'Kick'ing it in style

He is hands down the superstar of Hindi cinema who is a treat to watch on the big screen. RAjiv Vijayakar talks to Salman Khan who is back with his blockbuster Eid release ‘Kick’.

It’s that different, unpredictable feeling. You are meeting Salman Khan for the n-th time (memory eludes, but it could be sixth, seventh or more) in his 26-year career. How will it go? How will his mood be? His stardom has grown over time, and today Salman is set to — our wager — release a film that will be his biggest opener yet: the Eid attraction Kick.

The leader of the 100-crore pack (Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg 2 and Jai Ho), is likely to score a high seven when this film releases as the 30th member of the elite domestic box-office club.

The star of past (some would say more genuine) blockbusters like Maine Pyar Kiya, Sajan, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun!..., Karan Arjun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Biwi No. 1, No Entry and Partner has somehow become increasingly casual and chilled-out about his unrivalled superstardom after every success. He knows that his is an extraordinary success story, but he is also aware — thanks to his father Salim Khan’s teachings and values — that stardom must always be taken lightly.

However, mega-stars must get a certain leeway. There is a heavy downpour outside and we get a message that Salman would prefer to sit under a makeshift shed outside rather than in the air-conditioned snugness at Mehboob Studios, where he is awaited.

Once out, we protest about the lack of comfort and the noise of the rain, the cars and other studio activity, stating that we were far better off inside. He immediately agrees to shift in. But as we are about to settle down, he mischievously enquires in his deadpan way, “You sure we shouldn’t sit out? Wasn’t that better?” and guffaws.

Mysterious moods

Clearly, Salman is already ‘Kick’ed about his new release and the record-smashing response to its ‘promo’, besides the release of a Kick mobile-game, in which we must play against the Devil, his sobriquet in the action film. Another Salman-ism comes in, “I like sports, not games!” and then, a second later, “I don’t mean this game. I like this game.” A chuckle follows.

Before we talk cinema, we ask him how he felt attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his father. “What else? I got a great kick out of it,” he replies, deadpan again.

Kick renews his 17-year association with producer Sajid Nadiadwala in a fresh way: this time Nadiadwala turns director too. What are his feelings on this? “Sajid’s a friend and like a brother,” he replies. “His turning director was a major attraction of course, and we last worked together eight years ago in Jaan-E-Mann.

He’s a superb producer and most of our films, beginning with our first — Judwaa — have done well. Not many know that he’s great at coming up with story ideas. We initially had a different script in mind. But then we decided on this story.”

Kick is also Salman’s first film with Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri, the latter doing a cameo in his song Yaar Na Miley. About them, Salman simply says, “I think that they are the best choices. Both are hardworking girls. Nargis is the girl-next-door, and as for Jacqueline, she was to work with Ajay Devgn and me way back in 2009 in London Dreams, and it was to be her debut film.

However, she took up another film instead. But she’s a great dancer, has acted well, and thanks to dubbing her lines for the first time in her career, has even spoken Hindi well. I told her, ‘Dub yourself, that’s the best way to learn a new language, even if you complete only half a scene every day.’ When you go through the grind of saying the same thing till you get it right, it helps.”

After a break in 2013, when he had no release on Eid for the first time after 2009’s Wanted, Salman seems to have now booked Eid again in 2015 with Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijan and in 2016 with Shimit Amin’s Sultan. “Look, there are certain auspicious dates and vacations during which people flock even more to the cinemas, like Eid, Diwali, Christmas and Republic Day,” he explains.

“It makes sense to try and release big films on or around them. Yes, Kabir’s film is being planned for Eid next year,” he admits.
What gives Salman — like so many other stars and filmmakers in the industry — a high about remaking South films? Wanted, Ready, Bodyguard, Jai Ho and Kick all fall into this category?

“I feel that the South guys are really good at showing heroism,” he says thoughtfully. “The invincible hero is what attracts people. And it’s not something far-fetched. Even in real life, if God wants to save you, no one can destroy you. And vice-versa too.” But Salman also has this peculiar dichotomy — while acting in mammoth extravaganzas, he also promotes or produces smaller, meaningful films, like Chillar Party or the forthcoming Dolly Ki Doli and Dr Cabbie.

Loved & adored

He replies, “I think that my fans expect a lot from me. It’s a difficult job to keep audiences engrossed each time. They need dialogues to inspire and entertain them, action, emotion and also a certain goodness in the characters I play. And we try to give a message too each time, like in Jai Ho. So making my genre of cinema is also that much more difficult. When I promote or produce smaller films that I find interesting, it is easier. I also like those kind of films, even if I cannot star in them.”

Nurturing new talent is another favourite activity of the actor — who believes in introducing, mentoring, guiding and helping talents in all fields, including music and acting. The world knows of his role in guiding Hrithik Roshan to stardom, inspiring Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan and mentoring his heroine Sonakshi Sinha. “Oh, yeah, I love creating competition for myself,” he says, his voice and expression deadpan again as he dismisses talk of his altruism quickly.

And now, so to speak, he is giving ‘competition’ to Sonu Nigam himself, for Sonu’s song Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah has been dubbed by him in Kick, and he has sung two more tracks. “I think that there were some issues between Sonu and the music company,” he says thoughtfully. “But yes, I have sung three songs in all here, with Himesh (Reshammiya)-bhai composing this song as well as Jumme ki Raat and Meet Brothers Anjjan doing Hangover.”

So, how was the experience of becoming a singer in three tracks, after his rare flirtations with the microphone earlier in films like Hello Brother and Wanted?

“You know, it’s nerve-wracking when someone comes and asks me to sing. I know they have pitch-correction devices that make you sound 70 per cent better, but that’s their expertise. I sing a song, take days instead of 60 to 90 minutes like a professional singer, I know what I have sung, and yet they come and tell me, ‘Superb, yaar!’ and I can only stare at them.”

He admits that to actually record a song for a “bathroom singer” like him was truly tough. “It’s funny, but my friend Wajid came and taught me all the songs even though someone else had composed them. And I had this added challenge of not singing like him, because Wajid has a certain style, and I had to sound like me.”

What are his views on the way the paparazzi has boycotted him after a promotional event for Kick? Opening up candidly, he says, “Believe me, I am happy and relieved, because they try to get so close to me to get better pictures, trying to be closer than their colleague, while with today’s technology you can even shoot great pictures from a distance. My bodyguards are paid not to let anyone come closer than a certain distance and they had to take action against their unruly behaviour.”

He goes on, “Their entire fraternity has suffered because of a single person who habitually misbehaves and who started this ruckus that day as well. But tell me, does that affect my stardom? No! But it affects these other innocent photographers.

Personally, I would be happy if the ban goes on forever, and specific photographers are appointed by each star to take great pictures, which is what fans want.”