★ Salman Khan: I am not the right person to rule India!

January 13, 2014 | Vinod Talreja

We never got the chance to watch the Dabangg Khan doing something new on the big screen in theatres last year, but we had an ample dose of the entertaining star on the small screen. And he had plenty to say about it…

Salman Khan is ready to kickstart the year in style. With no releases last year, we’re sure Sallu fans are eagerly waiting for January 24 to catch their favourite Khan at theatres. The star’s Jai Ho is set to release and we hear that Sallu is as excited as his fans, the film fraternity and the trade pundits. The Jai Ho star talked to BollywoodLife about his alleged latest eye candy Elli Avram, former and now famous girlfriend Katrina Kaif and his new TV show, politics and Jai Ho. We must say this interaction gave us the feeling that he is a changed man, perhaps a little less eccentric but still as entertaining as ever. Find out why…

Jai Ho is all about the power of the aam aadmi. What are your thoughts on the power of the common man?

Ye pareshaan kar diya hai mujhe, aam aadmi ne. All the interviews are going very political. I really don’t know what should I say. It’s just a small dialogue in Jai Ho that has the words ‘aam aadmi‘. It has nothing to do with the Aam Aadmi party and it has got nothing to do with politics.

There are rumours that your charitable trust Being Human is going to launch an initiative by which the general public will get things cheaper. Is that true?

It’s not true. Humein khud sasta samaan nahi milta hai. We get a Rs 5 thing for Rs 15. So we don’t have any plans for such an initiative. We are just doing health campaigns. In whichever state we are going, we are taking care of 100 heart patients.

You have always been associated with social causes. Will we see Salman Khan ruling the nation very soon?

I would not be the right person to rule the country. There are some politicians who are doing very good work, but at the same the time there are some who are not doing their work at all. So that is creating the problems for our nation.

What was the thought process behind naming your film Jai Ho?

(Laughs) There was no thought process. Earlier the title of the film was Mental. We liked that title. But then my father thought that after the release of the film, people will start calling me Mental Khan – like they call me Dabangg Khan – which will not suit me. So then he came up with Jai Ho.

Aamir Khan recently said that script, actor and director matter a lot for him and he cannot do a film on his own, unlike Salman Khan, who can pull off a film with just his charm…

But he did now! (Laughs) I am just kidding.

Do you think you can pull off a film on your own?

No, that is not right. That’s a misconception people have about me. Aamir does a different kind of movies and I do different kinds of films. I did Bodyguard because I really liked the script. My films have a high emotional quotient. Like Veer – the whole film changed when father and son had to fight with each other. Then Dabangg is all about a cop who wants to take revenge for his mother’s death. And Dabangg is a really small film. It’s shot in small-small places. So to make it big, we thought to put some songs in it and make the action sequences long. So these are the things we want to see in our life.

Everyone wants to be associated with you. They know that one day or the other you will get them work. Do you think sometimes they take undue advantage of your friendship?

No. It’s very clear in my head that if I see something good in a person, only that person will get to work with me, or only that person will be recommended by me. If someone manages to get my attention twice, then I think yes, this person has a spark in him. Like in Jai Ho, we didn’t need a star, we needed a girl next door. We needed someone like Daisy. I had seen Daisy long time back and I thought she fit the role. When we signed Katrina for Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, her recommendation came from David (Dhawan). And Katrina had me see this film called Cactus Flower. I saw the film and I thought it was superb. So I told David, ye banaate hai. So we signed Katrina, but after a long time, and David asked me whether she dances or not. I told him that I hadn’t seen her dancing. But at a New Year’s party, Katrina started dancing – and she danced amazingly! I told David that she had a flair for dancing. And since then she has worked hard and she has achieved a lot. I heard about her Kamli song in Dhoom:3; she has completely nailed it. Like Hrithik Roshan – I trained him for a year and a half, but I never knew that he could dance. When I saw his film and I saw his dance in it, I told him ki tu mujhe pehle bata deta ki tu itna acha dance karta hai, toh main tujhse seekh leta yeh!

When are we going to see Elli Avram in a film with you?

Let’s see. If a producer or director likes her, then you will see her soon.

There are also rumours that you are planning to come up with a show like Satyamev Jayate…

Yes, we are working on a show, but it’s not on the lines of Satayamev Jayate. It’s completely different and it will change a lot of things. I am producing it and I will be hosting the show as well.

You are also producing the Hindi version of a Marathi film called Shikshanacha Aaicha Gho. Rumour has it that Govinda will play the protagonist…

No, he refused it. Seriously. For the last three years I have been after Govinda to do the film, but he said that he didn’t like the script.

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