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Mumbai versus Bombay at the Tata IPL

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Shivaji Dasgupta
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Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan with her friends watches the IPL 2023 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on April 16

Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan with her friends watches the IPL 2023 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on April 16

New Delhi: From a hysterical perspective, KKR plays Mumbai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium. From a historical perspective though, the real match is between Bombay and Mumbai, a clash between two converging cultures. 

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Before you consider this to be a pointless whodunit, let me spill the beans. Rohit Sharma's outfit is owned by the Ambanis, the sparkling poster boys of new-age Mumbai and the dominance of non-legacy business. While Nitish Rana's outfit is under the watch of Shak Rukh Khan, the film industry is very much a legacy of timeless Bombay. Separated by cultural truths most definite while being unified by sea links, every once in a while.

The genesis of Shahrukh's Bombay is rooted in frenetic aspiration and endless creativity, as folks converged from every part to fuel their dreams. It is about the infusion of drama in every routine sequence as the very next outcome can be dictated by an unconscious union of destiny and desire. Empathy is an operating codeword as both fan and heroine know well that their places could well have been traded, fickle being the ways of the universe. 

The Ambani Mumbai clearly has no room for fickleness as it is rooted in the chillingly ruthless cauldron of business gameplay. Where failure clearly makes no friends and success does make money, but the bonds are unerringly transactional. This is not the elegant old-world way of the Tatas where the roots were clearly anglophile and the conduct laced with charming dignity. Yet this decorum is wildly successful and the India Story at large bears testimony to its efficacy. 

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But then, the differences between the two universes are starkly represented in work and in play, the latter clearly being the IPL. When KKR falters, Khan lends an understanding hand of support as he knows well that no two films do equally beautifully. When the Super Kings stumble, Ambani seems visibly livid and the conversations with management possibly replicate the business ventures. For Bollywood, success and failure are equal partners in the journey to greatness while for Antilla success is the solitary invitee, no doubts as well. 

The above is also an appropriate surrogate for the differences between Mumbai and Bombay, as evolved over the decades. By any name, it was always the equivalent of the California Gold Rush, a permanent invitation extended to every bounty hunter. The difference now can be aligned to Silicon Valley, successors in the same geography, operating with far less romance and instead dictated by relentless rigour. Where the price of failure is so daunting that even the finest succumb to the desecration of ethics and there are so many recent examples. 

Quite interestingly, Kolkata is a necessary frame of reference for both Mumbai and Bombay, over the last century. The film industry pre-independence was firmly rooted in Tollygunge and the finest talent across the country arrived here to curate fortunes. In the 1950s and beyond, the same had shifted to Bombay and a good reason for this was the partition, as the divided Bengal led to a significant chunk of viewers moving to Pakistan. Bengalis continue to play a significant role in the industry and the past can surely be held accountable. 

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In the case of Mumbai as well, the Kolkata connect is starkly patent. The latter was the business hub of India and the finest corporations were headquartered there and also the starting point for many an Indian enterprise. Due to regressive political conditions, the momentum shifted post-1970s and perhaps just the majestic commercial buildings and the clubs bear testimony to its erstwhile acumen.

Thus, each time Mumbai plays Kolkata at the IPL, it can be logically construed as a battle between Mumbai and Bombay, in so many varying ways. Shahrukh Khan, the celestial superhero, marshalling his forces with elan and charisma, inducing them to perform and not just play. 

Lady Ambani, the zero-nonsense boss, commands her troops to unleash every possible artillery for Chairman and Company as there can only be one result. In between resides the game of Cricket, a learned conduit for more than 100 years - the journey from the communal Pentangular to the super-inclusive IPL is surely one for the Hollywood biopics.

This picture actually gets charmingly concluded by the sponsorship of Tata in this edition of the T20 jamboree.

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