★ Salman on fire - Salman Khan tells t2 what being Salman is all about !
Karishma Upadhyay | December 20th 2017
By the time t2 sat down with Salman Khan on a slightly chilly Monday, it was past 9pm. He said a quick hello when I walked into his spacious blue tent, pitched next to his trailer van at Mehboob Studio in Bandra and immediately launched into his spiel.
“I had never thought we’d have a sequel until Ali (Abbas Zafar, director) told me on the sets of Sultan that he had an idea for a sequel. My first question was: ‘Isn’t this Kabir’s (Khan, director of Ek Tha Tiger) thing?’ I was told that it’s Yash Raj’s property. I really liked the plot. And once that was finalised and everything was in place, we got the best action director (Tom Struthers, who’s worked on Inception and Dunkirk) on board. We needed to make this sequel because we got a phenomenal script which is bigger and better than the first film.
“Yes, the action is also bigger. Our villain (Abu Usman, played by Sajjad Delafrooz) is very powerful, so the hero automatically has to be more powerful. The songs have been appreciated. The promo of Tiger got a lot of likes, so it’s difficult to publicise a film that’s already being publicised by fans. I am really grateful to the fans who have already booked their tickets. Katrina (Kaif) is very hard-working. She has always been,” Salman rattled off even before I had sat down in the camp chair across him.
It’s the week of release for Tiger Zinda Hai, and Salman’s down with a cold. Add to this almost five hours of back-to-back interviews and I thought I was walking into trouble. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Salman, as always, was entertaining. Over multiple cigarettes and half a glass of cola, the star spoke about Katrina Kaif (who also makes a cameo in the interview!) and plans for his birthday (December 27).
The audience loved you as Prem for years (starting with 1989’s Maine Pyar Kiya) and then fell in love with you as Chulbul Pandey (Dabangg). Do you think Tiger has what it takes to be loved by Salman Khan fans?
I think people really liked him in Ek Tha Tiger. Tiger is a Jason Bourne kind of character. He has always put his country and duty above everything else. But this time, he is torn between his love for the country and his family. He is a noble character. I think it’s important to do the right thing always. No matter how tough things get, it’s important to always stand by what is right.
During Sultan there was so much talk about how Ali (Abbas Zafar) pushed you out of your comfort zone. Did he do that with this film as well?
When you okay a script, you don’t need to be pushed to do anything. When I know I have to play this character in Sultan, I have to do everything to be like that character. I remember when foreign wrestlers came to shoot Sultan. They thought I was a wrestler-turned-actor. So, they patko-ed me like crazy. It was only on the last day someone told them that I am not a wrestler but just an actor. They were all so impressed with my moves and form that they asked me how long I had been training. They couldn’t believe I had only trained for two months!
So when you want to do something, you have to give it your all. You can’t be pushed or cajoled by someone. If someone needs to push you to do something, it means you aren’t interested in what you are doing.
[Just then Katrina, who was doing interviews in the adjoining studio, walks in. She’s changed from a green back-less dress into a white tee and paisley shorts.
“Go put some pants on,” Salman jokes when he sees her.
“They don’t look short to me,” Katrina retorts before asking me: “Do they look short to you?”
The Tiger Zinda Hai co-stars, former couple and current friends (?), spend the next few minutes mock-squabbling about the length of Katrina’s shorts.
“Looking at them won’t make them longer,” she says. “So poor you’ve become that you are compromising on clothes,” he adds.
Katrina is done with the promotions for the night and is heading home before going for dance rehearsals. “You’ll wear trackpants or something, right? Or mosquitoes will bite you and you’ll get dengue,” Salman quips with a grin, before adding: “I am not being able to concentrate.”
So, Katrina leaves, in a car. Only to return two minutes later. “Sorry, would you give us two minutes, please...” Katrina asks and the two walk off for a quick chat.
Katrina finally leaves, and I resume the interview.]
Tiger Zinda Hai, like Dabangg 2, requires you to revisit a character. Is that something you enjoy?
I don’t see it as revisiting but rather taking a character forward. Like in the first Dabangg, Chulbul Pandey had a lot of angst. In the second one, he got everyone together. Even in Tiger, the sequel of which comes five years after the first film, he is more mature. He is married and they have a child. When duty calls, he is there but he has more at risk now because he is a family man.
You’ve known Katrina since she was 17. You have pretty much seen her grow as an actor…
… I have seen her grow as a person. Usually people change but I think she’s grown into a beautiful person. That innocence, vulnerability, kindness hasn’t changed at all. She is not manipulative. She doesn’t play games. When you become older, it is possible for experiences to make you cynical but not with her. She is focused towards her work. One beautiful quality is that she appreciates whatever god has given her.
Is that what works for your relationship?
Yeah. I have known her from the first time she came to Mumbai. My mother and sisters are close to her. That relationship will always be there.
That’s lovely! Coming back to your career. When Tubelight didn’t do well…
… Tubelight made shitloads of money! It didn’t do well.…
…on the benchmark that you’ve set.
Ya… people have been saying that it’s a flop! It made 130 crores. I pray that everyone has a flop as big as this. By the way, this happened with Jai Ho as well. With Jai Ho we did 138 crores. This was at a time when people were pricing tickets at Rs 950 and Rs 650 for some films and we priced Jai Ho, on a weekend, at Rs 250.
So it’s your success that’s making people expect more!
Tubelight shouldn’t have released on Id. It is a beautiful film but it’s not what an audience wants during a festival. You see a Golmaal on Diwali or 3 Idiots on Christmas or Dabangg.... You should come out of the theatre in a celebratory mood. With Tubelight, people started crying within the first five minutes… you don’t want that on a festival. People who watched Sultan also watched Tubelight but the only difference is that the crowd didn’t go back to watch Tubelight a second time.
Your birthday (December 27) is coming up. I heard you are planning to not have a party at your Panvel farmhouse. That’s a break from tradition!
I just want to keep things quiet and spend time with my family. It tends to become a really big deal and is like a mela. I end up spending all night shaking people’s hands and meeting someone’s girlfriend or someone else’s brother’s friend. It’s all a waste of money.
You’ll turn 52 this year. Have you thought about career beyond being a leading man?
After Tiger Zinda Hai, I’ve got Race (3), Bharat and there will be Dabangg 3. There is that dance film with Remo (D’Souza) that I have shifted so I can learn dancing. Sohail (Khan) and I are still working on Sher Khan. Sajid (Nadiadwala) is working on Kick 2.
So your next three years are blocked.
Look, I don’t know what is going to happen in the next five minutes. Making plans is the best way to make god laugh. I take things one film at a time. I try to live in a moment to the fullest and righteously.
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