when I look at myself I am not impressed at all- salman khan

SalmanKhanHolicS
18 looking for a KICK
When I look at myself I am not impressed at
all' -Salman Khan !
Mehul S. Thakkar | August 03, 2014
Mumbai: It's 7 pm in Mumbai and for a change,
Mehboob studios is wearing a deserted look.
Salman Khan, dressed in jeans, T-shirt and a cap
is sitting in a makeshift tent right outside his
vanity van. It's a relatively relaxed day with not
many people around the actor; not even the
usual bunch that form part of his entourage. We
try to gauge his mood as we settle down for a
chat. Because, depending on his mood, the star
can talk at length on any topic or dodge simple
questions.
His latest film Kick is creating waves at the box
office, we ask him if he's going the Rajinikanth
way when it comes to superstardom.
To which he rubs his face with both his hands,
looks up at the sky and after a long, dramatic
pause says, "I have never been able to
understand this; it's beyond my understanding. I
really don't know how to react to it because when
I look at myself, I am not impressed at all.
Nowadays, sometimes I am talking to myself and I
don't know if I am making sense."
He adds, "After Maine Pyaar Kiya, I have only seen
a rise. It goes up, then comes little low and goes
higher. I am familiar with downfall too. What
happens is, when this stardom goes to your head,
other people's success, which ideally you should
also enjoy, starts bothering you. It's all very
dirty."
It's almost a norm now that when his film
releases, his dance moves, dialogues and
mannerisms become the language of all the Bhai
fans. Does he consciously try to speak the
language of the masses? Is it a lot of effort? "S**t
load of effort," he says. Talking about himself in
the third person he says, "He (Salman the star)
should never reduce the distance between his
fans and himself, and should only grow. I (the
person) should be able to maintain the distance
between the fans and the star."
His take on his humongous fan following is that
he will keep this alive to make it difficult for the
younger generation, who will eventually have to
set a new benchmark of fan following. "I want to
compete with my contemporaries and I want to
make it very difficult for the younger generation;
only then will the industry grow," he says adding,
"But it shouldn't be by cutting someone down."
He doesn't care much for commercial success
anymore. He says, "My life's dream was earning
'10 lakh and I achieved that long back. Till the
time I can do romance, action and young kids say
hey Salman', I am ok with it," explains the actor.
In the last one year, Salman has undergone a
visible transformation, and is looking very fit and
has lost a lot of weight, an effort he consciously
put in for Kick. Choreographer of Jumme Ki Raat,
Ahmed Khan in one of his interviews said that
Salman is looking like a 25-year-old. Talking about
his new daily workout, Salman says, "I have
started doing a lot of cycling, intensive cardio and
have started doing gymnastics as well. Then
there's punching and also kick-boxing."
While not much is hidden about his upcoming
films or his personal life, one can't say the same
about his charity initiative Being Human. He
explains, "Right now the funding is done by this
guy called Salman Khan and he cannot afford so
much. The more awareness or publicity we get,
more people will turn up to seek help and I can't
afford it at the moment. Hence, I'm trying to cut
down a little."
What is the focus right now of his charity
foundation? "We are taking care of patients who
have serious ailments or life-threatening diseases
and who will survive 100 per cent. If money can
save you from death, we are there." He also
mentions that the foundation is far better
managed now than before. "Today, when I say
zara dekh lo' for any case that comes to me to
anybody in my team, the work immediately gets
sorted and done."
He shares an incident about a fan who came to
meet him on a film set a few years ago. With him
was his little boy who all through was asleep on
his father's lap. "When he was leaving, I asked
the father what was the matter with the kid. He
said his heart is functioning only 5-10 per cent
and doctors had given up on him. Today, the kid
is rocking, it's destiny," he says with a proud
smile.
So, what really irks Salman Khan while trying to
save people's lives? He candidly reveals, "Aap
gaadi mei aa rahe ho aur mujhse paise maang
rahe ho. There are people who are very well off
who seek my help for their staff. I'm like, he
works for you, why can't you help him? They
don't want to take any responsibility beyond
paying their salary. I tell them aren't you
ashamed? You earn big bucks and you can't do
this much for someone?"
Salman's life has been a paradox. On one hand,
he has been helping the underprivileged, and on
the other hand, he has been painted the devil'
by many, especially the media. Commenting on
the negative news about him he says, "That is
also a part of me. You are going to piss me off, I
am going to get pissed off. If you are going to
mess with me, I am going to mess you up. It's my
thing."