When we talk about Hindi film fraternity, we often tend to talk about an actor’s stardom being directly proportional to his box office collections. But if there’s one person who has totally changed the dynamics and has proven that there’s no going down if someone reaches the stage of ‘cult superstardom’, it’s Salman Khan. For the longest time, fans have been waiting for a theatrical release of Radhe. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the release got postponed from last year’s Eid and finally, we have it releasing digitally on 13th May, 2021. In our conversation with Salman Khan, he gets candid about Radhe’s OTT release, Allu Arjun’s original ‘Seeti Maar’ version, kissing Disha Patani with a ‘duct tape’ & many more. Read to know it all –
Radhe is releasing and the excitement can be felt everywhere. You are known to bring something unique every time. What can we expect now?
See, you can expect something new. You can expect something different from what I have done in the Tiger series, Dabangg, Bodyguard, or Wanted. However, Radhe is a new film and hence we have not repeated what we have already done in earlier films. Otherwise, it gets monotonous. So, there is a new element certainly but I would ideally want you to see the film and decide what’s new. On a personal level, I am the same old Salman Khan that you have been seeing since Maine Pyaar Kiya.
Over the last few years, we have seen you do a lot of action films and drama. What about the comic space? Do you not want to venture there again?
Yes of course I would love to. But the sad reality is that I am not getting anything which is better than the films I have done before like say Partner, Ready or even Bodyguard. It was primarily action but had a fun twist as well. I don’t want to do a frivolous comedy. There are people who are shelling out big bucks to watch comedy already. So when people want to see a blend of comedy, action, emotion & drama, I want to be the one who gives them that source of entertainment. Basically, I am trying to give them everything in one. So, that is my way of thinking.
Times are tough and things aren’t great for the country. At a time like this, you still managed to release your much-awaited film. Tell us what led to this big decision because many decided to pull back. What made you go ahead?
Well, the situation of the country is really sad. It hurts me when I see people are struggling for oxygen cylinders and hospital beds. From our end, I and Being Human are trying to do our best to contribute to that part so that we can help more and more people. But the idea behind going forward with Radhe now is because we had to take a big call. It’s not that we didn’t wait. But given the pandemic situation when we don’t know how long the impact would last, we had to take the call. I don’t think it would have been possible had ZEE not supported us. Plus we made a commitment to the cinema owners and we had to keep that as well. We are answerable to them.
Mark my words, Radhe will have the lowest box office collection ever. I would like to apologise to theater owners. But at a time like this, you can’t think of profit. Nuksaan hoga bohot bada jhel lenge. Lekin agar picture aati hai issbar then imagine a lot of people who are dealing with many troubles at home due to the situation, they can get a bit of entertainment with a new film. Mere liye audience ka woh entertainment box office collections se zyada matter karta hai issbar. So, we took the call and all thanks to ZEE for supporting us. I am thankful to them. But I will ensure we have a theater release as well once they open because Radhe is a film for the theaters. We have that in mind.
Whenever there is a Salman Khan movie releasing, it is not just about the movie but also the songs. Seeti Maar is a big hit. There were speculations of Allu Arjun possibly having a cameo in it. Is it true?
Nahi nahi aisa kuch nahi hai. We all heard the song and I loved it to be honest. I think Allu Arjun was absolutely brilliant in the original song and we had it because we loved it. There were no discussions of any cameo appearance as such. Those speculations and rumors are not correct.
What about the on-screen no kiss policy? Do you want to comment regarding the use of duct tape while kissing Disha Patani?
I am going back to flying kisses. I had kissed a duct tape this time and I had never kissed one in my life. After this, don’t be surprised if there’s a towel or curtain that’s next. (Chuckles)
Lastly, what about the equation with Prabhudeva? How has your equation with him grown over the many films you all have worked together?
Yeah, so far so good. But you know what? By now, he has understood what I can do and what I am unable to do. So now, he makes sure that I do what I can’t do. He has got his own comic timing. When he performs, we all laugh and the next moment when I am doing, he will be like, “one more, sir”, “not right sir”, “okay” etc. But then, I have my own style that my fans like. Next film, I am going to give my fans the easiest hook step which will be just about standing or sitting (laughs).
