**Salman Khan Interviews of 2009!!**

"If Wanted doesn't work, I will stop working hard"- Salman Khan

Published: Thursday, August 20, 2009

Salman Khan is pinning hopes on the movie Wanted to revive his career. He says he has worked very hard for the movie and is satisfied with what he has delivered. He shares with us much more about the movie and his career.

Salman you have done the action all by yourself in WANTED. Are you satisfied with the final result?
SK---I am quite satisfied, as I have gone through a lot of training for this film and have stretched myself a lot. May it be dancing or action, I needed the training, and the outcome of it has been good, according to me.

Politicians are blaming actors on going to any extent for the publicity of their film. What is your comment on that?
SK---Sorry I could not hear you... (Ever-diplomatic Sallu just refused to answer this question)





What is the reason for taking up this film?
SK---The reason for taking up WANTED was the script and the jazba of working hard in it. Now if the film does not work, then I will stop working hard. As I know I have worked hard for this movie and believe that this is one of the best.

Your characters name Radhe Mohan, is the same as it was in your previous film Tere Naam. What similarity do these two characters have?
SK---In Tere Naam, Radhe was a college boy who was hit badly and he goes mad at the end, but here Radhe is a man and no body can even touch him, as it will be very easy for him to bury them underground.

Can you elaborate on your character in the film?
SK---I essay the role of a contract killer in the film, and if somebody gives a supari on your name I will kill you also (grins).

Asin was originally cast in this film. What was the reason of replacing her with Ayesha Takiya?
SK---We wanted Ayesha so we cast her in the film, and come on guys she was getting married too and so we were planning to release this film before her marriage. Asin got her share in London Dreams toh humne setting karli hai...
How different is this film from its Telugu version?
SK---In this film there is humor, and different kind of action keeping in mind our audiences. It's not the ditto copy of the Telugu version, but we have our own inputs too, which sets this film apart from the South movie.

This film has a lot of action and so did Ghajini, which was full with loads of action? So do you think this film will work on the same lines?
SK---Ghajini worked not because of its action, but because of its romance. I have seen it and liked it also, but it was a different story altogether. This film is hero centric, and you will feel that I would like to be like Radhe Mohan after coming out of the theatre.

You have sung the song in WANTED. How was your experience?
SK---It was like I was just dubbing some lines for the song, when suddenly the idea of singing the full song popped up in my mind. Sajid and Wajid took my voice to the studio, put some masala and presented it. So if you like the song you know the story behind my voice. (Laughs)


---entertainment.oneindia.in

Sep 05, 2009

Salman Khan spoke exclusively to CNN-IBN and candidly answered about all the controversies that chase him regularly. Here he is, speaking to Anubha Bhonsle on Shah Rukh Khan, on Salman being a Muslim and about his family. Here is Salman unplgged and Simply Salman.

CNN-IBN: We have Salman Khan speaking to CNN-IBN viewers for the next 30 minutes, speaking on everything except films and marriage. Now, that’s a rare interview. It is a rare interview because now we get to hear so much about your other interests. It was nice to see you at the Nehru Cup final match. You are now the ambassador for Indian football. How did that happen?
Salman Khan: It happened rather quick actually and then I thought that it was a very good thing. Prafull Sir said, “Are you interested?:” and I said, “Yeah, I’d love to.” My nephews, my nieces, all my friends’ children are all absolutely crazy about football. I think that if we do this thing correctly, football will do really well in this country.

CNN-IBN: Are you a soccer professional yourself?
Salman Khan: No, no. I used to play. But now I have been out of practice for many years. I guess this is another way to get back into practice.

CNN-IBN: How was the Ambedkar stadium match? Did you stay there till the penalty shots?
Salman Khan: No. I missed the action. No one had scored any goals and as soon as I left, Syria scored a goal, then India scored an equalizer. After that they had penalty strokes and India won.

CNN-IBN: It’s okay, perhaps you are its lucky charm.
Salman Khan: I think Syria ranked 98 and India was 150th. India beat Syria, that’s a good thing and a good start.

CNN-IBN: I am sure that Baichung and his boys were ecstatic to see that you were there in the stands. I am a little curious, though. You are an ambassador for football and interested in an IPL team. How does that work?
Salman Khan: Why not? If there was a swimming team, I’d do that, if there is a cycling team, I’d do that. I just want to get into sports. If I was able to somehow get people into gyms over the years, I am sure I can get people onto the field as well.

CNN-IBN: How far has that progressed? We are told that you had a good meeting with Lalit Modi.
Salman Khan: I just found out how it works and about the bidding system. We will bid next year. If get the bid, we’ll own a team. If not, we will try again.

CNN-IBN Are you planning to be a sole owner or to co-own the team?
Salman Khan: We have to work out all those details.

CNN-IBN I am sure you have got all that figured out. Is your family going to be involved in it?
Salman Khan: My Dad is a huge cricket fan, so I am sure he and (brother) Arbaaz, both will be involved.

CNN-IBN: I wonder what is it that attracts film stars so much to the Indian Premier League (IPL Cricket) and this is not Shah Rukh-centric. What is it that attracts so many of you to cricket, IPL?
Salman Khan: You play the game once a year. It’s got glamour and speed. It has got the zing.

CNN-IBN: What sort of a role do you see yourself in? Are you going to be the face of your team, dancing? Are you going to be out there on the field
Salman Khan: I see myself as one of those types waving from the stands.

CNN-IBN: You cannot be there just out in the stands.
Salman Khan: You are not allowed to come out on the field unless you are playing.

CNN-IBN: What I meant to say is that when you own a team, you have to be involved in its various aspects. I am wondering if that requires different skills from what you are used to already.
Salman Khan: Well, I have jumped into the water and I have to learn very quick or I will drown soon. So I am jumping in, am midair and am already learning it.

CNN-IBN: It is not to suggest that you are looking at retirement. But I wonder if a lot of film stars look at this as a good back-up or business option?
Salman Khan: Right now, some people are losing money and some teams are making money. So, let’s see how it goes. Obviously, no one wants to lose money. I also have my charitable trust called ‘Being Human’. I just see a lot of visuals of people wearing ‘Being Human’ T-shirts.

CNN-IBN: So will we see a lot of ‘Being Human’ T-shirts?
Salman Khan: Hopefully, every team will wear.

CNN-IBN: That is going to be a big challenge. I wonder how you are going to make that happen?
Salman Khan: That will have nothing to do with my line of work. It has something to do with who’s got the biggest heart. Even if we get a team, the (charitable) foundation has got nothing to do with it. It will be nice to see that there are no clashes, no egos and may the best team win.

CNN-IBN: That is the true spirit of any sport.
Salman Khan: Yes.

CNN-IBN: One is a really commercial aspect and the other is an issue close to your heart. That is not to say that 20-20 is not driven by passion or is not close to the heart. In this case of charity and commercial interests, are the two feeding off each other or am I wrong.
Salman Khan: No. I always say that these industrialists, who have three to four lakh people working for them, are doing the best charity by giving people employment. Those people support their families and the benefits trickle down. So as long as there is employment, I think that is a much better form of charity.

CNN-IBN: What has happened of late that you have endeared the media? It is not as though you were not giving interviews before, but now you have sort of opened up.
Salman Khan: No, I have always been like this. I do not see any change.

CNN-IBN: I have not interviewed you before so maybe, I am the wrong judge but I do see a perceptible change.
Salman Khan: I just take my time. When something happens I do not clear anything, but when it is all done, I come out in the open. I do not talk bad about anybody.

CNN-IBN: Something on those lines are your visit to the NSG headquarters at Manesar. No media followed you.
Salman Khan: I did not want the media to follow me on that visit.

CNN-IBN: How was the day like, now that you have already spent a day there? What all did you do there?
Salman Khan: It was lovely. I just hung out with the commandoes and those people who got injured in the attack on 26 November. I also met the officers. They are very nice people. Brave, lion-hearted and cultured. I do not think the media could have given me the kind of space. It just gets very rough sometimes.

CNN-IBN: I completely understand that the media can at times really hound.
Salman Khan: Yes, I was just worried that if they were there, it might have been a problem for the media.

CNN-IBN: Oh, we will remember to be on our guard when at the NSG. But I am wondering why you decided to do that, especially after so many days of the attack.
Salman Khan: I was here and I felt like it was a good idea. These guys wanted to do it something like a publicity stunt. I said if I am going, I am going alone. I am not going there with anybody else.

CNN-IBN: Were you in Mumbai when 26/11 happened?
Salman Khan: No, I was in Greece.

CNN-IBN: But I am sure whatever happened shocked you.
Salman Khan: Yes, it was painful. It was disgusting. It was very bad.

CNN-IBN: Were you able to get into touch with your family quickly? And I am hoping that none of them were there at that moment.
Salman Khan: No, no. They were not.

CNN-IBN: You now, one of your comments that really caught everyone off-guard (and I must reiterate that this is not Shah Rukh-centric) is how you responded to the entire episode of detention at the New York airport. You said it’s no big deal and that it happens all the time.
Salman Khan: It is no big deal for me, that is why I said it is no big deal. I am sure that it is a big deal for him and that is why it has been made into a big deal, apparently.

CNN-IBN: Has it happened with you anytime before? Not a detention, but a questioning, maybe?
Salman Khan: Yes, and it’s good. We are into their country and they are being careful about people coming into their country. The Asians know us there but there are others who do not know us there. So the way we would treat Americans coming over here, I am sure they treat us the same way.

CNN-IBN: A lot of people were surprised not because people did not know who he was but because people thought that this was a case of racial profiling with a name like Khan popped up and suddenly we all get hyped up. Has that happened to you?
Salman Khan: No, it has not. I prefer wearing shorts, T-shirts and flipflops. I prefer going through the SSS security.

CNN-IBN: So you try to mingle or blend with the crowd.
Salman Khan: It is easier. What happens sometimes is that sometimes there is an Asian travelling and the name is Khan or whatever Muslim name, they are just being careful. They are also being polite at the same time. When they pick you up, they are also being careful, they pick up two other goras (whites) too. Afterall, there 9/11 did happen; here 26/11 did happen.

CNN-IBN: Yes.
Salman Khan: If you experience that kind of checks inside hotels, would you mind that? No. I do not think that we should mind this too.

CNN-IBN: One thing I wanted to ask you about the entire incident is that you seemed to have cancelled one of your visits.
Salman Khan: No, no. That is not the reason. We were unable to get permission to block off Time Square and that was going to require a lot of time to do that. That is the reason why we did not go there.

CNN-IBN: So it is not as though you do not like America or the strict security there?
Salman Khan: No. It is a nice place.

CNN-IBN: Do we in India treat celebrities with kid gloves and sort of lay out the carpet for them, especially when it comes to security?
Salman Khan: I do not know. For some, perhaps yes. For some, perhaps not. Depends on how much one can let go or foresee. Depends on how much one can react to such incidents or how much publicity one can make of one or two incidents. Depends on how much we can make out of incidents and what level they can take it to. They may want to make others see how they treat the celebrities similarly. They may let go of small incidents and may even make a big deal out of small incidents.

CNN-IBN: Do you go through all mandatory checks yourself?
Salman Khan: Yes, even more so because now computers have facilitated the fact that they all know there is one case against Salman Khan here and another there. So I have to go through that.
CNN-IBN: So you do think that this incident has nothing to do with the fact that the person was a Muslim?
Salman Khan: If that is what it is and if that card was played, then I think it is very sick.

CNN-IBN: You say that this happens in our country all the time. members of the film industry come out and say that they have been denied a house or an accommodation because of their name.
Salman Khan: I think that it has more to do with the film industry and due to a name given to us by a few people. Maybe I am one of them. They may feel we are unscrupulous, manner less and bad people who think no end of themselves. They may think we are a bit too loud. It has built up over the years. Maybe the people are also insecure, complexed.

CNN-IBN: So you are saying that it is not so much as to what religion you belong to but more of being a part of the Bollywood fraternity that is just seeing over the top.
Salman Khan: There maybe places that may not welcome Muslims just like the way there maybe places that do not welcome Hindus. We may not care about it but some people may feel so. They may say on the face Hindu Muslim bhai bhai (Hindus and Muslims are brothers) but may not mean it.

CNN-IBN: As a face of the film industry do you believe what a lot other actors have now taken up upon themselves. They try to project that they are devout Muslims, moderate Muslims. We have never heard you talk of that. You have not talked about the fact that you are a devout or a moderate Muslim and that you want to reach out.
Salman Khan: Reach out to whom?

CNN-IBN: You have never spoken about that image that you may have but have not spoken about.
Salman Khan: What is there to talk about in that? All I can say is that the meaning of Islam is peace, the tenets of Islam are peace and when you ingrain violence in that…when you do not follow that, then that is the end of the conversation.

CNN-IBN: Are you a devout Muslim?
Salman Khan: I am a human being, I am an Indian, I am a Muslim, I am a Hindu.

CNN-IBN: I do believe that you celebrate all festivals.
Salman Khan: Yes. We just need a reason to celebrate.

CNN-IBN: Has the Ganesh Chaturthi always been celebrated in your family?
Salman Khan: Yes.

CNN-IBN: We shall talk about that awesome appearance of you with your mother on TV. I believe that there are a lot more offers for her now.
Salman Khan: Yeah, Farah (Khan) called up and said that we must put her on the posters of Wanted and that way we will get more initial (draw at the box office).

CNN-IBN: There were a lot of sweet and mother-son moments. A lot of moments showing Salman Khan in very different light, different aspects of Salman Khan’s life came out. You appeared like someone who does not have hassles about talking about some problems of your life like the black-buck case. You seem to have overcome them.
Salman Khan: These cases are sub-judice so we cannot talk about them. If you want to write about these stories then you must know the facts. You write about these cases though you may know nothing. They do not, they just make stories up.

CNN-IBN: Have these incidents changed your life in anyway? Have they changed your behavior or how you look at life a little more?
Salman Khan: One thing is that you should always have God’s blessings on you.

CNN-IBN: So that you do not get into trouble or so that you get out of trouble when you get into it?
Salman Khan: So that you do not get into trouble. Just because you were at a particular place in a car at some particularly unfortunate time, and you have been blamed for it. There is no point talking about it or saying I was not there and I did not do it. Let the law take its own course. Let the judiciary decide what they want to make of it.

CNN-IBN: You did make a statement when you were coming out of one of those places at one time that you do not want to make a statement out of it. You did not want to appear rugged or show oh, what a life I have had. Or even what I was reading in jail. I have not read about it. I mean it seems silly to me to read about that but tell us about it.
Salman Khan: See, if you have done something, you deserve to go in there. But if you are going anywhere because people are pushing you in. There is no need to feel bad about it. It is not something in your hands. It is your destiny. Man is such a species that he adjusts to anything.

CNN-IBN: And have you adjusted to it?
Salman Khan: I have been fortunate to have not been long enough out there inside. But yet, it is difficult.

CNN-IBN: Your family has been a big support.
Salman Khan: It kills a family. You are fine inside but it takes a toll on the family.

CNN-IBN: What about the host of paitings that we hear Salman Khan is doing but I believ that it has been called off.
Salman Khan: No, no. The auction will happen not now but a little later when I am ready with the whole series. The proceeds will go to ‘Being Human’.

CNN-IBN: The ‘Being Human’ T-shirts are going to be on the stands, we believe.
Salman Khan: Yes, the T-shirts will have my paintings on them

CNN-IBN: One thing about this Bollywood rivalry…the Khans face-off with each other, pass comments, perhaps feeding off each other’s controversies. What is your actual relationship like?
Salman Khan: You ask me questions and I am promoting Wanted So you ask me questions on just about everything but not about Wanted. So I either just keep quiet or answer it as honestly as I can. You asked me so I answered as honestly as I can. You asked me, I would not bring it up. I do not talk bad, always wish well.


---CNN IBN

Salman Khan: The Most Wanted Interview (From Filmfare November 09/2009)




(Some Excerpts from the most wanted interview published in Filmfare Nov 09, 2009)

Who are the people who have contributed to your life and career immensely?
Salman : The people I went to meet with my photographs before I became someone. They threw me out. I give them all the credit for me being me. Because I didn't have any fire in me when I started out. When I would step out of their offices I would think, 'One day I am going to show them that I can make it'. I was not dying of hunger. So it wasn't a question of survival. My father had a Mercedes Benz. I used to drive a Mercedes. I had a BMW. Life was good and there was no shortage of anything in my life.
All the earlier stars before me, apart from Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) and Kumar Gaurav had come from very poor backgrounds. They had struggled. Some, even though they came from rich families, didn't take help from home when they came to Bombay. So they struggled, slept on the footpaths, ate channa and all that stuff. These stories kept circling in my head. And
I thought only if you go through the rough path will you have that fire in the belly and you will work hard. So all those people who turned me out, I turned them into channa and shengh (peanuts) and equated the rejection to sleeping on the footpath. Of course, once
I became who I am, all was forgotten. I've never held anything against them. But just to keep myself going, I said, 'One day I will show them.'

You stayed AWAY FROM the media. Why are you becoming so friendly now?
(Very long, pause)
Salman : Aap ka phone aaya? Aapne kisi se request kiya? Ki mera interview kara do) Aap ka office kahan hain? CST? Aap CST se Bhayandar aayein hain? Main toh idhar hi baitha hoon na? Main toh aapke office nahin aaya? Aapne last interview kiya tha, apki kitni copies biki hongi? Dus guna zyada? Is liye aap yahan aaye, correct? Is liye aap phir se aayein hain. Mera kaam sirf itna hai ki producer ne bola ki picture publicise karo. Aap jo mujhse poochenge main uska jawaab de doonga (You called me? You requested someone for an interview with me. Where's your office? CST? You've come from CST to Bhayandar to meet me. Did I come to your office requesting an interview? You interviewed me earlier. How many copies did you sell? Probably ten times the original figure. That's why you've come to me again. Correct? My only job is to publicise my film because the producer has told me to do so. I will respond to whatever you ask.)

Salman Khan On Shah Rukh Khan
Salman : I don't have a Phd on him. He used to be an acquaintance of mine. He's done two-three films with me. We got along fine in the past. He spent a lot of time at home with my family. He still respects my family, my brothers and sisters. The day he doesn't do that it will be different.

Your character in Wanted was called Radhe and so was the one in Tere Naam are you superstitious ?
Salman : No, no. I’m called Salman, people call me Sallu sometimes. I was called Prem at one point. It is too much of an effort for producers and directors to think of new name. They are like, “Arrey yaar, kya naam de? Suraj? Ajay? Arrey chalo yaar, Prem hi rakh dete hai. Prem is a common name but the name Prem, when it was first introduced in films had negative connotations because of Prem Chopra. And then Maine Pyar Kiya came and changed that. Then there was Suraj, Ajay and Sameer. Somebody else while come with some other name, you never know

Lot of your Younger fans didn’t watch Wanted due to excessive Voilence?
Salman : The thing was that I wanted this film to get a ‘U’ or a ‘U/A’ certificate. But we got an ‘A’ certificate. The violence that we witness all around us is manifold. What’s the point of giving it an ‘A’ certificate? Today kids play video games, which are 100 times more violent, gruesome and morbid than Wanted. Wanted is a film on nationalism. It is a film where a man is doing his job. He is fighting against evil, he is a hero. If you object to it because of one or two stabs, kicks, punches or gunshots it doesn’t make sense. You show 26/11 live on National TV, you show 9/11. How do you account for that violence.

How did you react to the news that Aamir Khan wanted to know the collections of Wanted?
I don’t get in to all that kind of shit. That’s not my job. My job is to do my work right. After that it is the job of the distributors and the producers.

You have acted with Kareena Kapoor you have seen her as  a six year old when you were shooting with Karisma Kapoor when you see her as a leading lady, does it require some sort of adjustment mentally?
She’s done two films with me, I’ve worked with her earlier. I keep on getting this,’ Oh, when we were in the 6th grade or 7th grade, we watched Maine Pyar Kiya and we were big fan of yours’. But today they are my leading ladies. Big deal!

So what difference do you find between Kareena and Karisma?
Karisma is very hard working. Kareena is very natural, very spontaneous. They both are the same; in fact I see a lot of Lolo(Karisma) in Bebo(Kareena).

You have strong friendship strong enmities do you think your relationship between Vivek Oberoi, Shahrukh Khan and John Abraham will remain unchanged?
Hmmm….You’ve taken their names in the same breath. Wow! (deciphering a question look on my face)No. I don’t have a problem if you don’t have a problem.

----Filmfare Magazine

Salman Khan on SRK in interview with Abhijit Majumder 2009

Okay, so WANTED is releasing and Salman Khan, the lead star of the film, is busy with interviews and promoting the film. In an interview with Abhijit Majumder, Salman Khan talks about SRK..
On asked about his problems with Shahrukh, Salman says “It’s just that our thinking doesn’t tally. But the world is made of all sorts of people. I did not like what he said once. He respects my family, I respect his. We just don’t see eye to eye. Weird things happened one night. It could have been sorted out then and there. Next morning, I came home. But I found that it was blown out of proportion, obviously not from my side. I don’t want to talk about it, but as one grows, one becomes magnanimous, more secure… chalo, god has given so much. But not in his case. I have my family my parents, brothers, sisters, everybody. He doesn’t have anybody above him. So perhaps it is lack of guidance perhaps. Or maybe some sort of fear. Maybe, if I were in his place, I would behave exactly the same”
Its not all negative though, Salman on asked about SRK’s professional career so far “He is very effective. Great script sense. He has come up the hard way, from TV. How he has climbed is his problem. But he has climbed a long way up. For me it is not about climbing, it is about growing.”
Salman also reveals a secret that he is buying an IPL team “Yes, I want to buy an IPL team. I am interested. So is Lalit (Modi). He and I have discussed this. It is a long process, involves bidding and all that.”

---indicine.com

Salman didn’t hit Ash!



Is age bothering Salman Khan? The actor, who feels life has begun, may have one small niggling worry, though ... that if he doesn't marry soon, his child may just call him grandfather!
Says Salman, "When I have a child and if it's not anytime soon like for the next 5 or 6 years, may be I'd regret that at some point in time... Arrey yaar, my child will be calling me dadaji. I can't play with him, I can't run with him. So that is one thing that shayad I might regret and am sure then also I'll be running and playing around... Giving him a run for his money."

However, he has no dreams of donning the mantle of India's most eligible bachelor. He says in a television interview, "I don't think the girls who have been in my life have ever thought of me as the most eligible bachelor. I think that once they found that I was not, they dipped out."
Salman also believes in friendships, with Bollywood's heroes and heroines. He says, "They stood by me, I stood by them — it's no big deal. That's what friends are there for. May be its just my personality or may because of my father.. he stood by his family, by his friends so its there in our genes."
Asked if he will marry in Rajasthan's Umaid Palace, Salman answers, "You never know." He also believes in marriage as an institution, "It worked for my father, it worked for my brothers and for my sister and am sure it is going to work for me. There are times when you get married at an early age to a girl you love or for excitement. Later on, comes an age when you want to get married to a person who'll be like the most amazing mother you know, who'll take care of your children."
He's aware that he's not perfect boyfriend-material, "I am slightly naughty that way and I have issues." On whether he poured coke over his ex-girlfriend's (Somy Ali) head, he says it may have spilled over, "I think I was actually angry so chalak gaya and it became a big thing at that point of time." And, what about the reported violence against another ex-girlfriend (Aishwarya Rai)? Has he ever raised his hand on any woman? "If I hit a woman, she wouldn't have survived. It's not true that I hit a woman," Salman clarified.
On being a possessive boyfriend and his recent statements on being uncomfortable seeing girlfriend Katrina in mini skirts in her movies, he explained, "I have no double standards. The fact that I have said that, I have got no double standards it means I have got no double standards. Men are allowed to do these things, women can't work without their shirts, not as yet. You are not living alone, you know you are living in a society. Comments start coming in. I can't take cheap comments on women."
Well, that should put all those rumours to rest!

---TOI Article