Salman Khan says Katrina Kaif doesn’t manipulate or pull anyone down. She doesn’t talk badly about anyone. She lives in a beautiful, perfect world and there is a child-like feel to her.

Ahead of his film Tiger Zinda Hai’s release on December 22, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan sat down with indianexpress.com to talk about Katrina Kaif’s place in his life, and how he is not ready to take a break.

Q. You are undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of Bollywood. When did you realise that you have become a star and life probably wouldn’t be the same anymore?

Really? How sweet of you to say that, but I still feel it is Aamir and Shah Rukh who are the biggest stars our country will have in a long time.There was a time when I was really looking for work. I was doing modelling and stuff like that. I was looking for work as a director, but there was no work for me there. Somebody told me that I should be an actor, but I didn’t get any work as an actor as well. So, I was really struggling for work, and then my life changed after Maine Pyar Kiya. In people’s minds, it is that I have been around for thirty years, but in my mind, I have started only yesterday. So, I remember that I have to work. I had two friends who got very busy at that moment of time, and one of them said that he was so tired that he needed a break. And God gave him the longest break, he got no work till Maine Pyar Kiya happened, and he played the main villain in the movie, Mohnish Bahl. He had three film releases. He was working three shifts and his first film Teri Baahon Mein bombed. So, I never ask for a break. I may come late to shoot, but I need to work every day and I need to finish the job.

There was a phase in my life, where I was doing shit work. Shit scripts were coming to me. Then one day, I realised that I don’t want to do any shitty work and only if I got good stuff that I would continue. Then a film came and I saw the prospects of it becoming a big hit, but I said I need to sit on the script and they allowed me to. We sat on it and then I started doing that for my films. Earlier I did a lot of films with people I really liked, friends and stuff like that, but the scripts were not so good. So, when you say this to them, it looks like you are dodging them or you don’t want to work with them. And then you end up doing the film, stand on screen and let things happen. You really have to do good work. You have to be above the film and make sure it is worth the audiences’ time. And at times what happens is that I did a film and then realised that it is not a great film. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do to make the film better. In such times, anyway, that relationship is going to get sour. So, it is better to decline a film then and there. So now, whoever I work with, I work when I like the script. I am a story writer and a dialogue writer’s son. My first demand before signing a film is ‘pehle script laao bhai!’ (get me the script first). I hear the script. If I like it, I do it. And if I don’t like it, then no matter how much convincing goes in, I don’t do it.

Q. Does your ‘hero’ image limit the actor in you? For example, people just don’t accept it when you experiment with your roles, films and characters.

It is about heroism for me. Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Rock Hudson – all these people are heroes. All of them just play the ‘quintessential man’ and that’s what I like to do. Every six-seven years, the style of film-making and scripts change, but this action genre doesn’t. So, at any given point, if you’re confused, you choose nice action sequences which is backed with a lot of emotions and you genuinely feel like doing it, you should do it.

I have some other connect with my audience. They just don’t want to see me cry on screen. I did Tere Naam. It was a big hit. However, it was a big hit for its first half, not for the second half. People didn’t want to see me like that. For example, people are watching Tubelight on television, but they didn’t watch it on screen. I think it is about the festive time when people just want to celebrate and cheer. People go to watch my films during festivals. They dress up, cheer and whistle. They don’t want to see me crying on screen. I was thrown off as nobody wanted to watch the film (Tubelight) even when I kept on saying that it is not a film that you expect out of me.

Q. You have seen Katrina grow from Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya to Tiger Zinda Hai. What about her impresses you the most, personally and professionally?

She has not changed at all. People say that you need to change and that change is growth, but she is different altogether. In the film industry and in life, we meet all kind of people. Somebody cons you, somebody hurts you. Somebody cheats you. You get to experience so much and you become aware. You start getting protective. You start closing down. You start doing things because others do them too, but she has not changed at all. She is innocent, vulnerable, and pure. You can see how people have changed with changes on their faces. You can gauge how people have changed from observing their eyes and smiles.

After the age of 20-30, your life experiences show up on your face. If you are vindictive, one can see that ‘khoonas’ (violence) on your face. You can say a lot from people’s facial expressions. If you come across a peaceful and calm person, you see it on their face. Look at Sooraj Barjatya, he is ‘chaka-chak’. He has no worries. He is all good and positive. You met Katrina today? Look into her eyes. See her smile. There is such a child-like feel to her. She does a lot of hard work. She doesn’t get depressed with a film not doing well or somebody writing nasty things about her performance. People used to write about her dancing, initially. If people appreciate her, she works harder. If they trash her, she works harder. She doesn’t manipulate or pull anyone down. She doesn’t talk badly about anyone. She lives in a beautiful, perfect world.

Source : indianexpress.com