Cricket scores over biz for Samurai Sourav

The captain of the Indian cricket team has an announcement to make. Despite months of speculation, Sourav Ganguly will not start a restaurant. Yes, there was animated talk of a karaoke bar, a cricket library, and a Bengali-cuisine restaurant... but Dada has finally decided to retain his helmet and abandon the chef’s hat.
‘‘Prior to the World Cup, my agent had suggested that I start a restaurant and it seemed like a good idea then.But in the months which followed, I was so caught up with training for the World Cup, and later the Cup itself, that everything else took a backseat. Later, the idea just fizzled out,’’ says Sourav.
Mention that that there have been reports of his Kolkata restaurant being almost ready, and Sourav breaks into a smile. ‘‘Really?’’ he asks in an amused tone, and beckons his buddies, ‘‘Ask them, they are from Kolkata.’’ And then, the grin broadens from ear-to-ear. ‘‘You can’t blame anyone; everyone is looking for 15 seconds of fame.’’
Apart from the nascent idea of a restaurant, Sourav Ganguly Percept D’Mark (SGPDM), which was meant to work on the business model of an entertainment tie-up with cricketing giants across the world, is no more. ‘‘I had started the company knowing that I had no time for it apart from the initial conceptualisation. I was clear that I would overview it after a year, which I did. I realised that my not being around was showing; so, I opted out.’’ The business idea might not have worked, but Sourav’s penchant for identifying and grooming young talent is more than visible in the current Indian team.
Incidentally, after a great run at the World Cup, Sourav is enjoying being at home. ‘‘Kolkata is experiencing heavy rainfall and my days are spent training. But when grounded at home, I have kept myself busy by watching football, courtesy East Bengal’s great innings.’’
Coming back to the announcements, Sourav has just added another brand to his list of endorsements and has been shooting under ad film-maker Prahlad Kakkar’s direction for a commercial which has a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon kind of concept. Meanwhile, daddy’s darling Sanna is already out shopping with mom. Little Sanna shopping? ‘‘She is grown up,’’ says the proud papa with a smile, ‘‘Sanna is 18 months old now!’’ Well, the plans for the restaurant might have been shelved, but Sourav Ganguly hasn’t lost his appetite for life.
delhitimes@indiatimes.com