Salman Khan confides that while he’s dated the most beautiful women inside-out, he’s been naughty at times.
Faheem Ruhani gives a thumbs up to his candour.

The worst nightmare for any journalist is to discover that the voice of his interviewee is barely audible on the recorder. More so if the star is the controversial Salman Khan. It so happened that Salman was shooting for
Bodyguard at a set constructed on the helipad at Film city. When I finally nabbed him for an interview, I didn’t account for the gusty wind that was blowing. And, to my horror, the recorder had more of the unruly woosh and less of his twang. The next four days then are spent in trying to cajole him for a repeat interview. In the meantime, I trudge to Lamington Road to buy a collar mike to fix on his T-shirt so as to avoid further goof ups.
Then one evening he messages me, “cm home!” For the first time I rush for professional assignment in my chappals. I wait for him in his uncluttered, spacious and well-lit drawing room. The cricket match is playing on the plasma screen while Bhai is taking a shower. A few minutes later, he makes an entry. Since it’s his day off, he hasn’t shaved. The mild stubble ups his wow quotient. as he readies for the drill, I’m gobsmacked’ He isn’t wearing a shirt. All my hard work has come to naught! I don’t know where to attach the collar mike. Salman sits in his blue jeans, bare-chested before me and the device lies idle in my hand. Excerpts:

How do you feel redoing the same interview with me courtesy a technical snag?
It’s quite possible that if you ask me the same questions again, I’ll end up giving you different answers.

Prateik and Shraddha Kapoor are on the cover of this issue. Are you still game about doing this interview which will feature you on the inside pages?
I’d love to be featured inside if Prateik is on the cover, No way will I put my foot down and ask for a cover when Prateik’s on it.

What’s your opinion about Prateik who’s slowly trying to catch up with Ranbir Kapoor and lmran Khan?
I like him. He’s really a sweet kid. He’s an outstanding boy. I loved his mother (the late Smita Patil) as an actor. I love his father (Raj Babbar) as a person and an actor. I’ve worked with his brother (Arya Babbar) aod his family. What is a cover for me? I’d want him to be on the cover of every magazine, where my interview is inside.

Every time you are asked to promote your film what thoughts come to your mind?
The first few rounds of interviews seem okay. Then it gets boring. The same questions every time. They’ll ask me about my supposed ‘fight’ with Anees Bazmee. Often journalists ask certain questions because they’re expected to ask them. The TV channels need software and the producer wants to promote a film. So it works both ways. I don’t believe in publicising a film. I just believe in telling people what the film is about. If they like the promo, they should go and see the movie. I’ve never told anyone that you must watch the movie. But in today’s scenario it’s important to let people know that your film’s going to release on a particular date.

Do you enjoy interviews or are you indifferent to them?
I enjoy them when I have something to talk about, when I’m asked questions worth answering and when I can share my life with my fans. But if you’re trying to evoke a controversy or get some shock value into it and turn and twist my words to give a different meaning than what I’ve said, then I’m not interested. That reveals a lot about the interviewer’s character than the interviewee.

Considering Anees Bazmee’s last two films haven’t really done well, are you apprehensive about Ready?
Not really. He is a man who knows his job. If you push someone who knows how to swim into the water, he’ll emerge out of it. But for someone who doesn’t know his job and is a fluke, then it’s a problem. Anees has given hit after hit after hit. So what if one of his films didn’t work? I’ve had so many flops. That doesn’t mean I’m down and out Some of the biggest heroes have had flops too,

Romance, mast action, Salman is back to bang announced the promos of Ready...
It’s grammatically wrong. The language has been used to associate Ready with the success of Dobangg. They could have even associated Ready with a flop film like God Tossi Greet Ho and it wouldn’t have mattered because the promos of the film have been appreciated. When the promos are appreciated and the songs are a hit, there’s eagerness in fans to watch your film.

Will Abhinav Kashyap not directing Dabgangg 2 affect the film?
I don’t think it will affect anything. Abhinav not directing it will not affect Dobangg 2. I hope it does not
affect Abhinav Kashyap.

Will Arbaaz Khan prove to be a good director for Dabangg 2?
Yes, I think so becanse Arbaaz actually never wanted to be an actor. He was just forced into it because he got a break (Darrar). If you follow Arbaaz’s graph, his body of work has been great but the enthusiasm for acting was never there. He always had a laidback attitude. I wanted to be a director but once I got into acting, I gave it
my best. Now I don’t feel like doing anything else. Today, thanks to Abhinav Kashyap, Arbaaz has got an opportunity. We really wanted Abhinav to do the film because of his association with the previous one. But he seemed adamant even though I kept telling him, ‘You must do the film. You can’t not do the film. I don’t know who’s advising you but truly for someone who’s spent 120 days with you, you should definitely do the film. It’s my advice as a brother’. But I guess, after Dabangg, he’s got too many brothers now.

Did Abhinav want to co-produce Dabangg 2?
No, Abhinav didn’t want to co-produce the film. He just didn’t want to do it. I guess he wasn’t happy with the way the film turned out at the box office. He was moving around with this film for about five years. I guess, he wasn’t happy with the amount of money we spent on it. He was making a small film and we took it to another
level. We’re sorry we made it into a big film. And his brother (Anurag Kashyap) of course, the genius went
on Twitter and made some more comments, which apparently he apologised for later.

Were there any issues over money?
There was no issue about money because for the first film also he was paid handsomely.

Reportedly, you met up with your ex girlfriend Somy Ali in Bangkok. You’re also friends with Sangeeta Bijlani and Katrina Kaif. What does it take to be friends with your ex?
See, things don’t end if you’re having a blast. If you’re having the best time of your life you are not going to say, ‘We’re having such a good time, now we need to break up’. But misunderstandings happen, people get carried away. Then people cheat, etc, etc, etc. Sometimes it might get obnoxious. And then they break up and it hurts. Sometimes the woman feels betrayed and sometimes the man. But you realise that there was only that much time you were meant to be together. That does not mean that you end that connect. You share a connect because you know
everything about that person. But you’ve got to let that person move on in life and you have to move on too.
Often the term ‘good friends’ is misconstrued in the industry. At some stage and a little later you can actually be good friends. From that stance of ‘no comments’ you can actually say dankey ki chhot par ‘haan, yeh meri dost hai' (say it loud and clear, ‘yes, she is my friend’).

When and how do you gauge in a relationship that the person is not meant for you7
Actually, you’re the last person to know. You’re the last person to know that you’re not a star anymore and that you’re not in the relationship anymore. In my case, many a times, it has been my fault. I’ve been working too much, I’m a difficult person to live with and I’ve also been naughty at times. Girls like me in the initial stages and after some time, they say ‘this guy has not changed’.

So you’re not husband material either?
Yes, I’m not yet. Forget husband, I’m not even boyfriend material. I’ve seen three or four women in my life and they’re very beautiful from the inside and outside. Somehow, it didn’t work out. So, I guess it’s my fault. And I’ll try to change that eventually.

Is there a woman in your life currently?
Yeah, there are four women in my life. My mother, my sisters Arpita and Alvira. And there’s Reshma Shetty (she handles his ads)! The women in my life will always be there as friends. And the ones who aren’t there will come in soon.

Recently, you’ve been linked with Kangna Ranuat, Zarine Khan and even Sonakshi Sinha.
These guys want to link me with just about anyone. Right now I’m single, I’m having a blast. I’m not dating or seeing anyone. These are all incredible girls. They’ve made a mark for themselves. It just happens that I know them closely. I’ve worked with Sonakshi, I’ve worked with Zarine. I’ve known Kangna for the longest time. She used to date a friend of mine. When I say, just friends, it’s just friends. When I start dating someone, you’ll know it. Even though I won’t talk about it, you’ll see me with that person.

Is there a team that has strategised the way you are positioned today?
There is no team. But I’m sure there are teams that would work against it. But no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to pull off anything. Because I have God on my side. Till the time He is on my side, nothing can go wrong. The day He decides not to be on my side, then anything is possible.

Reportedly, you asked good friend and producer Sajid Nadiadwala to cut down on the intimacy quotient between you and Sonakshi in Kick...
What? Are you making up these questions right now? (Pooses) If you see the original, there’s no level of intimacy whatsoever. From Maine Pyoor Kiyo till today, I haven’t done any of this stuff, I don’t think I’ll ever do it. Though I do understand that everyone is following the West, I can’t deal with so much exposure on screen and stuff like kissing. Even my hug is of a different kind. Either it’s romantic or comical. There’s no sexual connotation. Yes, I did rub Iodex on Bhagyhshree’s leg in MPK. But that was so innocent.

Reportedly, you hiked your price by Rs crore for Kick after Sajid kept repeating Akshay Kumar in his films
No, no. This is ridiculous. Sajid and I never discuss price. In fact, whenever I’ve signed his film, Sajid has always given me more than he did for the previous one. He doesn’t take advantage of our friendship.

Had you known about the content of Ragini MMS, would you have barred Ektaa Kapoor from appearing in Biqg Boss to announce the film?
It’s alright as long as the film has an ‘A’ certificate. People want to watch sex and nudity. I’d watch it as well but not with the family. People come from different walks of life, people have different needs and they are placed in different circumstances. They may have justifications for doing something like that. It’s not wrong from any angle. People run nude on cricket pitches. TV shows do similar stuff.

Okay, then when do we see Salman Khan in an ‘A’ film?
I’ve been part of an ‘A’ film — Wonted. And I didn’t even touch my leading lady Ayesha Takia. The reason why it got an ‘A’ certificate was because of the action. But every kid has watched the film. So I don’t understand why the film was an ‘A’. This is a way of promoting piracy.

It’s believed that when Shah Rukh Khan and you are shooting in the same studio premises, there’s tension brewing in the air...
I don’t believe this. Why should he look for me and why should I look for him? He’s doing his work and I’m doing mine. He’s doing a damn good job of what he’s doing. The fact is he steps out of his house and generates work for a lot of people. I respect that. Yeah, we don’t get along for sure. We’re not even on talking terms, He has spent about four years in my house, having known my sister and some common friends. I used to know him since then. Then we got along fine. Great guy! But today we don’t see eye to eye. I hope all his films do well.