Salman told Mr.White without Rajashri career incomplet

Neil Nitin Mukesh plays Salman Khan's younger brother in Sooraj Barjatya's upcoming family entertainer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.

Excerpts from a quick conversation.

Talk about working with Salman Khan?

Salman bhai told me once that your career is incomplete if you don't do one Rajshri film. I asked him, 'Why do you think that?' And he said, 'It just cleanses you and connects you. The people, the audience will relate to you much stronger after that.' And this is when he knew that the kind of films I was doing was thrillers and grey characters. Salman bhai is adorable. He's a great guy, a people's person and he is literally like an elder brother to me. This is the first time in my life that I am playing a younger brother to a man on screen who actually reflects being an elder brother in real life. And it was so easy as the elder brother is so protective both on screen and off screen. A man of his stature just going out there and taking care of not just his friends and people of his own class, but unanimously of everybody. It's very difficult and very humbling an experience for me to have worked with him. It teaches you a lot. My father always taught me that as a tree grows big and starts to bear fruit, it bows down towards the earth. Likewise, a man as much as he becomes big in life, that's how humble he is supposed to become. So, in a way, I draw this similarity with Salman bhai. He is so big and I am sure he knows it, but he is so simple and down-to-earth.



Exclusive picture of Salman and Neil from Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

That is the most beautiful quality about him. He genuinely listens to you. There are many people who pretend to be family on set. But he is not pretentious. He actually listens to you, is bothered about you and is taking care of you all the time. The best thing about him is that without making you feel that he has done a lot for you, he does a lot for you. He is so caring. He will make sure that you can use his place to work out on set as he has his gym there and then he will ensure that post workout, you get your food in time.

READ: Consider myself lucky to work with Salman, Sooraj: Neil Nitin Mukesh



You love mimicking. Did you mimick Salman?

Post pack up, I would be sitting mimicking every actor possible, including Salman Khan sitting with him. And it would be a laugh riot as he would make me sing my grandfather's songs in different actors' voices. He is like this big kid who loves entertainment. By the way, he is a fabulous actor. He's not a fluke. He is where he is for a reason. He understands the craft really well and he understands comedy like no one's business. Every day this was one of our get-togethers that we would indulge in. Either it would be painting or music. Luckily for me, I share the same art and craft hobbies as him. I am a painter myself, I am a pianist, come from a musical background and so we bonded a lot on music, painting and on photography.