Actor Salman Khan, in a Times Now exclusive, opens up to Arnab Goswami on his talk show 'Frankly Speaking'.
Excerpts from the conversation...
Arnab Goswami (AG): New movie?
Salman Khan: Yeah.
AG: And we’ve only been seeing you so much on television but I guess you will be excited, big screen is a big screen.
Salman Khan: Yeah because of the big screen I am there on the small screen.
AG: That’s true.
Salman Khan: So it’s been 20 years that I have been working and earlier there was not much of publicity for films. These days so many people publicise it so much, so we also have to do a little bit of publicity. But it’s the way you do it; I don’t want all this cheap kind of publicity.
AG: So much publicity before a movie is a good or bad thing?
Salman Khan: I have no idea, I have no idea, I used to not leave my home before.
AG: Like they say that too much expectation is also bad.
Salman Khan: Yeah, it is, actually what happens is in my case, I am asked less about movies and more about everything else.
AG: What’s the reason for that?
Salman Khan: I have no idea boss, I have no idea.
AG: Are you more natural on Dus Ka Dum or more natural on...?
Salman Khan: That’s the way I am. I keep on saying that every person has one too many billion shades to his personality. Dus Ka Dum is a connect with the fans, there are times that I am always giving this look to the media because sometimes you do not trust their... some people they keep on trying to corner you and trying to get you to say something. And you say the right thing but you know that one clip they will put there which will make it like a news item. I think everybody does that to make their show interesting or to corner you in some place or get some negative publicity out of you. Though you’ve had an interview with them and talked to them on almost everything but they need a negative twist to that. So eventually if you can’t handle that now I don’t think one can ever be able to handle it, I’ve grown enough to handle that kind of stuff.
AG: Do you feel cautious?
Salman Khan: No, no, I just say whatever I have to say, there is nothing to hide.
AG: What’s the worst that has happened to you? Like you said particular quotes being picked up and taken out, something that has hurt you?
Salman Khan: No, no, nothing... It’s just ridiculous, actually sometimes I feel that the journalists of the TV channels think that the fans or the audience, the janta is so stupid or fools...
AG: No, I am really curious actually Salman about what you think about television because television is opposite to cinema. TV, is that a distraction for you because...?
Salman Khan: No, no, not really. People pay money to go and buy tickets, they travel by buses, trains etc. to go and see a movie and they spend money whether the movie is good or bad. Movies are seen, but TV is very difficult. There are so many TV channels, and the remote is right there. If something isn’t interesting you simply switch to something else. For somebody to stick to that one channel on television, to keep them there is most difficult thing.
AG: So what do you do? Is it on you, is it on the guest?
Salman Khan: It is the whole thing...
AG: It’s the format.
Salman Khan: No, no, it is nothing that is scripted, I get the questions and I have to ask these questions and the take I have on those questions, that take I keep putting forward, that is my thinking. And I try to make the contestants feel comfortable. I treat them like they have come to my house. I am the host, they my guests.
AG: You like to do these percentages on your show?
Salman Khan: Yes.
AG: So if I were to take that analogy and say on the show of Dus Ka Dum, what percentage of the people would watch it just for Salman Khan? Give me your honest reply, don’t be modest.
Salman Khan: No, no, I won’t be modest. I think about 25-30%. I will tell you why because you know these other serials are rated at 4.5 and 6 and 8 and stuff like that, the daily soaps. And the TRP rating of Dus Ka Dum is about sometimes 1.8, sometimes 2.5, once in a way it goes up to 3-3.5. SO the average is basically 2.5.
AG: So you follow ratings?
AG: So you do follow ratings?
Salman Khan: I have been told that. In fact these little girls had come from these popular TV serials, and I was shocked by the ratings that they get. I said what the hell is this, they get some 6 TRP, 8 TRP and we get 2.5. So I said now come and increase our TRPs slightly.
AG: No, I think TV has been a good tool for you but last 2 years in terms of movies hasn’t been too great?
Salman Khan: Yeah.
AG: It has been below expectations.
Salman Khan: But with guys like me and Sanju, whether our movies are hits or flops, that is of no consequence. Everybody wants a hit film... but somewhere or the other we have taken the wrong decisions, no one has forced us in doing that. But when you go out the respect that is there, the love, adulation from the fans is a lot more than what the other people enjoy.
AG: That doesn’t change... But what about the industry? What about people? I know that stardom does not affect you, how people respond to you is not affected...?
Salman Khan: See the thing is sometimes it happens that you get carried away and you make wrong decisions. For example a producer, who is your friend, comes to you for a film and you sign the film. And then one script gets rejected, then another one gets rejected and another one gets rejected then they somewhere get that impression that ‘he is not interested in working with me. He is just making a fool of me’. And it gets very ugly, very awkward. So what we do is that we pick up the best of these 6-7 scripts which are not right. But the public is very smart. After seeing the promos, they decide that this film has no substance in it and those films don’t do well. So from now one has learned that a film for which you have self doubt, you don’t do!
AG: What about people, friends in the industry? What about fellow stars Salman? In last 2 years also television has been great for you, some of your movies have done well. You have been in the news for scraps with other stars. We have never heard your side of the story, I just want to know why you haven’t...?
Salman Khan: Scrap in things like...
AG: As a disagreement.
Salman Khan: Scrapping them away...
AG: Disagreements.
Salman Khan: Yeah, doesn’t matter, it happens. Sometimes people aren’t thinking similarly, people grow, some go in this direction, some go in that direction, people don’t see eye to eye. And then the best thing is not to have a scrap or anything... You just don’t meet them anymore. Everybody is happy with what they do, people die and go away and everything is forgotten. It is good that people are here, on this planet people are doing well and because they are doing well now the industry is there.
AG: We have never heard your side of stories, sometimes when these incidents happen, you know which ones I am talking about...
Salman Khan: Yeah, yeah.
AG: But when these incidents happen Salman the fact is that your side of the story hasn’t pretty much come out except you are saying once or twice that I have never come out with my side of the story.
Salman Khan: But that is right... It is a personal thing. What the other person says is his/her prerogative and it’s his/her insecurity that one has to clear things out. I don’t need to do that. The more you talk about it more you get trapped into it. It is not a war or anything, it is just disagreement. And I am sure those people are very good with people who hangout with them, who work with them, and I am good with my friends. So it doesn’t bother either of us.
AG: That’s saying enough, you know Salman one of the most interesting sights in Mumbai is outside your Galaxy flat when you go out and find, especially on a weekend, you have whole lot of people standing outside. Generally it is commented that this kind of popularity which stretches across different sections of people is very rare and yet it comes to you almost everyday. You have a connect, which other stars perhaps among even your contemporaries, don’t have. It’s the ‘Salman Khan connect.’
Salman Khan: May be the traffic jam is because the road is narrow there.
AG: You know what I am talking about, it is a connect at a very basic level.
Salman Khan: I am fortunate because I haven’t done any PR for this or haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to earn this. In fact like you said my last few films haven’t done well, so that should be all the more reason for my popularity to go down, but it doesn’t happen that way. I think I don’t know what the connect is, I don’t want to find out what the connect is, I don’t want to overdo this whole thing but I appreciate that and I like it. I like it because I somewhere may be doing something right.
AG: What is that? Maybe for someone who follows cinema, you, both on screen and off screen, seem to be less rehearsed..
Salman Khan: Perhaps.
AG: More spontaneous and less rehearsed than the other stars.
Salman Khan: You know this whole thing of being a star and a super star, the thing is there is a reason why I am, perhaps the connect is there because I am just a simple guy who wants to live a simple life.
Excerpts from the conversation...
Arnab Goswami (AG): New movie?
Salman Khan: Yeah.
AG: And we’ve only been seeing you so much on television but I guess you will be excited, big screen is a big screen.
Salman Khan: Yeah because of the big screen I am there on the small screen.
AG: That’s true.
Salman Khan: So it’s been 20 years that I have been working and earlier there was not much of publicity for films. These days so many people publicise it so much, so we also have to do a little bit of publicity. But it’s the way you do it; I don’t want all this cheap kind of publicity.
AG: So much publicity before a movie is a good or bad thing?
Salman Khan: I have no idea, I have no idea, I used to not leave my home before.
AG: Like they say that too much expectation is also bad.
Salman Khan: Yeah, it is, actually what happens is in my case, I am asked less about movies and more about everything else.
AG: What’s the reason for that?
Salman Khan: I have no idea boss, I have no idea.
AG: Are you more natural on Dus Ka Dum or more natural on...?
Salman Khan: That’s the way I am. I keep on saying that every person has one too many billion shades to his personality. Dus Ka Dum is a connect with the fans, there are times that I am always giving this look to the media because sometimes you do not trust their... some people they keep on trying to corner you and trying to get you to say something. And you say the right thing but you know that one clip they will put there which will make it like a news item. I think everybody does that to make their show interesting or to corner you in some place or get some negative publicity out of you. Though you’ve had an interview with them and talked to them on almost everything but they need a negative twist to that. So eventually if you can’t handle that now I don’t think one can ever be able to handle it, I’ve grown enough to handle that kind of stuff.
AG: Do you feel cautious?
Salman Khan: No, no, I just say whatever I have to say, there is nothing to hide.
AG: What’s the worst that has happened to you? Like you said particular quotes being picked up and taken out, something that has hurt you?
Salman Khan: No, no, nothing... It’s just ridiculous, actually sometimes I feel that the journalists of the TV channels think that the fans or the audience, the janta is so stupid or fools...
AG: No, I am really curious actually Salman about what you think about television because television is opposite to cinema. TV, is that a distraction for you because...?
Salman Khan: No, no, not really. People pay money to go and buy tickets, they travel by buses, trains etc. to go and see a movie and they spend money whether the movie is good or bad. Movies are seen, but TV is very difficult. There are so many TV channels, and the remote is right there. If something isn’t interesting you simply switch to something else. For somebody to stick to that one channel on television, to keep them there is most difficult thing.
AG: So what do you do? Is it on you, is it on the guest?
Salman Khan: It is the whole thing...
AG: It’s the format.
Salman Khan: No, no, it is nothing that is scripted, I get the questions and I have to ask these questions and the take I have on those questions, that take I keep putting forward, that is my thinking. And I try to make the contestants feel comfortable. I treat them like they have come to my house. I am the host, they my guests.
AG: You like to do these percentages on your show?
Salman Khan: Yes.
AG: So if I were to take that analogy and say on the show of Dus Ka Dum, what percentage of the people would watch it just for Salman Khan? Give me your honest reply, don’t be modest.
Salman Khan: No, no, I won’t be modest. I think about 25-30%. I will tell you why because you know these other serials are rated at 4.5 and 6 and 8 and stuff like that, the daily soaps. And the TRP rating of Dus Ka Dum is about sometimes 1.8, sometimes 2.5, once in a way it goes up to 3-3.5. SO the average is basically 2.5.
AG: So you follow ratings?
AG: So you do follow ratings?
Salman Khan: I have been told that. In fact these little girls had come from these popular TV serials, and I was shocked by the ratings that they get. I said what the hell is this, they get some 6 TRP, 8 TRP and we get 2.5. So I said now come and increase our TRPs slightly.
AG: No, I think TV has been a good tool for you but last 2 years in terms of movies hasn’t been too great?
Salman Khan: Yeah.
AG: It has been below expectations.
Salman Khan: But with guys like me and Sanju, whether our movies are hits or flops, that is of no consequence. Everybody wants a hit film... but somewhere or the other we have taken the wrong decisions, no one has forced us in doing that. But when you go out the respect that is there, the love, adulation from the fans is a lot more than what the other people enjoy.
AG: That doesn’t change... But what about the industry? What about people? I know that stardom does not affect you, how people respond to you is not affected...?
Salman Khan: See the thing is sometimes it happens that you get carried away and you make wrong decisions. For example a producer, who is your friend, comes to you for a film and you sign the film. And then one script gets rejected, then another one gets rejected and another one gets rejected then they somewhere get that impression that ‘he is not interested in working with me. He is just making a fool of me’. And it gets very ugly, very awkward. So what we do is that we pick up the best of these 6-7 scripts which are not right. But the public is very smart. After seeing the promos, they decide that this film has no substance in it and those films don’t do well. So from now one has learned that a film for which you have self doubt, you don’t do!
AG: What about people, friends in the industry? What about fellow stars Salman? In last 2 years also television has been great for you, some of your movies have done well. You have been in the news for scraps with other stars. We have never heard your side of the story, I just want to know why you haven’t...?
Salman Khan: Scrap in things like...
AG: As a disagreement.
Salman Khan: Scrapping them away...
AG: Disagreements.
Salman Khan: Yeah, doesn’t matter, it happens. Sometimes people aren’t thinking similarly, people grow, some go in this direction, some go in that direction, people don’t see eye to eye. And then the best thing is not to have a scrap or anything... You just don’t meet them anymore. Everybody is happy with what they do, people die and go away and everything is forgotten. It is good that people are here, on this planet people are doing well and because they are doing well now the industry is there.
AG: We have never heard your side of stories, sometimes when these incidents happen, you know which ones I am talking about...
Salman Khan: Yeah, yeah.
AG: But when these incidents happen Salman the fact is that your side of the story hasn’t pretty much come out except you are saying once or twice that I have never come out with my side of the story.
Salman Khan: But that is right... It is a personal thing. What the other person says is his/her prerogative and it’s his/her insecurity that one has to clear things out. I don’t need to do that. The more you talk about it more you get trapped into it. It is not a war or anything, it is just disagreement. And I am sure those people are very good with people who hangout with them, who work with them, and I am good with my friends. So it doesn’t bother either of us.
AG: That’s saying enough, you know Salman one of the most interesting sights in Mumbai is outside your Galaxy flat when you go out and find, especially on a weekend, you have whole lot of people standing outside. Generally it is commented that this kind of popularity which stretches across different sections of people is very rare and yet it comes to you almost everyday. You have a connect, which other stars perhaps among even your contemporaries, don’t have. It’s the ‘Salman Khan connect.’
Salman Khan: May be the traffic jam is because the road is narrow there.
AG: You know what I am talking about, it is a connect at a very basic level.
Salman Khan: I am fortunate because I haven’t done any PR for this or haven’t done anything out of the ordinary to earn this. In fact like you said my last few films haven’t done well, so that should be all the more reason for my popularity to go down, but it doesn’t happen that way. I think I don’t know what the connect is, I don’t want to find out what the connect is, I don’t want to overdo this whole thing but I appreciate that and I like it. I like it because I somewhere may be doing something right.
AG: What is that? Maybe for someone who follows cinema, you, both on screen and off screen, seem to be less rehearsed..
Salman Khan: Perhaps.
AG: More spontaneous and less rehearsed than the other stars.
Salman Khan: You know this whole thing of being a star and a super star, the thing is there is a reason why I am, perhaps the connect is there because I am just a simple guy who wants to live a simple life.
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