republished with permission)
