Bollywood cricketer Akshay Kumar has a golden heart, the veteran actor helped Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) avoid taking a massive financial hit by terminating his contract and giving up a huge sum of his earnings.
According to former BCCI administrator Amrit Mathur, Akshay showed massive generosity as he gave up a huge sum that the Delhi-based franchise owed him having roped in the Bollywood cricketer as their brand ambassador on a three-year deal.
The agreement took place in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008, however, soon the Daredevils felt the brunt of finances and thus they were seeking to renegotiate the terms of the deal. Due to certain clauses in the contract, the actor had legal rights to get full compensation which he gave up willing to save the franchise a large sum only a year after their existence.
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In his book named ‘Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket’, Mathur revealed an interesting tale of Khiladi Kumar’s selfless gesture.
“Akshay signed a three-year deal with Delhi Daredevils to shoot promotional films, attend meet and greet events and make appearances at corporate events,” wrote Mathur.
“Apart from Kotla act (he performed daring stunts), nothing much happened because DD didn’t know how to leverage him. At the end of the season, during elaborate post-mortem held against backdrop of serious financial losses, DD decided to cancel or renegotiate the contract,” he added.
“Akshay’s contract provided no exit; on the contrary, it gave him solid guarantees for a period of three years. DD’s lawyers approached Akshay’s staff, wanting to revisit the contract, but they made no headway. The (legally correct) response from his side was that (the) contract didn’t factor in early termination, and it has run its course with full monetary compensation,” Mathur revealed further.
The renowned ex-BCCI administrator recalled how he was chosen to do the tough task of having a word with Akshay who was at the time for his film Chandni Chowk to China. The veteran revealed that he was shocked by the Bollywood actor’s glorious gesture.
“After the shot, we returned to his vanity van, and I, very hesitantly, explained the reason for my visit and outlined DD’s financial troubles,” added Mathur.
He revealed Akshay’s reply, “No problem ji, he said in a sympathetic manner. If it’s not working, let’s close it. I thought I hadn’t heard him right. Seeing my confused look, he clarified slowly, ‘Isko khatam kar dete hain (let us end this)’. When I mumbled about the stringent contract clauses, he reassured me, ‘Koi baat nahin, main lawyer ko bol dunga (No problem, I will tell the lawyer)’.”