Game Of Thornes

Understanding The Man Behind The Box-Office Midas... Jitesh Pillaai In A Chat With Salman Khan.

- Jitesh Pillai

On some days we like to see our heroes fail. Rub their faces in the mud. So that we can ride them, troll them, watch them squirm. But Salman Khan has emerged through it all. In your face. Because he’s a demi-god. Time and again his fans have proved that he’s infallible. His films have proved he’s critic-proof. That he’s a bonafide star. There’s friend zone, there’s the twilight zone and there’s Bhai’s zone. His brooding eyes might keep you at bay, his bulging muscles may keep you alert but his casual candour will pull you in. One snatch of that infectious canny laughter and you’ll be Bhai-zoned for life. He’ll take a century to smile at you, but once he does, he’ll hug you like a bear. Tubelight is his third film with director Kabir Khan, a filmmaker, many believe responsible for the renaissance in Salman’s oeuvre. But for the all-heart Bhai, there’s no semantics to cinema. He works with filmmakers because he likes the kind of people they are. Same goes for friends, relatives, associates, producers, employees and benefactors. That’s what Salman Khan thrives on. That’s his pursuit of happiness. Perhaps that’s the reason why he’s such a natural with kids. He’s forever looking for joy. His movies, his persona… is that of a kid looking at the world with wonder. For the pundits and the MBA grads, he may be a box-office phenomenon. But get up close to him and you’ll find a boy chasing his dreams...

On the appointed day, his manager gives me half an hour, between his workout, numerous meetings… and family. An army of bouncers surround him. But when Salman starts unwinding, he’s easy to chat, full of bonhomie. None of that famed moodiness shows up. At 51, Salman Khan looks like a zillion bucks and is riding high on the wave of box-office gold…