Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly: When Actress Nagma Sacrificed Her Love To Save Dada’s Cricketing Career

For cricket fans around the world, Sourav Ganguly is a name to be reckoned with. The ex-cricketer who brought the fight back to the Indian squad during testing times and is considered to be one of its most successful captains ever is known both for his on-field prowess as his off-field shirtless antique at the Lords stadium in England. The veteran sportsman who turns a year old today, is, however, known for something else as well. 

Turns out, our very own Dada of the Indian cricket was involved in something less chivalrous than the 'gentleman's' game. 

In 2001, there were rumours that the then captain of the Indian cricket squad, Sourav Ganguly was in a relationship with Southern film actress Nagma. The news created quite a stir in both the cricketing world and the world of cinema. There were even rumours that the two visited a temple in South India and had performed a puja meant for married couples. 

Sourav Ganguly’s wife Dona stood by her husband and was even quoted by a website as saying, “It’s all rubbish. I’m extremely angry at the way some newspapers are trying to defame us. It’s unfortunate that Sourav becomes the victim of such things.”

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While the ‘Baashha’ actress initially refrained from reacting to the rumours, she ultimately broke her silence on the matter. In 2003, she told Savvy that she was indeed in a relationship with 'Dada' and revealed the reason for their split.

During the interview, Nagma revealed that they had to take the tough decision of parting ways because of the larger perspective. According to Nagma, the break up was because Sourav Ganguly’s career was in a very delicate position. 

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“There was a career at stake, besides other things, so one had to part. One had to weigh a lot of things, rather than be on an ego trip and insist on being together. A smaller interest had to be sacrificed for bigger interests… When a game is being played, people should understand it is a sport. It’s very weird that people started getting carried away,” Nagma added.

However, Nagma revealed that the two did not end the relationship with bitterness and still have mutual respect for one another.