Cricket and film fraternity come together to pay tribute to Tiger Pataudi

This evening, dedicated to the memory of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was a rare confluence of cinema and cricket. Luminaries from the field of cricket and film industry got together to share anecdotes about Tiger Pataudi. The evening was hosted by Bishan Singh Bedi to celebrate 25 years of Bishan Bedi Cricket Coaching Trust. Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan and Saba Ali Khan were a part of the evening.Bedi said, that when he asked Sharmila why Saif could not make it to the event, she said, "Oh! He has a terrible knack of disappearing." Bedi added that the presence of the film fraternity, alongwith the cricketers, was essential, as "Tiger Pataudi had married into the film industry."
REMEMBERING THE LEGEND: Bishna Singh Bedi
I never heard Tiger swear: Bishan Singh Bedi
Bedi said that he has been influenced by few legends in cricket – Donald Bradman, Frank Worrell and Tiger Pataudi. “These are the legends whose names will be mentioned whenever we talk about cricket,” said Bedi. As he shared some anecdotes about Tiger Pataudi, Bedi said that though we hear about sledging in cricket now, Tiger never used any swear words.
"I never heard the man swear in English, Hindi or Punjabi. Koi MC, BC, kisi ka zikr nahi kiya kabhi. On one occasion, we were playing in Kanpur and it was very cold and the dressing room was also very poorly placed, with no sunlight, in the month of December. We decided to sit out in the sun. As we sat down, a few kids from the neighbourhood came in a group and started misbehaving and pushing us. Tiger returned to the dressing room and all he said was, ‘your parents should have never slept together!’"
Soha and Saba Ali Khan with Bishan Singh Bedi and Sharmila Tagore
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah
Tiger goli ke maafik throw maarte thay: Bishan Singh Bedi
Bedi added, "Tiger was outstanding in so many ways. I have not seen a better outfielder than Tiger Pataudi - not just in Indian cricket, but in world cricket. He was so athletic, yeh jo diving, sliding dekh rahe hain na aaj kal hum, Tiger used to do it in the '60s and '70s. I have always believed that Tiger Pataudi was 50 years ahead of his time with his vision of Indian cricket. He had tremendous shoulder strength, goli ke maafik throw maarte thay. On one occasion, his shoulder got dislocated while throwing a ball. The doctor was trying to fix it, moving his arm, and Tiger was screaming. The doctor said, 'Come on Pat, there is a woman next door and she has given birth to twins, she is not screaming as much as you.’ Tiger replied, ‘Try putting them back.’ He had a subtle sense of humour. Tiger never indulged in any kind of self pity and didn’t allow anybody to talk about the loss of his eye. He used to say that in a country of blind people, the one-eyed man is king."
Kapil Dev and Angad Bedi
My marriage contract said that I would not talk about cricket and I still honour it: Sharmila
Narrating an incident from the past, Sharmila said, "Once, when I was talking to Peter May, I was showing off my cricket knowledge. I was talking about a leg cut and I got a massive kick under the table and was told by Tiger that 'it's called a late cut, not a leg cut. Do not ever talk about cricket!' So, it was put formally in my marriage contract and I still honour it." Talking about Tiger's passion for the game, Sharmila said, "Once, when Saif was in school, there was a match between fathers and boys. Tiger played so competitively with nine and ten year olds he broke a windshield. When we went for tea after the game, no one spoke to us."
Ashish Nehra and Virender Sehwag
There are captains who give you confidence that once they are on the field, things will be alright. Tiger was such a captain: Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan said, "When Bishan ji told me that this event is to pay tribute to Tiger Pataudi, I didn’t take a minute to say yes, as I've been a huge fan of cricket. Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Bishan ji, I have been a fan of all of them. There was something magnetic about Pataudi and I used to love watching him. That one over against West Indies when Andy Roberts, who was known as a fast and dangerous bowler, was bowling, and the ease with which Tiger handled him, is etched in my memory. My other memory of cricket is watching a match when Bishan paaji was bowling and Tony Greig had scored six sixes in that over. I felt very bad about it as a kid, as I was a huge fan of Bishan paaji. When I met Tony Greig later, I told him ki woh aapne theek nahi kiya, woh ek over mein jo aapne 6 chhakke maare, woh mujhe bahut bura laga tha."
KHAN MEET: Aamir Khan and Sohail Khan
Talking about his first meeting with Tiger Pataudi, Aamir said, "When I was shooting Rang De Basanti with Soha, I told her that I have to meet your dad. Sharmila ji invited me for dinner. I was sitting totally in awe of him and I don’t know what he was thinking, but it was lovely to just look at him. He had such a sharp sense of humour, so it was a great evening for me. I also loved him as a commentator because he made sense when he was talking about cricket, so I used to listen to his words very carefully. He was not afraid to speak his heart and he spoke boldly. Also, Pataudi is one of the captains I have looked up to as a kid. There are captains who give you this confidence, that once they are on field, things will be alright now. Tiger was one such captain. Kapil Dev was such a captain, and now Virat is."
Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh
Despite his lineage and his position in the game, Tiger always came across as very humble: Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan was unable to attend, but he sent a recorded video message in which he said, "Tiger had a presence that was immediately most attractive. Despite his lineage and his position in the game, he always came across as a very humble human being, ever ready to mingle and lighten the atmosphere. I am not certain how he was anointed with the title of the Tiger, but one look into his eyes and you would have felt there couldn’t have been a more appropriate word for him. He gave what most commonly is called a 'rockstar image' to the team and the game. The adulation and fan following he garnered surpassed that of film stars."
Anjum Chopra and Mohammad Azharuddin
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Neha Dhupia
He embodied the spirit of fortitude and a single-minded will to succeed: Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah, who came with wife Ratna Pathak Shah, said that he admired Tiger since childhood. He reminisced, "I saw a photograph of a handsome man in a magazine, he was bent on one knee, looking as graceful as anything Roger Federer can serve up, executing an exquisite sweep shot, and he was referred to as the Nawab of Pataudi, the captain of the Oxford cricket team. It said that he was soon to play for India. Then came the unfortunate accident and I thought this hero would never get a pedestal, but within the time it would take a lesser human being to recover, Tiger was playing for the country and leading the team. I never saw him play. I only saw his photographs and listened to his commentary. He embodied this spirit of fortitude, determination and a single-minded will to succeed at any cost."

Unmukt Chand and Ajay Jadeja
Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal
Anshuman Gaekwad and Gaurav Kapur