Inside the hotel room, sitting on a chair near a tinted glass window, Salman looked content with the way life has rolled its carpet for him. Dressed in a blue shirt and ripped jeans, he settles down for a chat. Ask him about the all pervasive and aggressive promotion of films now, he says, "Few years back, life was simple. There was only one TV channel called Doordarshan. There was All India Radio.... no FM channels. I remember doing an interview with Amin Sayani for Maine Pyaar Kiya. Today life is more hectic. There's much more awareness, there are so many news channels, magazines. People's attention span is limited."
Does he think aggressive marketing of a film really helps its BO status? "No. I don't think that the stars talking about their films really helps. What stays in mind of the audience is the date of release. If the promo is slick, then it's going to definitely attract people. Even as an actor, I get attracted to promos of Hollywood films. Previously my friends and I used to decide on what films to watch by catching on the trailers."
In his long career span, Salman has seen the Hindi film industry going through sea changes. Talking about it, he says, "Today, everything is entertainment driven. Entertainment and sports are the two things that are consuming a lot of space. It's time to bring in an element of objectivity."
With massive hits like Dabangg, Bodyguard and now Ek Tha Tiger, how does it feel to be 'The Khan' in the end? So, what's the biggest USP of being Salman Khan? He laughs and says, "Am I the one?" and then adds, "I really can't say." He says, "I am one guy who doesn't want to live the life of a star. I want to eat, enjoy with my friends and travel around — I don't want the trappings that come with being a star." But then not many actors can boast of having such fan frenzy. What makes him click with both children and adults? He pauses for a while, "Yes, it feels wonderful to see so much of people appreciating my work. I think, it's the way I speak that acts as a bond with people. I am honest and I speak from my heart. That's why I connect with people."
His films have taken box office collection to new heights and fans actually stand in queue for hours to get a ticket. But does the star who attract million of movie-goers watch films? "Yes, I do watch a lot of films. I watch two/three films in a week. There was a time when I used to watch two/three films in a day. There are times when I don't have time to watch films because of my hectic shooting schedules. But then I make a list of films to watch. I love watching back-to-back films. Right now, I have two films to watch — one is an action flick and the other is a rom com." He laughs and adds, " If there's a rona-dhona kind of film, I might just postpone watching it. However I must say that, the same could be a nice film in the end. But my first choice is action."
Salman Khan had also written the script of the film Veer though the film didn't do well commercially. Is he planning to write another script? "I am getting great scripts to work on. So, I'm really happy doing such films. The day I will not get exciting scripts, I will write one for me." Does he enjoy the process of writing? "I love the process of writing but not the physical process of writing. My handwriting is bad and sometimes I find it difficult to read my own writing." And then he adds, "Computers are big no for me."
Today he is happy to be where he is. "The present is fine. So, I am happy. You never know what life has in store for you. I am trying to be as right as I can be but then I don't know when I will slip and it might go all wrong," he says. In the midst of all this contentment, where does a relationship figure in? He smiles, "Relationships just happen without any plans. Right now, no relationships for me."
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