Celebrity Cricket League: Owner of Bengal Tigers Boney Kapoor recalls his Kolkata connections

Boney Kapoor is largely known to be one of the ace producers, Sridevi’s husband, and Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor’s father. Not many people know that he started his career as Shakti Samanta’s assistant and hence he has a long relationship with Kolkata. On Sunday, He told the story in the press conference of the upcoming Celebrity Cricket League (CCL).

Boney said that he came to West Bengal for the shootings of Aradhana, Anurodh, and Ananda Ashram. He shared a funny story about Rajesh Khanna. The locals crowded to see the shooting and Boney stopped them to come near Rajesh Khanna. This angered the mob. “I was beaten by them. I bled through my nose,” he recalled. He said that after the shooting, he came to Kolkata in that condition to catch the Mumbai flight. “I still remember the experience. That trip gave me mental strength for the future,” he said.

Boney’s dream project Maidaan is to be released soon. Ajay Devgan plays the protagonist here. This is a biopic of the Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, spanning the decade 1952–1962. The shooting started in 2019. Why did it take so much time to get released? Boney told Anandabazar Online, “We made a football ground on a 60-acre ground in Mumbai. The unit comprised 600 to 800 persons. Then the pandemic happened and the shooting was postponed.” Boney said that the shooting was thus hampered thrice. But as a football lover, he did not want to leave any stone unturned.

The film is directed by Amit Sharma. Boney said, “I came to Kolkata and met the players of that time. Many important pieces of information came out. The film will tell the golden era of Indian football in front of the new generation.”

Boney owns the Bengal Tigers team in CCL. The league starts on February 23. Led by Jisshu U Sengupta, the Bengal Tigers will have its first match on February 24 against Kerala Strikers.