Posted:
India:
When Salman Khan summons, you show up. His PR man wants me to come to Bandra for a quick chat with the actor. I rush to the suburban studio though I am warned of a long wait as Salman is shooting for his newly launched film. After what seems like an eternity, I am invited into his vanity van.
I take a seat opposite Salman, who is bare-chested... and smoking. He gets up abruptly and asks his boy to fetch him a tee. After he clothes himself, we settle down for a chat about his upcoming film God Tussi Great Ho, his girlfriend Katrina Kaif, his fight with SRK, and more. Read on.
God Tussi Great Ho releases on Friday. What's so great about it?
There is a lot of humour, the music is fantastic and it is a good plot. It is one of those films that you can watch and have a good laugh. That's the genre of films I am doing nowadays. Masti, mazak, comedy, commercial movies! No emotional stuff. The sole purpose of the movie is to make people enjoy themselves and forget their worries. It is the kind of a film that you can watch again; I believe a movie should have repeat value.
Why was it in the making for so long?
A year, dude! The movie started off a year ago and now it is complete and ready for release.
It looks like a rehash of Bruce Almighty?
Yeah, the plot of the two films is similar but we have made changes to suit the Indian audiences. I don't think that Jim Carrey can sing and dance like me! So they are not identicial movies, if that's what's you are implying.
This is the first film with special effects, no?
When I took up the film, I was worried about how the special effects would turn out but when I saw the final result, I was taken aback! The effects look really believable.
Apparently, the film was delayed due to your problems with Priyanka Chopra. True?
No. I think Priyanka has done a commendable job in the movie.
Weren't you tempted to play the role of God in the film?
If you're talking about the role Mr Bachchan is playing, then NO!.
GTGH is releasing with Ranbir's Bachna Ae Hasseno, whose debut film you were in. Any thoughts?
I really hope his film does well...
Not worried about releasing alongside a Yash Raj Film?
(Grins) No. I am sure they must have made a good film. The coming Friday is a long weekend due to Independence Day, so I'm sure that the movies will not cut into each other's business and will have ample time to grow and lure in the audiences. It's all good!
What about doing movies with Yash Raj?
If they give me a good script and pay my price then I don't see why not. They have to come up with stuff I like to do. I will do anything for any producer if I like the script. If I am doing a David Dhawan film, I will not ask for a script but if I am doing a Yash Raj film, I'll make sure they give me one. Plus, they have to pay me what normal producers pay me. I don't compromise on my price for anyone.
How much do you really charge for a movie?
A few crores, depending on my market price at the time. I don't want to give an amount and make these other actors insecure and jealous. But I am the highest paid actor there is.
Let's talk about your role as host of 10 Ka Dum...
There are a good three months left for the show to end on television but I am almost done with my part. I just have to shoot one more episode. It's been great. I am being myself and that's where the fun of the show lies. There is no written dialogue or a teleprompter. The contestants ask me questions and I answer them to the best of my ability and take it from there. I think it's my job to make them feel comfortable.
There is a buzz that most of the contestants on your show are paid actors...
(Laughs out loud) I think all the shows have the same way of finding people. In fact, the people behind Shah Rukh's show Synergy are the producers of my show too and they have the same systematic way of finding people to be on the show. As a matter of fact, I get so many people who want to be on the show and they can't because they have to go via-via-via to get on it. It is a very long process. The member of the production team auditions people from different parts of the country to get them on.
What about shooting with these stars on your show? Some of them you don't really hang out with (Priyanka and Akshay)...
I have a lot of friends, bro. I have been in the industry for over 18 years and barring a handful of people, I don't like to call my buddies, I share a great rapport and comfort level with them.
Having Akshay on your show was interesting. No more bad vibes there?
No. Why should I? I have done two movies with the man. On the show, Akki, Katrina and I were all sharing good vibes.
Akshay asked you on the show why you weren't marrying Katrina. Was that pre-planned and scripted?
Akshay is Akshay. And he is known to be his silly self. It was very spontaneous. Nothing on my show is scripted. It's all purely impulsive.
When are you going to marry Katrina?
When her face starts to wrinkle, I'll marry her. (Winks)
Let's talk about your fight with Shah Rukh.
There is nothing to talk about, bro. Have I spoken about Vivek Oberoi? Why should I speak about him, then?
I see Shah Rukh and his situation with me in the same light as I see my situation with Vivek.
But if you bump into SRK, will you greet him?
I used to like him a lot at one point of time. But now things have changed. We have grown up. Now, we don't see eye to eye. I don't see any reason to keep in touch with him. If I am not fond of anyone, I will not pretend to be friends with him and then stab him in the back. I will simply tell a person like that to stay away.
Buzz is that you got Aamir and SRK together after the dog blog incident! Is Aamir doing the same for you? Also Sanjay Dutt says he wants to sit you and SRk down and sort it out.
Why would Aamir or for that matter, Sanjay, want to help me? Why would I want to help Aamir sort out his issues with Shah Rukh? I'm not a two-year-old kid, you know. It is our situation SRK's and mine. I think it is better the way things are. It is better to not pretend and act like close friends. I will not do anything to harm him as that is not in my nature. I will not bitch him out either. It's just that everyone is talking about it! Shah Rukh himself hasn't spoken about the fight and what went down but a lot of his close associates are giving stupid stories and leads to the media. Since the fight, I have been reading very, very negative articles on me.
What actually happened at Katrina's birthday?
Till now, what you've heard is only Shah Rukh's side of the story. When I see the situation getting out of hand, I will come out with my side of what really happened. There are too many people involved and as far as I am concerned, it was a private conversation. That is still one side of the story. I don't think that anybody should be disrespectful or vindictive; everybody has their own lives and their own destinies.
| I see Shah Rukh and his situation with me in the same light as I see my situation with Vivek |
I take a seat opposite Salman, who is bare-chested... and smoking. He gets up abruptly and asks his boy to fetch him a tee. After he clothes himself, we settle down for a chat about his upcoming film God Tussi Great Ho, his girlfriend Katrina Kaif, his fight with SRK, and more. Read on.
God Tussi Great Ho releases on Friday. What's so great about it?
There is a lot of humour, the music is fantastic and it is a good plot. It is one of those films that you can watch and have a good laugh. That's the genre of films I am doing nowadays. Masti, mazak, comedy, commercial movies! No emotional stuff. The sole purpose of the movie is to make people enjoy themselves and forget their worries. It is the kind of a film that you can watch again; I believe a movie should have repeat value.
Why was it in the making for so long?
A year, dude! The movie started off a year ago and now it is complete and ready for release.
It looks like a rehash of Bruce Almighty?
Yeah, the plot of the two films is similar but we have made changes to suit the Indian audiences. I don't think that Jim Carrey can sing and dance like me! So they are not identicial movies, if that's what's you are implying.
This is the first film with special effects, no?
When I took up the film, I was worried about how the special effects would turn out but when I saw the final result, I was taken aback! The effects look really believable.
Apparently, the film was delayed due to your problems with Priyanka Chopra. True?
No. I think Priyanka has done a commendable job in the movie.
Weren't you tempted to play the role of God in the film?
If you're talking about the role Mr Bachchan is playing, then NO!.
GTGH is releasing with Ranbir's Bachna Ae Hasseno, whose debut film you were in. Any thoughts?
I really hope his film does well...
Not worried about releasing alongside a Yash Raj Film?
(Grins) No. I am sure they must have made a good film. The coming Friday is a long weekend due to Independence Day, so I'm sure that the movies will not cut into each other's business and will have ample time to grow and lure in the audiences. It's all good!
What about doing movies with Yash Raj?
If they give me a good script and pay my price then I don't see why not. They have to come up with stuff I like to do. I will do anything for any producer if I like the script. If I am doing a David Dhawan film, I will not ask for a script but if I am doing a Yash Raj film, I'll make sure they give me one. Plus, they have to pay me what normal producers pay me. I don't compromise on my price for anyone.
How much do you really charge for a movie?
A few crores, depending on my market price at the time. I don't want to give an amount and make these other actors insecure and jealous. But I am the highest paid actor there is.
Let's talk about your role as host of 10 Ka Dum...
There are a good three months left for the show to end on television but I am almost done with my part. I just have to shoot one more episode. It's been great. I am being myself and that's where the fun of the show lies. There is no written dialogue or a teleprompter. The contestants ask me questions and I answer them to the best of my ability and take it from there. I think it's my job to make them feel comfortable.
There is a buzz that most of the contestants on your show are paid actors...
(Laughs out loud) I think all the shows have the same way of finding people. In fact, the people behind Shah Rukh's show Synergy are the producers of my show too and they have the same systematic way of finding people to be on the show. As a matter of fact, I get so many people who want to be on the show and they can't because they have to go via-via-via to get on it. It is a very long process. The member of the production team auditions people from different parts of the country to get them on.
What about shooting with these stars on your show? Some of them you don't really hang out with (Priyanka and Akshay)...
I have a lot of friends, bro. I have been in the industry for over 18 years and barring a handful of people, I don't like to call my buddies, I share a great rapport and comfort level with them.
Having Akshay on your show was interesting. No more bad vibes there?
No. Why should I? I have done two movies with the man. On the show, Akki, Katrina and I were all sharing good vibes.
Akshay asked you on the show why you weren't marrying Katrina. Was that pre-planned and scripted?
Akshay is Akshay. And he is known to be his silly self. It was very spontaneous. Nothing on my show is scripted. It's all purely impulsive.
When are you going to marry Katrina?
When her face starts to wrinkle, I'll marry her. (Winks)
Let's talk about your fight with Shah Rukh.
There is nothing to talk about, bro. Have I spoken about Vivek Oberoi? Why should I speak about him, then?
I see Shah Rukh and his situation with me in the same light as I see my situation with Vivek.
But if you bump into SRK, will you greet him?
I used to like him a lot at one point of time. But now things have changed. We have grown up. Now, we don't see eye to eye. I don't see any reason to keep in touch with him. If I am not fond of anyone, I will not pretend to be friends with him and then stab him in the back. I will simply tell a person like that to stay away.
Buzz is that you got Aamir and SRK together after the dog blog incident! Is Aamir doing the same for you? Also Sanjay Dutt says he wants to sit you and SRk down and sort it out.
Why would Aamir or for that matter, Sanjay, want to help me? Why would I want to help Aamir sort out his issues with Shah Rukh? I'm not a two-year-old kid, you know. It is our situation SRK's and mine. I think it is better the way things are. It is better to not pretend and act like close friends. I will not do anything to harm him as that is not in my nature. I will not bitch him out either. It's just that everyone is talking about it! Shah Rukh himself hasn't spoken about the fight and what went down but a lot of his close associates are giving stupid stories and leads to the media. Since the fight, I have been reading very, very negative articles on me.
What actually happened at Katrina's birthday?
Till now, what you've heard is only Shah Rukh's side of the story. When I see the situation getting out of hand, I will come out with my side of what really happened. There are too many people involved and as far as I am concerned, it was a private conversation. That is still one side of the story. I don't think that anybody should be disrespectful or vindictive; everybody has their own lives and their own destinies.
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