★ ‘I’m not Salman’ !

Jul 07, 2013 - Reena Kapoor

After a not so successful stint as an actor, Arbaaz Khan is enjoying every moment of his newfound success as a producer and director. From struggling to find a foothold in the industry, to being a member of the much-coveted `100-crore club, Arbaaz seems to be having the last laugh.

“Honestly, the feeling took a while to sink in,” he confesses. He doesn’t seem to have any illusions about himself. Arbaaz candidly says, “As an actor, I didn’t have a good innings. So I wasn’t even expecting much when I ventured into filmmaking.” He’s more than happy with the way things turned out for him. “Achieving the glorified `100-crore mark as a director and producer undoubtedly feels great. But deep down, I have always wanted to act and I still haven’t lost hope. I know I am not Salman Khan. Like him, I might not be able to pull a film on my shoulders alone. But if I stumble upon a small and worthy role, I’m confident of doing justice to it,” he says.

Acting may have taken a back seat for now, but Arbaaz is keeping his options open. As a filmmaker, he wants young directors to make films for his production house. “I don’t believe in restricting myself. There is already a perception in the industry that we as a family only work with people within our circle. But that’s not true. I think the pre-requisites for us are Salman bhai, Sohail, me and the script. Everything else is negotiable,” he says.

Arbaaz is aware of the larger-than-life image of the Khan family. He admits that having a superstar brother like Salman Khan can be pressurising. “What causes the maximum amount of pressure is that the family is always in the limelight, under everybody’s scrutinising gaze. Every move we make, every word we speak and sometimes even what we wear is being watched and talked about. But we take it in our stride and try not to get bogged down,” he says.

It is said that Salman always consults Arbaaz and Sohail before taking up a project. Ask him if it’s true and Arbaaz smiles. “As a family, we do keep each other in the loop. We know about each other’s plans and whereabouts. But I don’t think Salman bhai needs to consult us.”

While career-wise things are going great for Arbaaz, of late he has been at the receiving end of a lot of speculation regarding his marriage. Ask him if he and his wife Malaika get affected by gossip and he says, “We have been married for a long time. We are used to the media attention. Honestly, we don’t ask questions or discuss what appears in the news. On a personal level, I feel Malaika is a complete woman. From being career-oriented to being a hands-on mother and homemaker, she is a pro at multitasking.”

Ask him who is the boss in the Khan family, and without batting an eyelid he says, “It has to be my father Salim Khan.” He adds that no matter how old they are, they still get pulled up by their parents.

http://www.asianage.com/cover-story/i-m-not-salman-186