The unfathomable quench to rediscover himself and then help take the flag of Indian media onward and upward has seen Bhattacharjya become the mentor to many young and aspiring media professionals. In his role as KKR CEO, he delivered the ultimate sucker-punch and landed the side two titles without grabbing the spotlight. He helped FIFA organise FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and has now become a much-loved cricket expert on digital space while also working as the Chief Executive Officer of Pro Volleyball League.

SC: From the low-pixel, extremely unprofessional set-up of Doordarshan cameras to intensely-produced and rigorously-detailed HD days of now, this has been some change for Indian sports broadcasting. Can you take us through the journey?

SC: When Mr Dalmiya sold the TV rights to TWI for a knock-out deal to telecast the Hero Cup (CAB Silver Jubilee Tournament) in 1993, it had made some Doordarshan people angry and they had created a lot of furore, citing the national signal security. But how was the reception back then from the public? Was the newness of Star TV enamoured them?

Bhattacharjya: I remember during that Hero Cup match, there were two broadcasters. Cameramen from Doordarshan were also there and cameramen from Star Sports were also there. And the important thing was that given the situation, people could make out the difference between the quality of broadcasting. The technical Indian professional was as good as the international one. But the standard and the way Doordarshan ran it and covered those pictures were so outdated and bad that people could make out the difference. It was a wake-up call for Indian television that monopoly organisations will never give any quality because if they don’t come to you, they cannot go anywhere else.

Bhattacharjya: I think that thanks to the World Cup win in 1983, cricket had already become a brand and had taken over hockey and had become the sport everyone wanted to play. But the problem was that at that point in time in 1996, the World Cup being in India, people were already excited about it and that is a huge difference. I remember one of the biggest matches in the history of Indian cricket is the 1996 quarter-final against Pakistan. I believe it is still the highest-rated match in the history of India. If you see the incident with Aamer Sohail and what Star Sports have done that see Sohail and see how he is showing the bat to Venkatesh Prasad after hitting the four and then Prasad getting him out the very next ball and the expression that he gives and tells Sohail to go back to the pavilion. 

That’s what sport is all about and you will not get that unless the cameramen and directors are looking for that. Sport is gladiatorial in nature and it is very important to capture it. Very same time in 1997, there was a football match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in the Federation Cup semifinal and in those days, the Salt Lake stadium was full. We were covering it and there were 1,40,000 people and there was a very crucial moment where Bhaichung Bhutia scored a goal and he saw the camera and ran through it because his wife was sitting just beside it. Those pictures became absolutely viral because those reactions were never seen before. Those were the things that made a huge difference because those two moments, the one in 96 and then in 97, became iconic in the way Indian sport was depicted.

Bhattacharjya: Super selector started for a very simple reason. We wanted Indian cricket fans to be interested in non-India matches. Of all cricket lovers, only 10% are purists. That 10 % will watch the game no matter where it is played and no matter who is playing. The rest 90% will watch only if there is an important match in which India is playing. The thought behind Super Selector was to create more interest in non-distinct matches. So it is where the idea started and we made it a really big show. But the money we were getting from Super Selector was not very high then. We would have had the option to uplink it live from India. Facebook had no monetization for 7-8 years so if you think about it, ESPN Star Sports would have been sitting on a big mountain of cash as other fantasy sports are sitting on now had they really persisted with Super Selector. So I think we had the right product but the belief in it was not put and that’s why it could not give as much as it was promised to deliver. It was far ahead of its time.

We had also started the first sports quiz, the ESPN School quiz so you know it had a kick of its own. Those are the kind of things that really make a difference to your life and you know those are the kind of things that you will always remember. I was lucky enough to be a part of a lot of things that were started. I was a part of Super Selector and the ESPN Star Sports broadcasting starting in India. I was part of the first Hindi English sports broadcast in India during the 2004 Asia Cup. I was a part of PHL which was the first real professional domestic league even before the IPL. So that journey feels absolutely fantastic. Many more people have made more money than I have but I am fortunate to have experiences which not many have had and I would like to thank providence and my colleagues for allowing me with the opportunity.

SC: You also nurtured a number of broadcast professionals like Manish Batavia and Sunil Taneja with opportunities and they have paid back with some excellent works on Indian sports television. How do you look back at that and “Harsha Ki Khoj” - which took India by storm then?

Bhattacharjya: I am very proud of Manish Batavia and Sunil Taneja. The one thing that I have learnt by doing sports broadcasting in India is that there is no shortage of talent in this country. The shortage is there of people to support that talent, the shortage is there of opportunity, the shortage is that you just have to give up because you don’t have the financial backing to do it. I remember when I was a part of ESPN Star Sports, working there, and there were international producers and I would often feel that you know this Indian cameraman is better. Even to be a decent cameraman in India you need to beat 20 other cameramen to be a good cameraman to work with. So because of the sheer amount of talent that we have and how competitive we are, we just need to give them chances to make the most of their talent. Manish and Sunil are special in front of cameras and behind the cameras. Not only do you need good sport but you also need good people to tell stories about the sport.

Bhattacharjya: KKR was a huge journey. I was there from the first ball and from the first auction. And the thing was that in the beginning, we picked players for talent and as you proceed you realise that there is no team that is exactly the same as their talent. Some teams play above their talent while some teams perform below their talent - although they have great professionals as a team, they don't perform well. So basically in year one, we picked the team for talent. By the time in year three, the team that played in 2010, it was a very strong team in many ways. But it still did not have the magic of the team is bigger than the individual. Players like Jacques Kallis and Gautam Gambhir brought something different to the team, brought that spirit to the team and those were the kind of people that we would choose for the next time, the kind of people who would shed blood for KKR. It doesn’t matter whether they win or lose because no team can win everyday. But they must be prepared to fight every minute for the team.

And then there was the great team of 2011 where we were one ball away from securing a place in the playoffs and Balaji got hit for 21 runs in that one over and it ended. But then we came back in 2012 and with the addition of Sunil Narine who was an x-factor. In 2013 we sort of faded away but in 2014, we again had a chance to keep our core together. The biggest lesson that I have learnt is that when you broadcast, you see things from a distance and in the beginning, you feel bad when India loses because you have loyalty towards India. But you still are a professional doing your job. When you are a part of a team like KKR, the first thing that it is emotional, the second thing is the days that you lose the whole world is against you. The only people that are together are those 20-25 people who are the players and the staff. And the rest of the world is against you so the highs are higher and the lows are much lower. So it's a much more emotionally and mentally demanding journey because you must be able to maintain your equanimity in tough times. 

SC: While there is no doubt that KKR is one of the most successful sides in the history of IPL, how difficult was it to make the Brand KKR independent of Brand SRK? Given the cult and star factor that Shah Rukh brings to the table…

Bhattacharjya: I think that happened naturally. The first part of that happened when we had to make a very tough decision that Sourav was not going to be a part of KKR from 2011. I think Shah Rukh also wanted to distance himself from that because filmstars get a lot of love but a lot of hatred as well. So the moment that happened we said that let Shah Rukh be away from this because the amount of personal abuse that he will get is too much. So we decided to let him take a step back. So the moment that happened and we won the IPL, it just started. Let’s build a brand KKR and it's not about SRK, and that is where it all started.

Bhattacharjya: It was very tough as there was a strong emotional bond but the thing is that I felt that never again in India, there would be a first FIFA World Cup. And to get young Indian footballers and to bring a Football revolution in India was very exciting. There was also the opportunity to work with FIFA and to learn new things and to learn how they do their work so there were a lot of things. I remember in 2008 when KKR lost I told myself to see at least one semifinal. Eventually, I got to see 2 championships  and we would have also won the champions league if Raina had not played a brilliant innings. And also if Sunil Narine had been allowed to play. 

SC: After a career of great distinction in various fields, you have swiftly transformed yourself into a digital cricket expert - a much-loved one at that. Have you ever felt the pressure of coming in front of the camera after ruling behind the camera scene for close to three decades now?

So I would say I was blessed to be at the right place at the right time. Harsha had suggested my name Ajith was kind enough to give me a chance. Gaurav and the rest were kind enough to support me. To be a pundit in front of the camera started in my early 50s. I started running 15 days before my 50th birthday and now I am a runner. So nobody cares about whether I run or do yoga or not, but it makes a difference in my life. So life is all about looking forward to new challenges. So you are always looking forward to trying new things and that is a part of the beautiful journey of life.