I know the exact questions you'll ask: Salman (19) - Page 11

Such is Calcutta's curious love affair with Salman Khan.

On a whirlwind trip to the city on Friday, Salman was stumped when he had tickets to sell but none of his movies to sell them for at a multiplex booking counter.

Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, which had released last Friday, was no longer playing at the plex and advances for London Dreams, releasing on October 30, were yet to open.

"No one wants to watch me as a common man… what can I do?" Salman told Metro, tongue firmly in cheek. "They made Wanted one of the biggest hits of the year but no one wants to see me as the regular guy of Main Aurr Mrs Khanna."

So all Salman could do was wave around at INOX (City Centre) in the afternoon in a loose white full-sleeve tee before hitting Salt Lake Stadium in the evening in a body-hugging black 'Being Human' (his charity organisation) tee.

"Last time when I had come (to play a football match at the Mohammedan Sporting Club grounds to promote Wanted), itni mohabbat, itni izzat mili ki hum sab darr gaye (the crowds showered us with so much love that we got scared) and we had to go back. I had committed that I would come back and so here I am."

The Wanted — and Dus Ka Dum — star did more than he had committed to. In the afternoon he had made it clear that he had not come to perform at the stadium but perform he did. The crowd at the stadium might have been just a fraction of its capacity — blame it on the organisers — but Salman made it an evening to remember. He not only mouthed his popular movie dialogues but also shook a leg to his chartbusters like Just chill and Mujhse shaadi karogi.

"I have a huge fan base here. Every time I have come here, the excitement is so high that it always leads to panic and I never get to spend quality time. I can't forget the trip when I was sent back from the airport. They said: 'Don't enter the city, we can't take responsibility, you have to go back'."

But on Friday, he made the most of his trip. Besides connecting with his Calcutta fans, Salman had his fill of mishti doi as the half-empty bowl on the table in his hotel suite would testify.

"I just love it. And I love the city. Can't Mumbai be brought nearer to Calcutta or Calcutta nearer to Mumbai? So that it takes lesser time to go back and forth. Bahut lambi flight hai bhai!"