IPL mastermind Lalit Modi opens up in an exclusive interview to PEOPLE magazine
IPL mastermind Lalit Modi opens up in an exclusive interview to PEOPLE magazine
As he reiterates so often, Lalit Modi doesn't "live in the past". But in the last few months, the past has caught up with him. Modi, who is the chairman and commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the youngest vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been the driving force behind the board's commercial activities and is responsible for pushing its revenues over the $1 billion mark.
However, lately he has been weathering a storm of allegations, involving misappropriation of funds belonging to the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), his autocratic management style and misuse of his closeness to former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia to further lucrative interests. Last month after a Jaipur-based NGO filed an FIR against him in a cheating case, Modi was granted interim bail by the court.
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Even at the height of his success, Modi has maintained that he has been hardnosed in his functioning. "I am ruthless, without doubt," he agrees. "There are certain decisions which have to be taken at that point of time, and if the nature of that decision is perceived as ruthless, then so be it. If I didn't work that way, we would not be where we are."
Brash, ambitious, much admired and feared, Modi strikes a gentler note when talk veers to his family. "We are very close-knit," says Modi about his wife Minal, who is nine years older than him, and three children Karishma (Minal's daughter from her first marriage), Aliya, 15, and Ruchir, 14. Family matters are also strictly personal, which is why he will not comment on this month's issue of Society which has reported on his wife's illness. "She is a very, very private person. And I would appreciate if we can leave it at that," is his only response.
Modi's professional and personal problems may have clouded his immediate future but he can't wait to bounce back. "To be bogged down by such things would mean losing out to your detractors, which has never been my style."
Now, as he prepares to mount another IPL, slated for April 10 "a bigger and better global tournament," he calls it Lalit Modi answers his critics and talks about everything he believes in and lives by.
Covered: Lalit Modi
Are you concerned about the doubts being raised about your future following the recent events?
I have heard many people write my epitaph before and, frankly, that does not bother me too much. I am aware of the work that needs to be done to propagate a game that I love and will work tirelessly to ensure that I do that. Just to set the record straight, the development and good work that I have done during the last four years is there for everyone to see. After the renovations we undertook, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is one of the best stadiums in India today. The stadium is now in a position to host day and night games and even Test matches. We have also set up a state-of-the-art Future Cricket Academy, which is truly a world-class institution, as acknowledged by both cricketers in India and around the world. We brought the IPL to Jaipur in the form of the Rajasthan Royals franchise need I go on? I would not like to comment on the past. However, at the risk of sounding philosophical, I will say that I believe in karma and the rest will
follow.
How are you dealing with your loss in the RCA presidential elections?
I have taken the RCA verdict in my stride and will try to ensure that it will not impact my functioning in any form. I can only hope that the new management takes the developmental activities that I had initiated forward. After all, it is critical that Rajasthan cricket benefit from this.
Why do you think you lost?
History has always witnessed that to usher in any change one always has to undergo some adversity along the way and that is exactly how I see what happened at the RCA. I am prepared to face any challenge for the betterment of the game of cricket, be it in Rajasthan or anywhere else in the world, if the situation demands.
Where do you draw strength from when the going gets tough?
I draw my strength from the aspirations of a billion young kids playing cricket in every nook and corner of our great country, with a hope and a prayer that some day they will represent India on the ultimate stage. The support I receive from my family is also a great source of strength.
How has your family reacted to all this?
My family has always supported me in all my endeavours and their unstinting love and understanding is a huge source of inspiration for me. My wife and three children have stood by my side and that's most important. I would also like to recognise the support of my extended family, the BCCI, which has helped me convert my dream into reality. The undaunted support of Mr Pawar [Sharad] needs a special mention here. It was his belief and trust that kept me going to create what is now the most sought after cricketing property in the world.u00a0
You grew up as a Modi in one of India's best known business families. Was it a happy time and was there pressure to join the family business?
We had a very strict upbringing. We were sent to boarding school, St Joseph's, Nainital. So we grew up just like the other kids there. When we came home for holidays to Modinagar, we were a large extended family with a whole lot of cousins. So, it was great fun. I grew up knowing that I had to join the family business, but at the same time, we were encouraged to think and act independently.
What was your relationship with your brother Samir and sister Charu?
I am eight years older than Samir (though many people think I am the younger one). I never bullied him, though he claims I did. All three of us are extremely close and always there for each other. Charu is a year older to me. Now we have different commitments, but weu00a0 try to get together often.
Did you try your hand at many ventures?u00a0 Were they successful?
Innovation and enterprise run in our family. Even though we are a large business house, we were always encouraged to try new projects and ventures. Even when we children came into the family business, we were told that we had to bring in something new.
My mother Bina runs a hugely successful restaurant business and also has an apparel line. My sister runs a private university. And I've tried my hand at many ventures, such as launching Disney in India in 1989, then Estu00c3u00a9e Lauder and Philip Morris. I was instrumental in getting FTV to India and ESPN too. These were all
very successful ventures.
Sometimes, I came up with ideas that were ahead of their time, but I was always encouraged to look at them even if they did not materialise at that time.
Sportsu00a0- have you always been interested?
Yes. I loved sports, tennis, soccer. I played cricket as a student. I learnt that sports properties were the most sustaining ones as far as television was concerned. It is something people want to watch live and can't do without. Sports programmes all over the world drive television viewership.u00a0
What memories do you have of your father K K Modi, and have you inherited his boardroom skills?
Everything I have learnt is from watching him. My father taught me the importance of paying attention to the minutest aspects of business and I was never a 'detail' person. He taught me to believe in something and keep at it and prove your beliefs to others. My father has great people skills. He is a lawyer, accountant, engineer, businessman, his was an overall understanding of everything.
College in the US and dealing with drug possession charges it must have been a frightening time. How did your parents react? How did you find the strength to stay and complete your education?
It was a difficult time but very enlightening. I was young and part of a fraternity, and it was one of those things that happened. It is part of the learning process. Of course, my parents were upset, but they were there for me.
What did you do in India on your return? And where is home today?
When I came back from the USA, I lived in Delhi, but then I moved to Mumbai because I was primarily involved in the entertainment and television business.
Your wife Minal Modi is older than you. How were you sure that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her?
Minal was a very, very close friend before she became my wife. When I was in college she lived in London. I knew that when I married, I wanted a girl like her. I remember when I was in college and she was married to someone else, and I told her that I loved her, she stopped talking to me for three or four years. But I was never in any doubt that I was in love with her, and it was an easy decision even though it was considered scandalous at the time. She is nine years older than me, was a divorcee with a child. We have three children now. I did not find it difficult to step into the role of Karishma's father.
Are your family members avid cricket watchers?
None of them are fond of cricket, so you won't see them at the matches, though Minal is now starting to like Twenty20. Ruchir too watches a few matches and roots for the Rajasthan Royals. Gaurav Burman, Karishma's husband, and Mohit Burman have stakes in the Mohali team.
You are said to be an insomniac.
I always come home to have dinner with my children, spend weekends with them. We don't socialise. You won't see us at Page Three dos. I work very hard. There is this thing called the BlackBerry that keeps me awake you will find me answering a mail at 3 am. I don't watch Bollywood. The last Hindi movie I saw was Sholay about 25 years ago. I am not comfortable with the language.
What did overseeing the IPL teach you? What were the moments that stood out when seeing it come to life?
Everything about the IPL from its inception to the present is an ongoing learning curve. Nobody expected it to be the kind of success it was. The first match in Bangalore when I saw the crowd's reaction I knew we had done it. But still, to get it right for 59 days, everything had to go like clockwork. It was a tense period.
After the success of IPL, did you feel vindicated? There were many doubters before the tournament.
Are you the sort of person who likes to prove critics wrong?
I felt satisfied. Critics' opinions don't matter, but they were important for me to make the venture work.
People only believe in magic when it works.
In the cricket fraternity, do you have any mentors?
No. My sporting heroes were always Bjorn Borg and Pele.
Given all that you have been through this year, does it become doubly important that the IPL is a success?
Yes, to see the Indian Premier League grow from strength to strength has been very satisfying. The auction in Goa [on Feb 6] was very special, given the gloom and doom predictions around the economic recession. A lot of Indians were eagerly looking at the Goa auction to see if indeed the league was recession proof.
Do you have more of friends or enemies?
I don't consider anyone my enemy. In a democratic system such as ours you will always have people with a different point of view. You need to move ahead taking into account everyone's point of view.
All the allegations against you, the loss in the RCA elections do you think you have been targeted for being 'ruthless'?
I have always maintained that when you undertake any project, you need to execute it to the best of your abilities. In that strife for excellence, sometimes mediocrity is not acceptable.
When you are working on a project of the magnitude of the IPL, there are multiple variables that could affect the outcome. For the kind of overwhelming response that the IPL has garnered the above adjective is a small price to pay.
Looking back, would you do anything differently?
Looking back and doing anything differently would mean revisiting the past and I won't do that. Frankly, I believe that one's path will always be strewn with obstacles and it is how you emerge stronger that will end up creating your legacy.
At the risk of sounding clichu00c3u00a9d, I would like to quote my favourite line from a Robert Frost poem...
"I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep."
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