New Delhi: Sonia Singh: Salman Khan, thank you very much for joining us on Your Call.
Salman Khan: Thank you for inviting me.
Sonia Singh: Salman, you are currently one of India's biggest stars after I think over 20 years in the film industry. Am I allowed to give that number?
Salman Khan: Ya Ya.
Sonia Singh: And you still have four big films coming up.
Salman Khan: I think my career starts now.
Sonia Singh: Do you think so ?
Salman Khan: Ya. That's what I feel.
Sonia Singh: Why do you think this is a great time in your career. Do you still enjoy what you do everyday?
Salman Khan: Ya ya. Now I have started selecting the films more cautiously, I have started selecting films based on scripts that I want to do, which I think from Friday, Saturday, Sunday to next Friday, Saturday, Sunday people are going to watch. Not just like "ki chalo yaar kar lete hain compromise, dost ki film hai". Nobody wants to do that kind of stuff. My father is a writer, so somewhere writing is in our genes.
Sonia Singh: So you have a sense of a good script?
Salman Khan:Ji, being here for 24 years. So basically I believe in entertaining and that's what I do here. Make your audience laugh like crazy or show them something that's extraordinary like Wanted, which is like an out and out action film which has dancing and amazing dialogues. It is crisp, fast paced, and a stylish film.
Sonia Singh: So it's a full paisa wasool film?
Salman Khan: Ji, this is what I believe ki full paisa wasool money is worth it. That is what I want when people come in so much so that they want to go back to watch the film again.
Sonia Singh: You have said that this is the best phase in your career. But in India of course heroes are not allowed to age that much. They are either still playing the college boy romantic or they are playing the last action hero. Do you think the roles which you are getting now are actually reflecting the Salman Khan, you are today?
Salman Khan: Well I will not be able to play Maine pyar kiya again. I would not be able to play a college student but definitely play a college student who has like failed 5 or 6 times. So if you look into the character, there is no screen age. For example, Aamir can play a college guy right now, I mean he is good looking..he's lost a lot of weight , he is looking very nice so he can play that now. It would take me two weeks to do that.
Sonia Singh: Two weeks to go back 20 years- that's not bad!
Salman Khan: I did Partner with Govinda and the only thing that I concentrated on was with Govinda. He is so brilliant- his acting, dancing, comic timing. You cannot compete with Govinda at all, nobody can compete with Govinda.
Sonia Singh: You were pretty good in your dance steps.
Salman Khan: No no. That was because he used to push me for that. He used to say "ki nahi nahi yaar partner ek aur". I was like "kya hua? Toh he would say ki yaar partner energy thodi down down ho gayi hai yaar.yahan pe tu betala ho gaya partner". He has taken a lot of care of me in Partner. When you work with people like Govinda, your energy level automatically increases and you know he has that one special quality of bringing your level up to his level and he encourages you. He is outstanding.
Sonia Singh: That's great. Your team work showed up on screen in Partner. So let's just across to people who want to ask you a question. They have come to our broadcast vans in Lucknow and Bangalore. If you can here me there in Lucknow, please go ahead and ask your question to Salman Khan.
Question from Lucknow: Hey Salman, how you doing?
Salman Khan: Am good. How are you man?
Question from Lucknow: Am good and I just want to ask you one question. I have been following you and I have been a fan of yours from 'biwi ho toh aisi days! My only question to you is - what is the one thing you regret in life?
Salman Khan: Hmm...the one thing that I regret in my life would be ..I don't now yaar.. that depends upon 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.
Sonia Singh: Thanks so much for joining us from Lucknow. Perhaps we can now go across to Bangalore where we have another group of fans waiting to ask you questions.
Salman's fan from Bangalore: Hello can we just say that am such a big fan of yours and that you are such a fantabulous actor. I think you have totally rocked as an actor and as a human being.
Salman Khan: Thank you so very much. I appreciate that.
Question from Bangalore: Do you have any plans of using the title of the most eligible bachelor in India!
Salman Khan: You know I have been asked the same question a billion times but no one has asked me this question the way you have. You know this is the title that shayad the press has given me or may be I have given myself this title. But I don't think that the girls who have been in my life have ever thought that I am the most eligible bachelor. I think that once they found that I was not, they dipped out. So yes definitely insha allah would lose the eligible bachelor tag soon.
Sonia Singh: Salman I have someone else on the phone line from Mumbai- an old friend Raveena Tandon joins us on the phone line. Raveena go ahead and ask Salman your question and thank you so much for joining us on Your Call.
Salman Khan: Raveena, don't ask me anything stupid yaar please!!!
Raveena Tandon: Thank you for being such a great friend that you are and very few people know that side of you. I wanted to tell people that Salman and I were not exactly great friends. We have fought throughout the movie. we fought for silly bubblegum, we fought over blowing bubbles at each other.. we fought over just about everything. And I thought that we'd never ever get along. Then we did a couple of great films ..we did Andaz apna apna, where we didn't speak to each other throughout. Did we speak to each other during that film at all?
Salman Khan: I was trying to work it up between you and Karishma.
Raveena Tandon: Ya and even trying to sort it out between you and Aamir.
Sonia Singh: Am liking this phone call and I think we should keep this going.
Raveena Tandon: So SK, we all have matured and we all have evolved- Lolo and me are friends now and I have discovered the most amazing side of Salman. I made my first production called Stumped and believe me all my so called friends of from the industry- I requested them to do a guest appearance in my film so that the film would sell. It was a very low budget film and we all were in trouble and the last person who actually thought would stand up to help was Salman. I just had to make one call to him and believe me he came on sets dot on time, shot with me till 3 am, completed the whole song after one and a half day of non-stop shooting. His staff did not charge me a single paisa- I mean forget Salman taking anything from me. I thought to myself it cannot be like this- we have to buy them something, so we bought them gold chains and stuff as remuneration to thank them. That was also returned to us, "Salman bhai will kill us if we take anything from you", they said. This is just to say that this person has a golden heart and believe you me if he says he'll stand by someone he will till blood flows in his veins. So SK, I love you for that.
Salman Khan: Thank you, Raveena.
Raveena Tandon: Now it's question time. All your heroines are married and settled- the ones you started off with. When are you going to do that?
Salman Khan: The younger ones are not.
Raveena Tandon: By the way they are just giving up on your age.
Salman Khan: That doesn't matter.
Sonia Singh: That he is fine with, he said his life just begins now. Raveena thank you very much for that.
Sonia Singh: Salman are you blushing? I think you have more friends among Bollywood heroines than heroes.
Salman Khan: No I have lots of hero friends. Lots of them are friends.
Sonia Singh: But you are known as a <I>yaaron ka yaar</I>. I mean that's something which you've been since when you were young.
Salman Khan: They stood by me, I stood by them- its 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.
Sonia Singh: But are you then as bad as an enemy?
Salman Khan: No am not like the worst enemy because once I cut off I give a damn. I don't even speak of harm to that person. I leave it to God. I just detach myself from that person and I have no contact with that person. I would not wish bad for them. I would not wish ill for them. The person doesn't exist for me.
Sonia Singh: So it wasn't true all the time?.. when that controversy happened and Vivek Oberoi tried to make up with you.
Salman Khan: No he is different.
Sonia Singh: Ok. Let's just go across as it is not just phone calls we also got questions for you via webcam. We have a question from Chandigarh sent in on our website NDTV.com. Let's just have a look at that.
Sarika from Chandigarh: Salman, controversies never seem to elude you. Do you hold the media responsible and still hold grudges?
Salman Khan: No, no, I don't hold any grudges. Controversies yes.. that's something even I have to figure out. I think they should die a natural death, once you start clearing things, you are demeaning somebody else which I don't find necessary. I just wait for the whole thing to just die off. You know things that would have hurt me.. they were crazy at that point of time but may be I won't be able to talk about that but after some time you know it's fine. I have no grievances. After 6-8 months, the truth comes out.
Sonia Singh: The truth is in your mind still. Well ofcourse the two major controversies were- the accident case where a pavement dweller was killed and its currently in court- and ofcourse the one in Jodhpur where you still have to go to court and make appearances. When you look back, do you regret that perhaps you should have done something different?
Salman Khan: I know there was a white gypsy and people thought that I was hunting there.. I am sure there must have been somebody hunting and I happened to be in Rajasthan shooting for Hum saath saath hain we got arrested. I was the only one there.
Sonia Singh: You are the only one still in that case. What happened? According to the criminal procedure, you are the only one who somehow did this.
Salman Khan: I am there for a film shoot and we were shooting far away somewhere when this thing came up. I am the one who is involved.. so they say ki hum hotel se gaadi mein gaye, shikaar khela, search light dikhaya, banduk chalayi, goli maari, jaanwar ko uthaya aur gadi mein dala. Lots of evidence claimed that against me.
Sonia Singh: All those film stars there like Saif, Tabu.. no one stood up for you?
Salman Khan: You know there were times when I think where did this come from ? That too one day after pack up, while driving by. All of us were there..Saif, tabu and Sonali--- we saw a deer cub, it was stuck in the bush. The whole jhund was there. So I stopped the car and it was like petrifying.. I took him out from there and gave him some water. Kya bolte hain usko- black buck- after that he ate and went back. So that is something that did happen.. after the we packed up and we were 5-6 of us all together.
Sonia Singh: The case is still in court and no one should make any judgment. The judge is the best person to decide.
Salman Khan: Even the postmortem reports at that point of time...
Sonia Singh: The dear overate..I think or something..
Salman Khan: Overate and one jumped over a wall and broke his leg and was eaten by a dog and the second postmortem report that came...use fir se kabar se nikal ke unhone ek aur postmortem kiya tha.. it became such a big thing and even that postmortem report said probably a gunshot and there is an Arms Act ka case mujhpar. I had my license.. I had a travel permit, which expired. My weapons were taken away in Bombay.
Sonia Singh: Do you think that was paying the price for being Salman Khan?
Salman Khan: Am ok. I mean if this is the price you pay for being Salman Khan, then I think it's a small price.
Sonia Singh: The other one was very sad ofcourse where the life of a pavement dweller was lost. Do you want to clear the air on that..
Salman Khan: Yes that was a strange thing. I mean obviously I was in the car but not on the driving seat. All the time, it's in people's mind ki yahi chala raha hoga.. let the verdict come out.
Sonia Singh: The ironic thing is that when you go to jodhpur jail. there as usual the crowds are there to see you.
Salman Khan: I love the state of Rajasthan. There is something about that place that keeps calling me. Even when we shot for <I>Veer</I>, a wall collapsed and there was a controversy.
Sonia Singh: Will you marry in Umaid palace? I don't think so..
Salman Khan: You never know.
Sonia Singh: Let's just go across to another question that was uploaded on our website NDTV.com.
Webcam question: Hi Salman, I am Sumita from Kolkata. And I'm a huge fan of yours. But I am really disappointed about one thing. Why didn't you vote for the general election? Shah Rukh Khan came down all the way from South Africa to vote. You campaigned for many of your friends who were contesting for the elections, but you didn't vote. Why?
Sonia Singh: It's hard being a star when every move of yours is questioned.
Salman Khan: I believe if you are not there in the country, it is fine. For me, if I had left the shoot to come back, I would have had to keep a day aside to go and come back. It was raining in London and we were already losing a lot of money. I knew this is going to come up because I have campaigned for a lot of friends and I was shooting in London. For two days I could not shoot because of the rains there and the producer was drizzling a lot of money and there were some date hassles etc. So I stayed back. Moreover I believe that if you are out of the country, it is fine. I didn't want to make a big thing of he's come back just to vote and will go back. I think that's all <I>dramabaazi</I>.
Sonia Singh: So work comes first?
Salman Khan: If you are not feeling well, don't go but if you are there in the country I mean that place where you have to vote, I think you should go there.
Sonia Singh: I got a caller online now- Prachi is calling in from Delhi. Prachi go ahead and ask your question to Salman Khan.
Prachi, New Delhi: I have a question regarding Dus ka Dum. Did you feel any kind of pressure, given the fact that reality shows previously had been a success and do you feel that you would be able to take Dus ka dum to that bench mark where the others had reached?
Salman Khan: The thing is I wanted to do something and Dus ka dum has a connect with the commoners. I don't believe that anybody is common. They are as common as I.. just that today I am in this field and the whole country knows me. Sometimes guys like us lose the plot totally, I mean they get isolated. I just wanted to know if I still have that connect and if my thinking has gone all wrong. So when I met up with everybody, am still that middle class boy.. I mean the way they speak at home, the way we speak, the kind of humour you guys share. That connect was there and yes given a chance I would keep on doing this for the rest of my life.
Sonia Singh: So that's the real Salman we see there as a TV host?
Salman Khan: Yes, I see them for the first time. You can ask anybody, I don't see them before. You see them for the first time and that is it.. you know from there whether you are playing on my right or on my left. Now am doing all these celebrity episodes...when it first came up I was against it.. I was like again this is for TRP ratings. But then I realized, when a celebrity wins money, his money is not going to him but to his charitable trust or to some other charitable trust from where thousands of people get benefited. When a common person wins, that person takes the money for himself. In a way both are correct and so I was like ok whoever comes.
Sonia Singh: You mentioned campaigning for your friends and we had Govinda who went a step further and actually got it into politics. Is that something you have ever looked at or considered joining politics?
Salman Khan: Politically I am very incorrect. I am not good at all and then I believe that being a politician is basically being a social worker. You have to keep on doing a lot and in my own way I am trying to do my bit.
Sonia Singh: Do you still think today's politicians are social workers?
Salman Khan: The people I get along with, I am friends with... I think they have done a lot but there is a GOD and that is the reason why this country is still growing.
Sonia Singh: Any political icons you look up to?
Salman Khan: I like the younger ones a lot.. I mean there is Rahul, there is Milind Deora, there is Vishi Jeet Kadam, there is Jyotiraditya Scindia, there is Jeetendra Prasad, Sachin Pilot... all these guys I think are making difference.
Sonia Singh: Salman we have one more question coming in via the web. Let's just go across to that from Shillong.
Soumyadip from Shillong: Hi Salman. There have been <I>fatwas</I> against you for celebrating Ganesh Utsav. Does it ever bother you or your family or are you ever worried that such things might alienate thousands of Muslim fans?
Sonia Singh: You said that you are politically incorrect and I think in that way you live your life.. you don't bother about people or what narrow religious or political considerations are?
Salman Khan: My mother is Hindu, my father is Muslim and I was just thinking about it that my father is like a Pathan, his grandfather came down with the cavalry, his father was a DIG of police Indore, my mothers father was from Jammu & Kashmir and they had a problem with my mother getting married to my father. My father said they were all chilled out. my grandfather did not speak to my father for 10 years and today I mean he is no more and when he was on his death bed I think he was of 76-years-old. he said that it was the worst thing that I did not speak to you for seven years. Religion has never been an issue for my family. I mean if my mother wasn't there, I would not be here.. if my father was not there, none of us, I mean all the children won't be there.
Sonia Singh: Salman, somehow actors like Aamir Khan, Shahrukh are always under pressure to answer questions like whether they think Islam has become, fundamentalist. Do you think that pressure is built up? Somehow Muslim actors have to have views on everything which concerns the Muslim community.
Salman Khan: Yes, there is a pressure I think. But like we have a Ganesh in our house. Fatwa actually means opinion. You know nobody can force an opinion onto anybody else, it is your own opinion. Fatwa has suddenly come to mean that isko maro usko fodo..supari. Islam means peace so if somewhere violence is coming to this, it is not Islamic at all.
Sonia Singh: Why didn't you speak out after 26/11, we saw a whole series of actors coming out and speaking at that point even after the Gujarat riots. Aamir Khan came out.
Salman Khan: I wasn't here, I was in Greece and I came back 15 days after that.
Sonia Singh: Do you think it was relevant and you should have spoken?
Salman Khan: At that time? I have always spoken out since the underworld says. 26/11 became an issue because Taj and Oberoi were under threat. What about all those trains and buses being blown up? Tab toh kisi ne kuch bola nahi, noone stood up at that point. Suddenly the rich and famous got up because they were threatened.
Sonia Singh: Let's just look at some more web questions in. Ranu Gill has written on our website www.ndtv.com/yourcall and she says that most of my friends say and I tend to agree with them to some extent that you have been unfair to Shah Rukh on that airport controversy. Doesn't racial profiling bother you? Have you never felt that people behaved with you in certain manner only because you are a Muslim?
Salman Khan: I just want to say that the three biggest stars in this country are Muslim.
Sonia Singh: That's a triumph of India that people here are not worried about the actors' or cricketers' religion.
Salman Khan: I have played Prem all my life, I have played Radhey all my life. People in Bangladesh, Pakistan.. love to watch our films. Indians are going to watch them.. Pakistanis are going to watch them, Bangladeshis are going to watch them, Sri Lankans are going to watch them. We Actors don't belong to any one place.. they love us for what we do on screen, it's not because of religion. A bad Hindu is bad and a bad Muslim is bad.
Sonia Singh: But we have never seen you playing any Muslim character. Even though ironically most of the actors, the biggest stars are Muslims. They are always Vijay, Prem, Radhey...
Salman Khan: If there is a script that comes along, we'll play that as well. But for that, the script has to make sense and there are a lot of guidelines that you have to follow.
Sonia Singh: You are right the focus should be on the film, on the script and not about being politically correct at all. Well let's just go across now to a place I believe you were born and of course where you are still a pin up boy. Let's just have a look.
A hairdresser from Indore: When are you getting married?
Sonia Singh: Salman from Indore to London, every one wanted to know when you are getting married. I don't know why but they all want to marry you off.
Salman Khan: No interview comes to an end till the time they ask me that question. I don't have an answer for that... am sure the day I get married is my destiny or its there in two people's destiny.
Sonia Singh: Isha has written from Dehradun on our website www.ndtv.com/yourcall and she's asking whether you feel that marriage still works as an institution.
Salman Khan: Yes of course it still does, 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.
Sonia Singh: But Salman I read an interview of yours earlier when you talked about the difficult time when your father decided to get married again. That wasn't something that made you think of marriage as an institution again or it actually strengthened your faith in a way.
Salman Khan: A lot of people say that my mother is so amazing. They think that its the most noble or the most beautiful thing my mum has done. But when it comes to them to do it, they are like.. no we can't handle it.
Sonia Singh: Is that the kind of patience you are looking for in your girlfriends?
Salman Khan: No. I am saying like for example Helen aunty is a wonderful lady and my mother knows that and sees that as a reason why it all worked. My father when he realised that this is something that is happening, he told my mother and you know it didn't come from anybody else and because we knew Helen aunty and got along very well and after an age everything is fine, everything is so cool.
Sonia Singh: Things don't matter anymore.. its more about family bonds and blood. Salman, somehow we talk about those controversies.. you are not seen as the best boyfriend in the whole world.
Salman Khan: Yes. I am not. I am slightly naughty that way and I have issues.
Sonia Singh: I have to ask this.. you actually poured coke on your ex-girlfriend's head?
Salman Khan: I think I was actually angry so chalak gaya and it became a big thing at that point of time.
Sonia Singh: The more worrying thing at that time was when you were actually accused of violence. That was a big story in all the film magazines that time. Have you ever raised your hand on any woman?
Salman Khan: If I hit a woman, she wouldn't have survived..It's not true that I hit a woman.
Sonia Singh: I think it's good if you could have cleared that because I think there are people who don't know you put it up against you.
Salman Khan: I have done it earlier.
Sonia Singh: You are a possessive boyfriend and I keep on hearing about Doordarshan guidelines.. what's that?
Salman Khan: 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.
Video caller: Hi Salman.. this is Malvika Since you're the bad boy of Bollywood.. I would love to know who would you pick as your successor from the present crop?
Sonia Singh: Who's taking that mantle?
Salman Khan: I don't see anybody. My problem is that I am exactly the way the whole country is and perhaps that is the reason why they love me because they see a part of themselves in me.
Sonia Singh: Salman, we all saw you watching football. It looked like fun.. it was a super win by India. But you are now buying an IPL team?
Salman Khan: I am the brand ambassador of football. Mr Praful Patel is a very dear friend of mine and you see they helped the football association so am dealing with this. I think the younger generation loves football, they are crazy about it and I think football will come up to a different level altogether. IPL team, am interested, I have bid for it and if the bid goes through then I'll have team.
Sonia Singh: Why are you interested?
Salman Khan: Because I want to get into sports I'll pick up something else as well just to promote them and take it to a different level.
Sonia Singh: I don't know if you have seen on NDTV, but we have got this show Double Take where we have some interesting duplicates.
Puppet: Hello people. You are looking great Salman.
Salman Khan: thanks.
Puppet: Hey dosti ka ek ussool hai, no sorry, no thanks.
Salman Khan: Aur copyright ka bhi ek issue hai.
Puppet: I know, I know. So we both are known as the bad boys of Bollywood.Is it worrying to be 40 in Bollywood?
Salman Khan: Right now, all I can say is that you are much better shaved then I am.
Puppet: Look at me man, I have a ten-pack. Why don't you give me some tips on working out.
Salman Khan: I think I have to take tips from you. I mean the way you are looking right now, all six pack shoulders.
Sonia Singh: Now you have to give him a role in one of your movies.
Salman Khan: I promise you.
Puppet: At least call me on <I>Dus ka dum</I> man !
Sonia Singh: Definitely, thanks very much for that.. I don't know what should I say Salman junior or Salman 2 but thank you.
Puppet: No but I have more questions. Since you are buying an IPL team, I thought of some names like Salman ke Shane or Prem ke Pandu. What do you think you'll call your team?
Salman Khan: I haven't thought of that yet but its definitely going to be something slightly sober.
Puppet: Shilpa Shetty has her own team too. Did she invite you to her wedding with Raj Kundra?
Salman Khan: Is she married yet?
Puppet: Ya. She is getting married.
Salman Khan: She will get married and she will definitely invite me.
Sonia Singh: We now welcome our surprise guest on the show. He is the boss on the sets of Wanted, Prabhu Deva. We'll play some music from Wanted and Prabhu you have to show me some of your dance steps.
Salman Khan: He sings very well.
Sonia Singh: Let's hear you.
Prabhu: No I can't sing. You sing.
Sonia Singh: We know you dance, so show us some of Prabhu Deva's steps.
Sonia Singh: Thank you Salman for joining us on the show tonight. Until next week, goodbye.